Four-toed salamander

LC - Least Concern

N5 - Secure

S3 - Vulnerable

Special Concern

Species in Greatest Conservation Need

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 or 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.

2″ to 4″ (5 to 10 cm)

Forests with moss and near water bodies with no fish

Captive: up to 9 years

Wild: unknown

It overwinters on land under rocks, logs or leaves, or in burrows

Small aquatic crustaceans

Insects, spiders, ticks, worms, and springtails

Sources

4, 6, 14, 24, 29, 30, 60, 73, 76, 78.

Rare

Location: Wood Rill SNA, Long Lake, MN

Hi, I believe I found one of these today. I found it in a very fresh Grifola Fondosa (Hen of the Woods) mushroom growing on a dead, decayed stump. It was approx 1.5” long. It climbed out of the mushroom. It was obviously reddish brown; when the sun shined on it, I could see it had in a linear pattern running tail to head of very small, neon blue spots. It scurried into another Grifola Fondosa a few inches away. I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo for you.

I’d love a response w/ any thoughts or info you may have regarding this possible sighting.

According to the Minnesota DNR, the four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) occurs in “many disjunct and isolated populations.” Though not part of its known range, Wood Rill has habitats that could support a yet unrecorded population of the species.

Wood Rill SNA has a small area classified as Tamarack Swamp (Southern). This habitat has a patchy, 25% to 100% continuous moss layer and often has sphagnum moss hummocks. It is in a “wet” area that stretches almost to Bufflehead Pond. If four-toed salamander is in Wood Rill SNA, I would expect it to be in or near this area or around Bufflehead Pond.

There is a much larger area of Black Ash - Yellow Birch - Red Maple - Alder Swamp (Eastcentral). However, mosses are generally sparse in this habitat, and sphagnum moss is not mentioned as a key component.

This is a compelling observation. Your description, especially the “very small, neon blue spots” and finding it near a mushroom on a decayed stump, aligns well with the behavior and appearance of the four-toed salamander. It’s a shy and elusive species, so any sighting is rare. While a photograph is always the best way to confirm a sighting, your detailed account is a contribution to our understanding of this species’ potential range.

Location: Itasca County