Red Salamander

Pseudotrition ruber

Red Salamanders are a commonly encountered species in metro Atlanta. They are orange-red in color with black irregular spots. The background color gets darker with age to a brown or purple-brown. They can be confused with the Mud 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 in and around streams, particularly in summer and fall when courtship and breeding occurs. Larvae aggregate in slow moving portions of streams and metamorphose after 2-3 years.

Red Salamanders are KNOWN from both Fulton and Dekalb counties.