HerpIndiana

Southern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera)

Adult from Marion County

Description

Coloration: A small, yellow salamander with a dark stripe down each side of the body. Dorsal color of Two-lined Salamanders ranges from bright yellow to a dull, brownish yellow. The stripe on each side is wide and black. In-between the stripes, small dark speckling is often present. Ventral coloration is yellowish and lighter towards the center (Minton 2001, pg. 77-78).

Size: Two-lined Salamanders grow to be about 3.5-4 inches in total length (Minton 2001, pg. 78).

Larvae: Larvae are dark yellow with dark, speckled pigmentation dorsally. They have low fins and transform at around 2-2.5 inches in total length (Minton 2001, pg. 78). They have several paired, light-colored spots on the dorsum, distinguishing them Eurycea longicauda (Petranka 1998, pg. 241).

Eggs: Eggs are whitish and surrounded by gel membranes. They are most frequently laid under rocks in small streams in single-layered clusters of about 20-100 eggs (Petranka 1998, pg. 244-245).

Distribution

Two-lined Salamanders range throughout most of Indiana, with the exception of about the northern quarter of the state and the southwestern corner (Minton 2001, pg. 78).

Activity

Two-lined Salamanders are active throughout most of the spring, summer, and fall, and they can occasionally be flipped during mild winter days as well (Minton 2001, pg. 79). I have observed these salamanders through most months of the year.

Breeding Season: Breeding of these salamanders reportedly occurs in late March and April. Eggs are laid in within a few weeks, and they hatch in late May or June. Larvae over-winter before transforming the next spring or summer (Minton 2001, pg. 79).

Taxonomy

The Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) has no subspecies. It belongs to the genus Eurycea, which is represented in Indiana by 2 other species, and is in the family Plethodontidae.

Natural History

Habitat: Two-lined Salamanders require rocky streams that hold some water through the entire year. Sometimes these creeks are concentrated to small pools in the summer. Adults are most frequently flipped under rocks and other cover items in and around these streams, though they will occasionally wander into surrounding forestland (Minton 2001, pg. 79-80).

Feeding: Larval Two-lined Salamanders feed on a variety of aquatic invertebrates, and adults feed primarily on an assortment of terrestrial invertebrates found while foraging around their streams (Petranka 1998, pg. 246-247).

Breeding: Little is known about the breeding of Two-lined Salamanders. They move towards their streams just prior to breeding, but it is not completely certain whether courtship always occurs on land or occasionally underwater (Petranka 1998, pg. 243).