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Description: Green Salamanders are mid-sized -- 3 ¼-5
inches. (8.3-12.5 cm) - salamanders with flattened heads, square
toes, and coloration that resembles green lichen-like markings
on a dark background. The ventral region of the salamander
is generally lighter than the dorsal patterned side. Anatomical
differences in males from females become prominent during the
breeding season. Males have disklike glands on their chins known
as mental glands and protrusions from the face known as cirri.
Range and habitat are also useful clues in identification of this
species.
Range and Habitat: In North American the range of the
green salamander extends throughout the Appalachian mountain region.
Eastern Tennessee and Kentucky harbor stronghold populations of
Aneides aeneus. Scattered populations also exist in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia, western North Carolina,
and northwestern South Carolina. In our region this species is
only found in the extreme northern Georgia and northeastern South
Carolina. The primary habitat of the species includes humid cliff
faces with numerous crevices. Suitable habitat contains moist
stones and logs in moist forests.
Habits: Green salamanders are usually found in cliff faces,
but recently there have been multiple accounts of this species
found under bark of trees. They are often seen wedged deep into
damp rock crevices. Females lay eggs in crevices in the summer
and brood eggs until they hatch. There is no aquatic larval stage.
Populations of Green Salamanders in the Blue Ridge Mountains in
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia have declined greatly
in recent years, presumably due to habitat alteration or potentially
disease.
Conservation Status: Although this species is federally
unprotected, it is endangered in North Carolina and listed as
"rare" Georgia.
Pertinent Reference:
Corser, Jeffrey D. 2000. Decline of disjunct green salamander
(Aneides aeneus) populations in the southern Appalachians.
Biological Conservation 97 (2001) 119-126.
Account author: Jason Norman, University of Georgia -
edited by J.D. Willson
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