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Amphibian Species Accountsfor Metro Atlanta

Information on each species native to Metro Atlanta, including identification characteristics — with images of adults, eggs, larvae and juveniles. Also wetland type, seasonality and frog calls.

Marbled Salamander

Ambystoma opacum

Marbled Salamanders are another species of mole salamander (Family: Ambystomatidae). They are distinguished from the other congeners by the white and black markings on the dorsum. Marbled Salamanders are active in the autumn and lay their eggs in dry basins, where the female will wait and guard the eggs until they can be inundated with water to hatch. Then, the female will leave and the larvae will overwinter in the ephemeral wetland if they are lucky. Marbled Salamanders take an incredible risk of having their larvae dry out by breeding in this way. If successful, these larvae will be very large by the spring when other ephemeral wetland breeding amphibians arrive to breed and can therefore consume the larvae of other amphibian species.

Marbled Salamanders are KNOWN from both Fulton and Dekalb counties.