Description: The larvae of this salamander are bold in coloration: brownish or purplish gray, sometimes with yellow flecks on the sides. Adults can grow up to 13.5 cm and larvae tend to be between 10 and 30mm.They have a distinctive high tail fin and external gills. Larvae that live in an environment with light, like outside the caves in brooks or streams, have fully functional eyes, even if their vision seems to fade in older individuals. If they grow up in darkness, it will result in closed lids or degenerate retinas. After two or three years, the larvae metamorphose, at which point they lose their gills, their eyelids gradually fuse shut over the following year and is eventually covered with supraocular skin, and the now blind adult form spends the rest of its life in a cave. Because the larval eyes continue to grow till metamorphosis occurs, adults will have larger eyes the later the metamorphosisw start, and vice versa. The species is one of very exceptions from the rule that cave salamanders are paedomorphic. It has been hypothesized that the larval form is most beneficial in caves because the majority of the prey lives in water, and their aquatic feeding mechanism is more efficient in the larval form than that of post-metamorphic individuals. The Western grotto salamander has been described as an opportunistic and omnivorous feeder, which in addition to eating small aquatic animals is also coprophagic, feeding on bat guano, which is just as rich in nutrients as their living prey. This allows them to exploit the available food sources in both the aquatic and terrestrial environments inside the cave. The western grotto salamander is one of the only cave salamanders which undergo metamorphosis. The adult form is pinkish white, sometimes with traces of orange on its tail, feet, and sides, and has 16–19 costal grooves.
Habitat: As larvae the western grotto salamander lives in springs and streams near cave entrances. As adults, They migrate deep into the caves themselves and live out their lives underground. They prefer waters between 5.5 and 16.5 °C, and feed on small, cave-dwelling invertebrates such as Gammarus, though they are also known to eat guano as well.
Range: This species inhabits the karst regions beneath the West Springfield Plateau of the Ozark Mountains of extreme northwestern Arkansas, extreme southeastern Kansas, southwestern Missouri, and northeastern Oklahoma.
Diet: The Western grotto salamander has been described as an opportunistic and omnivorous feeder, which in addition to eating small aquatic animals is also coprophagic, feeding on bat guano, which is just as rich in nutrients as their living prey.
Reproduction: The juvenile stage is short, and sexual maturity appears to occur at or shortly after metamorphosis.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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