Streamside salamander
| Streamside salamander | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Ambystomatidae |
| Genus: | Ambystoma |
| Species: | A. barbouri |
| Binomial name | |
| Ambystoma barbouri Kraus & Petranka, 1989 | |
The streamside salamander can be found in upland deciduous forest in regions of rolling topography, mostly in areas with limestone bedrock, a few in noncalcareous regions with sandstone and shale.[1] Adults are usually found underground, under rocks, leaves, logs, etc. It breeds most frequently in first- and second-order streams, and typically deposits eggs singly on the undersides of flat rocks in pools and (less often) runs. Less frequently, it breeds in ponds. Reproduction is most successful in seasonally ephemeral streams, those with natural barriers (cascades, waterfalls) that prevent the upstream movement of predatory fishes, or have large flat rocks for oviposition. [2] Larvae in stream pools in Kentucky were most abundant among the filamentous green algae (Cladophora), which provide protection from predators and support prey organisms. [3] The species is restricted to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, with an isolated population in Tennessee.
Total adult population size is unknown, but likely exceeds 10,000.
References
- Hammerson (2004). Ambystoma barbouri. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is near threatened