Ambystoma laterale

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

View Printer Friendly

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	CAUDATA	AMBYSTOMATIDAE

Scientific Name:

Ambystoma laterale

Species Authority:

Hallowell, 1856

Common Name/s:

English

–

Blue-spotted Salamander

Synonym/s:

Ambystoma platineum (Hallowell, 1856)

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Geoffrey Hammerson
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is found in North America from southeastern Quebec to Lake Winnipeg, south through Great Lakes region and New England to northern Indiana and New Jersey. Several apparently disjunctive populations occur around the periphery of the range (e.g., see Brownlie [1988] for Nova Scotia record). Hybridises with A. jeffersonianum over a large area south of this range.
Countries:	Native: Canada; United States
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The total adult population size is unknown, but it likely exceeds 100,000.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	In New England and New Jersey, generally associated with lowland swamps and marshes and surrounding uplands with sandy or loamy soils (Nyman et al. 1988, Klemens 1993). Can occur in overgrown pastures. Adults usually under are objects or underground. Eggs are attached to submerged sticks or bottom of shallow forest ponds and pools. At Isle Royale, Michigan, breeds in splash pools on exposed rocky shorelines (Van Buskirk and Smith 1991). In northern Minnesota, successful reproduction in acidic bog water either does not occur or is a rare event (Karns 1992).
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

In New England and New Jersey, generally associated with lowland swamps and marshes and surrounding uplands with sandy or loamy soils (Nyman et al. 1988, Klemens 1993). Can occur in overgrown pastures. Adults usually under are objects or underground. Eggs are attached to submerged sticks or bottom of shallow forest ponds and pools. At Isle Royale, Michigan, breeds in splash pools on exposed rocky shorelines (Van Buskirk and Smith 1991). In northern Minnesota, successful reproduction in acidic bog water either does not occur or is a rare event (Karns 1992).

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The biggest threat is loss and degradation of habitat as a result of conversion to agricultural and urban use. Roads negatively impact salamander abundance in roadside habitat (deMaynadier and Hunter 2000). Increased acid deposition is a potential threat.

Major Threat(s):

The biggest threat is loss and degradation of habitat as a result of conversion to agricultural and urban use. Roads negatively impact salamander abundance in roadside habitat (deMaynadier and Hunter 2000). Increased acid deposition is a potential threat.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The species would benefit from increased protection of lowland forested wetlands.

Conservation Actions:

The species would benefit from increased protection of lowland forested wetlands.

Citation:	Geoffrey Hammerson 2004. Ambystoma laterale. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 May 2013.
Disclaimer:	To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
Feedback:	If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided