On April 2nd, 2009, our herpetology class drove to Indian Creek Park in Reily, Ohio. This particular afternoon, it was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with a few scattered clouds and a mild breeze. This specimen was found in a small stream off of the main creek (that wound its way into the woods) that contained approximately three inches of water. This small offshoot contained many limestones of various sizes, many of which had salamander eggs attached to the underside. The class lifted up a medium sized limestone and found this guy sitting there. Reaching about six inches, this individual is a very large streamside salamander.
This species is mostly located around the Ohio tri-state area (southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana), however, colonies have been reported in western West Virginia and Tenessee. The streamside salamander breeds in smaller limestone creeks located in forests in late winter and early spring. Eggs are laid and attached to the botton of rocks and take between two and three weeks to hatch. The larve take between six and ten weeks to complete metamorphosis. Adult Ambystoma barbouri migrate away from their breeding sites and take up residency in nearby forests under rocks and logs. As adults, they can reach up to six inches in size, and are quite chunky. They have a gray lichen-like pattern on their sides and a small head. These guys can be confused with small-mouthed salamanders (Ambystoma texanum), however their location (stream) distinguishes them.
Catherine Ade
Miami University
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