NORTHERN DUSKY SALAMANDER
Desmognathus fuscus
For inquiries contact Louise S. Mead, Graduate Student, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
This salamander is most often found under rocks in the splash
zone of small streams which ultimately feed the Connecticut
River. The northern dusky salamander is a plethodontid
salamander, one of five species of plethodontids found in
Massachusetts. Plethodontid salamanders reach much higher
densities in the Southern Appalachians where up to seven species
can be found in a single stream side community. Plethodontid
salamanders are lungless and rely on their skin for gas exchange.
The more familiar red-backed salamander (Plethodon
cinereus) is also a plethodontid salamander.
The Northern Dusky salamander is a medium sized salamander (2.5 to 4.5 inches long) with a keeled tail. These salamanders are
gray or brown, with darker, wavy dorsolateral stripes extending
from just behind the head to the end of the tail. All "desmogs"
have a characteristic light stripe extending back from the eye to
the corner of the jaw. Plethodontid salamanders are known for
their elaborate courtship rituals. Courtship involves three
phases: persuasion, tail-straddling, and spermatophore transfer.
During persuasion, males perform a number of different behaviors
including head rubbing, butterfly movements with the forelimbs,
and snapping (where the male stands alongside the female and then
snaps backward). Tail-straddling, where the male approaches the
female and positions her head at the base of his tail, ensues.
The male then walks forward, moving his tail back and forth,
while the female follows. The spermatophore, which is a small
packet of sperm that sits on a gelatinous base, is produced by a
number of different types of salamanders. The female will then
pick up the sperm packet in her cloaca (a common outlet for both
the digestive and urogenital system).
Courtship usually takes place in late May. Females deposit a
cluster of eggs on the underside of rocks or in stream banks and
remain with the eggs until they hatch in the late summer. Newly
hatched Northern Dusky salamanders have gills and will remain in
these small pools at the edges of streams until they transform
into the adult form sometime the following spring. Adults can be
found under logs along the edges of the streams.
Look in on these two web sites if you're interested in learning
more about plethodonths or desmogs.
