Illinois Salamanders

              Twenty species of salamanders occur in Illinois. Because of their secretive and mainly nocturnal
habits, they are observed less often than our state’s other amphibians, the frogs and toads.
Terrestrial salamanders live in forests in underground burrows, in or under rotting logs, under
rocks and leaves, and around springs and streams. They venture out of these places only at night or following
heavy rainfall. Larvae and aquatic adults live in rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, swamps, and ditches. Salamanders
are predators of earthworms, snails, slugs, spiders, insects, and other invertebrates. A few salamanders also
eat small vertebrates, including other salamanders. In turn, they are consumed by a variety of fishes, small
mammals, birds, snakes, and invertebrates. Terrestrial salamanders use their thin skin for respiration, which
requires that they live in moist surroundings. The chief conservation concerns for Illinois salamanders are
habitat fragmentation and habitat loss.
This poster was made possible by:
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Division of Education
Illinois State Museum
Illinois Department of Transportation
Text: Ronald A. Brandon,
	 Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Design: Illinois State Museum
glossary terms defined on reverse
Classification:
Phylum Chordata
	 Class Amphibia
		 Order Caudata
Species List Family Ambystomatidae
Jefferson salamander Ambystoma jeffersonianum
blue-spotted salamander Ambystoma laterale
spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum
marbled salamander Ambystoma opacum
silvery salamander Ambystoma platineum
mole salamander Ambystoma talpoideum
smallmouth salamander Ambystoma texanum
tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum
Family Cryptobranchidae
hellbender Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
Family Plethodontidae
spotted dusky salamander Desmognathus conanti
southern two-lined
salamander Eurycea cirrigera
longtail salamander Eurycea longicauda
cave salamander Eurycea lucifuga
four-toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum
redback salamander Plethodon cinereus
zigzag salamander Plethodon dorsalis
northern slimy salamander Plethodon glutinosus
Family Proteidae
mudpuppy Necturus maculosus
Family Salamandridae
eastern newt Notophthalmus viridescens
Family Sirenidae
lesser siren Siren intermedia
All species of salamanders
currently found in Illinois are
represented above.
Salamanders are not shown in
equal proportion to actual size.
Jefferson salamander Ambystoma jeffersonianum
cave salamander Eurycea lucifuga
lesser siren Siren intermedia
eastern newt Notophthalmus viridescens
blue-spotted salamander Ambystoma laterale
spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum marbled salamander Ambystoma opacum silvery salamander Ambystoma platineum mole salamander Ambystoma talpoideum
smallmouth salamander Ambystoma texanum
tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum
hellbender Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
spotted dusky salamander Desmognathus conanti
longtail salamander Eurycea longicauda
four-toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum
zigzag salamander Plethodon dorsalis
northern slimy salamander Plethodon glutinosus
eastern newt (eft) Notophthalmus viridescens
mudpuppy Necturus maculosus
redback salamander Plethodon cinereus
Ronald A. Brandon
William Wengelewski
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Michael Redmer
William Wengelewski
William Wengelewski
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Scott R. Ballard
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
Michael Redmer
Michael Redmer
Michael Redmer
Scott R. Ballard
southern two-lined salamander Eurycea cirrigera
zigzag salamander (SW Illinois) Plethodon dorsalis
Ronald A. Brandon
Ronald A. Brandon
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