A marbled salamander larva.
Marbled salamander larvae.
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.
As they grow larger they will eat tadpoles insects and other salamander larvae.
The marbled salamander is typically found in floodplains and low lying fertile areas dominated by hardwood trees.
The female stays with her developing eggs until rain fills the wetland and triggers.
This is opposite from other mole salamanders that breed during early spring.
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.
It gets its name from the white or silver bands that cover the black bodies of adult salamanders.
Larvae take small aquatic animals zooplankton but larger individuals will take eggs and larvae of other amphibians as well.
Recently metamorphosed individuals are brown or gray with light speckles.
The larger larval marbled salamanders feed on spotted salamander larvae and wood frog tadpoles as well as zooplankton.
Females will lay about 30 100 eggs in a depression on land usually beneath a log or leaf litter.
Marbled salamanders range from the.
Adults take terrestrial invertebrates such as worms insects centipedes and mollusks snails slugs.
The marbled salamander mates and lays its eggs on land.
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.
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.
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.
Salamanders like all amphibians require water for reproduction.
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.
They have a long dorsal fin from the tail to just behind the front arms.
Marbled salamanders emerge from their underground homes in early fall to migrate to their breeding grounds.
Marbled salamander larvae are also active predators and may be the dominant predators in their temporary ponds.
A marbled salamander larva.
All marbled salamanders have black undersides.
The larvae are dark brown or black with bushy gills and light spots the form a line on each side.
The larger larvae will also eat caterpillars and other.
The marbled salamander ambystoma opacum also called the banded salamander is a member of the mole salamander family.
