Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus)

Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus)
Map of the eastern United States with shaded areas indicating the geographic range of the Mud Salamander, Pseudotriton montanus.
Black and white outline map showing the southeastern US states of Georgia and South Carolina, regions where the Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus) can be found, with surrounding state borders partially visible.

Photos by J.D. Willson unless otherwise noted

Pseudotriton montanus, the mud salamander, is a large, robust plethodontid encountered infrequently in South Carolina and Georgia. Adults range from nearly red in younger individuals to brown in older and larger specimens. They have small black spots that are well separated along the sides and dorsum, and maybe even on the venter. Adults have brown eyes, as opposed to the gold eyes of P. ruber. Eggs are laid and larvae dwell in small muddy springs and seeps along slow flowing creeks. Metamorphosis occurs at a fairly large size (but less than 2 inches, snout to vent) at some point in the second year after hatching.