Description

The Smallmouth Salamander is dark brown to black on top with gray to grayish yellow patches. It has a black belly and can grow to over 15 cm in total length, including the long tail.

Confusing Species

The mottled appearance of this species is somewhat similar to the related Jefferson Salamander Complex but the Smallmouth Salamander lacks the bluish flecks.

Distribution

The Smallmouth Salamander has the most restricted distribution of any salamander in Canada. It is found only on Pelee Island in extreme southern Ontario. Outside of Canada, the Smallmouth Salamander is found in a diagonal swath from Lake Erie to Texas, excluding the east coast states.

Habitat

This salamander is found in a variety of habitat types ranging from deciduous bottomlands to moist pine forests. It can sometimes be found near temporary ponds or along streams.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs in the early spring in streams, ponds and even ditches. One female can lay up to 700 eggs, either attached to vegetation or on the underside of rocks. The larvae hatch at just over 1 cm in length and transform into salamanders by mid-summer. Where their distributions overlap, Smallmouth Salamanders sometimes interbreed with the Spotted Salamanders. The young produced are fertile.

Natural history

Outside of the breeding season, adults are terrestrial, often living underground. Salamanders are carnivours eating a large variety of insects and other invertebrates such as spiders and worms. When threatened the Smallmouth Salamander will raise and wave its tail. This may attract the predator to the tail rather than the rest of the animal.

Conservation Concerns

The Smallmouth Salamander is a southern species and in Canada is restricted to Pelee Island. It is currently common on the island but because of its small distribution is vulnerable to development. For this reason it is designated vulnerable by COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada).