I believe it is an ambystomid (hybrid) and not one of the plethodontid salamanders. To rule out it being a plethodontid get a magnifying glass and check for the presence of nasolabial grooves. These small grooves run from the nasal opening to the upper lip and are a good way to distinguish between these two groups of salamanders. Plethodontids have them while ambystomids do not. It is very possible it is a hybrid of the Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex. These are hybrids of different ambystomid species and are supposedly common throughout the Great Lakes region. Their identity can be confusing as they have various mixes of traits from each species. I believe they are also all female. I purchased 4 lungless salamanders from an exotic pet shop and when I got them home I checked for the nasolabial groove (I did not have my glasses with me at the shop.) Well after ruling out that they were not lungless salamanders I began to search the field guides and also to key them out. They came back with traits of a couple different species including the Jeffersonian. They could not be keyed out definitively to any one species. I was eventually able to conclude that they were hybrids. Mine look similar to yours. Anyway, check for the nasolabial groove and let us know what you find. This will definitively tell you to which of the two families your salamander belongs.



Randy



Firehouse Herps

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