Southern Two-lined Salamander

Eurycea cirrigera

Southern Two-lined Salamander

SWSA

Status

The Southern Two-lined Salamander is common to uncommon throughout its range.

Description

The Southern Two-lined Salamander is a small (6.4–11 cm), slender yellow to orange salamander with two conspicuous black stripes and a long tail. It is very similar to the Northern Two-lined Salamander but has 14 costal grooves instead of 15–16.

Distribution

This species ranges from eastern Illinois and central Indiana and Ohio, east to the Atlantic and south to the Florida panhandle and eastern Louisiana. There is an isolated population in northeastern Illinois, southeastern Canada south to northeastern Ohio and northern West Virginia and Virginia.

Habitat

This salamander occurs in or near flowing water, seeking refuge under leaves, rocks, logs, or masses of wet leaves in creeks and river swamps. It is found in association with hardwood forests, bottomland hardwoods, and tupelo-cypress swamps.

Special Requirements

Eurycea cirrigera requires leaf litter, logs and/or rocks to provide moist conditions and shelter. It is found in association with permanent water.

Breeding Habits

Courtship and breeding occur in the fall. During rains at this time, it becomes very conspicuous crossing roads during breeding migrations. Egg deposition occurs during the winter or spring. The female lays 30-50 eggs under the lower surface of a support in running or seepage water (Bishop 1943). The female remains with the eggs until they hatch. Larvae transform at about one to two years of age.

Food Habits

These salamanders eat a variety of small arthropods and annelids.

Management Suggestions

Siltation or pollution of streams, swamps and backwaters as well as destruction of the forest leaf litter would be detrimental to this species.

Remarks

This species had been recognized as a subspecies of Eurycea bislineata, but Jacobs (1987) offered biochemical and morphological data to support its elevation to the species rank.

Additional References

Bogert 1952; Mittleman 1949, 1966; Conant and Collins 1991.