Characteristics:
A small salamander that only gets about 4in long. Yellowish-brown or greenish-brown above and yellow below. Small black spots speckle the back and belly. The adults have a large tail fin. During the eft stage, these salamanders have a rough skin texture and have a reddish or yellowish belly. The tail fin is absent in the eft. No visible costal grooves.
*Note: The newts in this area are considered to be the central newt (N. v. louisianensis) a subspecies of the eastern newt.
Habitat:
Adults live in ponds, sloughs, and other small bodies of water. They prefer a muddy bottom and an abundance of aquatic vegetation. Efts live near lake shores or in woodland habitats. They are often seen on the forest floor following rain.
Behavior:
This is a strage salamander. Unlike most other salamander that have an egg, larvae, adult life cycle, the newt has an intermediate stage called eft. Following the larvae stage, the newts transform into an eft and spend 1-3 years living on land. After that they return to the water and live as an adult in small ponds. Mating occurs in winter all the way through spring. During mating season the adult males have large swollen hind legs that have spurs on the inner thigh. These are used during courtship.
In some locations in IL the breeding ponds used by the newts are fish-free, large, and permanent enough to allow them to skip the eft stage. This creates an adult newt that has gills.
Personal Remarks:
When we do see these guys it is usually the eft stage. There is one location in MO that has a great population of them and they can be easily observed laying eggs in the spring. The pond they breed in is also home to a huge population of leeches. Observing newts at this location can come with a few leeches that need to be pulled off. It is quite an interesting location, lots to see and do in one very small area.
A small salamander that only gets about 4in long. Yellowish-brown or greenish-brown above and yellow below. Small black spots speckle the back and belly. The adults have a large tail fin. During the eft stage, these salamanders have a rough skin texture and have a reddish or yellowish belly. The tail fin is absent in the eft. No visible costal grooves.
*Note: The newts in this area are considered to be the central newt (N. v. louisianensis) a subspecies of the eastern newt.
Habitat:
Adults live in ponds, sloughs, and other small bodies of water. They prefer a muddy bottom and an abundance of aquatic vegetation. Efts live near lake shores or in woodland habitats. They are often seen on the forest floor following rain.
Behavior:
This is a strage salamander. Unlike most other salamander that have an egg, larvae, adult life cycle, the newt has an intermediate stage called eft. Following the larvae stage, the newts transform into an eft and spend 1-3 years living on land. After that they return to the water and live as an adult in small ponds. Mating occurs in winter all the way through spring. During mating season the adult males have large swollen hind legs that have spurs on the inner thigh. These are used during courtship.
In some locations in IL the breeding ponds used by the newts are fish-free, large, and permanent enough to allow them to skip the eft stage. This creates an adult newt that has gills.
Personal Remarks:
When we do see these guys it is usually the eft stage. There is one location in MO that has a great population of them and they can be easily observed laying eggs in the spring. The pond they breed in is also home to a huge population of leeches. Observing newts at this location can come with a few leeches that need to be pulled off. It is quite an interesting location, lots to see and do in one very small area.
