Mud Salamander

Pseudotriton montanus

Most Mud Salamanders are reddish brown or orange-brown, with round separated dark spots on the back. The background coloration becomes darker with age and the spots can become obscured. They can be confused with the Red Salamander but can be distinguished in several ways.

1) The spots on a Red Salamander are irregularly shaped and can be overlapping; Mud Salamanders have round spots which do not overlap.
2) The eyes of a Red Salamander are yellow or brassy in color; Mud Salamanders have dark eyes.
3) There is a strong contrast in the coloration between the back and belly with Mud Salamanders; this contrast is lacking with the Red Salamanders

They can be found along streams, in seepage areas and bogs. Their larvae can be found in mucky seeps or submerged leafy detritus. Eggs are laid in winter and attached by gelatinous stalks to leaves, sphagnum and branches.

Mud Salamanders are KNOWN from Fulton County and PREDICTED to occur in Dekalb County.