Identification

A medium-sized, lean, dark salamander with distinctive green lichen-like blotching. Dorsal background color is dark gray or blackish and the green blotching can be a mossy green to bright green or even yellowish. Ventral coloration is a plain, lighter gray. These salamanders have distinguishing square-shaped toe pads. Green Salamanders reach total lengths of about 4-5 inches. Females tend to be longer than males.

Aneides have no aquatic larvae; small terrestrial juveniles hatch from eggs. Hatchlings look similar to adults with a shorter tail.

Ecology and Conservation

This species is listed as “Near Threatened” by the ICUN Red List. Populations are patchily distributed and the current population trend is a decreasing one. Endangered in North Carolina, and “rare” in Georgia. They are a terrestrial species. They prefer damp, shaded, hidden areas such as rock crevices or underneath logs/tree bark.

Distribution

Green Salamanders are widespread across low-mid elevations in the Appalachian Mountains but have a very restricted distribution in southcentral Indiana.

Taxonomy

There are no recognized subspecies of the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus). These salamanders belong to the family Plethodontidae, which is the world's most diverse family of salamanders.

Literature Cited

Conant, R. and J. T . Collins. 1998. Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Third Edition, Expanded. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY.

Minton, S. A. Jr. 2001. Amphibians and Reptiles of Indiana. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis, IN.

Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington D.C.