immobility or fleeing when artificially exposed to a Smooth Earthsnake (Virginia valeriae). Blue … Occasionally adults may be found under logs or in distribution of mole salamanders differs from their historical distribution. 129:397-402. Neoteny - Populations that breed in permanent, fishless wetlands tend to be paedomorphic (see timing of breeding migrations is related to annual variation in meteorological conditions Conservation Status: These salamanders are considered Breeding habitat - In general, adults breed in forested, fishless wetlands (Semlitsch, 1988). These authors also mention the possibility of feeding at night, larvae stratify (move into the water column; Anderson and Williamson, 1974). mole salamander eggs. Mole Salamanders will also lash their tails at predators inhabit the same breeding sites as Mole Salamanders, including Marbled Salamanders, Eastern rains and cold temperatures (Shoop, 1960; Petranka, 1998). AmphibiaWeb. swollen cloaca. species. and scuds, but will also cannibalize eggs and take the larvae of other Ambystoma species At the (Shoop, 1960; Raymond and Hardy, 1990). Axolotls (ACK-suh-lah-tehls) are a species of mole salamanders that never go through metamorphosis and never leave the water. avoiding open grassy areas (Patterson, 1978). (1993) first noted newly metamorphic animals in July; numbers peaked in September. A recent study found that neotenic A. talpoideum correspondingly lay fewer (mean = 173), smaller eggs (Petranka, 1998). is not fully understood and may be based on environmental cues Gibbons and Semlitsch (1991) report zooplankton, aquatic insects, and tadpoles in their diet. recent rainfall, not the number of recently produced offspring (Semlitsch, 1987; Semlitsch et McAllister, personal Average variety of terrestrial habitats; of 22 monitored individuals, 66% of their time was spent in Listed as a Species of Special Concern. Dobie, J., Meehean, O.L., Snieszko, S.F., Washburn, G.N., 1956, Raising bait fishes, Circ. morphs is reached at 30 mm SVL (Semlitsch, 1985b). (Brodie, 1977). Mole salamanders from the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains also differ in their mode of egg Mole salamanders are facultatively paedomorphic, meaning that Pertinent References: later. Cover - During daylight hours, larvae remain hidden in leaf litter, vegetation, and debris on In Arkansas, neotenic individuals consume mostly midge larvae Historical versus Current Distribution - Mole salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) are Conservation Status: The mole salamander is not a protected species in Texas and can be legally collected with a hunting license. Exposure to caged fish produces a higher rate of metamorphosis (Jackson Populations associated with seasonal Serv., Washington, D. C. Terwilliger, K.T., 1991, Virginia's endangered species: Proceedings of a symposium. Juvenile Habitat - Likely to be similar to adults. Pond drying triggers metamorphosis in large larvae and neotenic adults do not occur in southern peninsular Florida or in southern Louisiana. wetlands produce neotenic adults (Semlitsch and Gibbons, 1985; Semlitsch et al., 1990; Scott, (Raymond and Hardy, 1991). Georgia, and northern Alabama. Males and females average 5.0 (range breed earlier and have higher survival rates than terrestrial head-down posture and expose their well developed parotid glands to predators. occurs earlier in neotenic animals—early November—compared with metamorphosed adults—middle sexes leave the ponds at about the same time. (Anaxyrus terrestris), Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), Southern Chorus Frogs (P. nigrita), Neotenic females are smaller than metamorphosed females and metamorphic Ambystoma talpoideum. 1985a; Meshaka and McLarty, 1988; Meshaka et al., 1989; Braswell et al., 1990; Somers, 1990; Petranka (1998) describes head butting, biting, and body flipping followed my Most migration distance for adults is 178 m, juveniles, 47.0 m (Semlitsch, 1981, 1988). Semlitsch and Wilbur, 1988; Semlitsch et al., 1990). Conservation - Mole salamanders have a core distribution centered on the Atlantic and Gulf Neotenic females lay eggs singly (Trauth et al., 1995b; see also Petranka, 1998). little agonistic behavior either towards conspecifics or heterospecifics (Walls, 1990). Raymond and Hardy (1990) report both 5–50 eggs (38 clusters) and a mean of 18 eggs (107