Marbled Salamander Larvae

Adults take terrestrial invertebrates such as worms insects centipedes and mollusks snails slugs.

Marbled salamander larvae.

Marbled salamanders breed in autumn unlike most other mole salamanders which breed in winter and migrate to wetlands during before a good rain to court and mate. The marbled salamander is typically found in floodplains and low lying fertile areas dominated by hardwood trees. The larvae of the marbled salamander are also quite voracious predators eating zooplankton upon hatching but adding more prey as they grow including aquatic insects isopods fairy shrimp snails worms and the larvae of other amphibians. Salamanders like all amphibians require water for reproduction.

The larger larval marbled salamanders feed on spotted salamander larvae and wood frog tadpoles as well as zooplankton. It gets its name from the white or silver bands that cover the black bodies of adult salamanders. Marbled salamander larvae are also active predators and may be the dominant predators in their temporary ponds. A female marbled salamander guarding her clutch of eggs within a dry portion of a mendon swamp.

The female stays with her developing eggs until rain fills the wetland and triggers. Marbled salamanders range from the. Recently metamorphosed individuals are brown or gray with light speckles. The larvae are dark brown or black with bushy gills and light spots the form a line on each side.

Marbled salamanders like this pregnant female found at an attleboro tennis court often must cross through yards while migrating to their breeding sites during late summer nights. A marbled salamander larva. The larger larvae will also eat caterpillars and other. Marbled salamanders only eat live prey.

Life cycle the marbled salamander breeds from september to october in the northern part of its range and from october to december in the southern part of its range. However unlike most salamanders which lay their eggs in the winter or spring marbled salamanders lay their eggs in dried up pools in the fall. They eat zooplankton mainly copepods and cladocerans when they first hatch but add other prey to their diet as they grow including larger crustaceans isopods fairy shrimp aquatic insects snails oligochaete worms and the. Marbled salamanders emerge from their underground homes in early fall to migrate to their breeding grounds.

The marbled salamander mates and lays its eggs on land. This is opposite from other mole salamanders that breed during early spring. The marbled salamander ambystoma opacum also called the banded salamander is a member of the mole salamander family. Larvae take small aquatic animals zooplankton but larger individuals will take eggs and larvae of other amphibians as well.

All marbled salamanders have black undersides. A marbled salamander larva. As they grow larger they will eat tadpoles insects and other salamander larvae.