Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Amphibia

Order – Caudata

• Ambystomatidae
• Plethodontidae
• Proteidae
• Sirenidae
• Salamandridae
• Cryptobranchidae

Salamanders

• have permeable skin
• have permeable egg membranes
• are constrained to moist habitats
• have 4 limbs of approximately equal size – except sirens
• have tail

There are approximately 650 species of salamander in the world, 20 of which are found in Illinois:

Plethodontidae – Lungless Salamanders

• Have nasolabial grooves
• Lungless
• Most have 4 fingers and 5 toes
• Many species have direct development – skipping the free swimming larval stage
• Some species are perennibranchiate – retaining the gills and aquatic form as adults
• Largest family of salamanders with over 350 species
• 8 species in Illinois
Spotted Dusky salamander
Southern Two-lined salamander
Long-tailed Salamander
Cave Salamander
Four-toed Salamander
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Northern Zigzag salamander
Northern Slimy Salamander

Ambystomatidae – The Mole Salamanders

• Have a stocky body
• Have lungs
• Only found in North America
• Most have 4 fingers and 5 toes
• Burrowing salamanders
• Most species breed in early spring in fishless ponds
• Most species have a bimodal life cycle, aquatic larvae metamorphosing to terrestrial adult
• Some species can be paedomorphic or perennibranchiate – adults retain aquatic larval form including gills
• The Silvery Salamander is an all female species
Jefferson salamander
Blue-spotted salamander
Spotted salamander
Marbled salamander
Silvery salamander
Mole salamander
Smallmouthed salamander
Tiger salamander