(Hemidactylium scutatum)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe | N5 - Secure S3 - Vulnerable |
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Minnesota | Special Concern Species in Greatest Conservation Need |
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Description |
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Four-toed salamander is a small lungless salamander. It occurs in the United States from Maine to northern Florida, west to eastern Minnesota and Louisiana. In Canada it occurs in Nova Scotia, southern Quebec, and southern Ontario. It is rare in Minnesota. It is found in mature upland deciduous or mixed forests with moss and near vernal pools, ponds, sphagnum bogs, shallow marshes, or other water bodies with no fish. Four-toed salamander is the smallest salamander in Minnesota. Adults are 2″ to 4″ (5 to 10 cm) in length, rarely longer. The body is elongated. The upperside is reddish-brown above with a dense speckling of small silver or bluish spots or flecks on the sides, sometimes becoming almost entirely grayish of bluish toward the belly. The underside is bright white with black spots scattered along the sides of the belly and on the chin. On each side of the body between the forelimbs and the ventral area there are 13 or 14 prominent vertical depressions (costal grooves). The grooves meet on the back in a forward-pointing V shape. The tail is a little longer than the body on the adult, shorter than the body on the juvenile. There is a constricted ring at the base of the tail. The rear of the tail is usually brighter than the body. The snout is rounded and short on the female, long and squared off on the male. Between the nostril and the upper lip there is a slit (nasolabial groove) that assists drainage of water and debris from the nose. The salamander has no lungs and cannot clear the nostrils by expelling air (blowing its nose). All of the feet have four toes. |
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Size |
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2″ to 4″ (5 to 10 cm) |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
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Forests with moss and near water bodies with no fish |
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Biology |
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Behavior |
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Lifespan |
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Captive: up to 9 years Wild: unknown |
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Life Cycle |
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It overwinters on land under rocks, logs or leaves, or in burrows |
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Larva Food |
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Small aquatic crustaceans |
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Adult Food |
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Insects, spiders, ticks, worms, and springtails |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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2/3/2023 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Rare |
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Taxonomy |
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Class | Amphibia (amphibians) | ||
Superorder | Batrachia (frogs and salamanders) | ||
Order | Caudata (salamanders) | ||
Suborder | Salamandroidea (mole salamanders) | ||
Family |
Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders) | ||
Genus |
Hemidactylium (four-toed salamanders) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Batrachoseps scutatus Desmodactylus melanostictus Desmodactylus scutatus Salamandra melanosticta Salamandra scutata |
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Common Names |
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four-toed salamander |
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Glossary
Costal groove
On salamanders: vertical grooves along the side of a salamander between the forelegs and the groin, each corresponding to the space between ribs, that aid in keeping the skin moist by transporting water over the surface of the body.
Visitor Photos |
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Jeff LeClere |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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Four-Toed Salamander(Hemidactylium scutatum) Greg LeSouder |
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About
Feb 21, 2018 Four-Toed Salamander(Hemidactylium scutatum) August 2013. Bruce County, Southern Ontario Canada |
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Four-toed Salamander Paul Smith's College VIC |
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About
Apr 17, 2020 A four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) is found crossing the road. |
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Created: 2/3/2023
Last Updated: