Southern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber vioscai)
Description: This large, stout salamander reaches a maximum total length of 16 cm. The back is an orange-red to brown color with numerous bold black spots; head and mouth region has white flecking; underside has dark spots beneath hind limbs. With age, individuals turn a dull purple-brown color, and the spots become less defined. This species is often confused with the Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus), as these species look similar and co-exist throughout much of their ranges. However, Red Salamanders generally differ in having more spots, a dark horizontal bar through each eye, and golden irises, although the iris color can be less pronounced in this form. Larval Red Salamanders tend to have less pronounced gills than larval Mud Salamanders.
Habitat: Found near spring-fed pools and small streams in forested areas underneath logs, rocks, and leaf-litter. This species is fossorial, often occupying tunnel systems in the vicinity of the preferred wetland habitats. Juveniles (larvae) live in slow-moving springs, seepages, or floodplain ponds.
Range: Tennessee south throuigh Louisiana, east throughMississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgie and South Carolina.
Diet: Adults consume a wide variety of invertebrates and other salamanders (e.g., Eurycea, Desmognathus, Plethodon, etc.), while larvae eat aquatic invertebrates and other salamander larvae.
Reproduction: Eggs are laid singly beneath rocks or other structures in springs, head-water streams, and seeps. Some evidence suggests that clutches may range from 29 to 130 eggs. Female Red Salamanders are known to attend eggs sites, probably to protect them from predators.
Throughout much of their range, Red Salamanders hatch in late autumn and winter and have an aquatic larval period of roughly 27 to 31 months. However, Southern Red Salamanders may have a shorter larval period. Larvae live within the leaf-litter of their aquatic habitats, breathing through gills. Often these pools will dry up during warm summer months; larvae presumably recede to underground cavities when this occurs. Upon reaching a suitable size (6 to 9 cm total length), larvae stop feeding, absorb their gills, and metamorphose to the adult form. Red Salamander larvae grow more slowly than the closely related Mud Salamander larvae.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution and presumed large population.
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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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