Family: Plethodontidae, Lungless Salamanders view all from this family

Description 2-4" (5.1-10.2 cm). A small species distinguished by hind feet with 4 toes and marked constriction at base of tail. Reddish-brown above, grayish sides; white belly, with black spots. Costal grooves, 13-14.

Breeding Late winter to spring. 2-3 dozen eggs, singly attached to sphagnum moss or other plants close to water; female guards eggs until hatching 6-8 weeks later. The 1/2" (13 mm) aquatic larvae transform in 1 1/2 months at 7/8" (22 mm). Mature in 2 1/2 years.

Habitat Bogs, boggy streams, and floodplains; usually associated with sphagnum moss.

Range Discontinuous. Chiefly east of Mississippi River; Nova Scotia to Wisconsin south to Gulf, but absent from Florida peninsula.

Discussion Adults live under stones and leaf litter in hardwood forests surrounding boggy areas; the need for this special habitat accounts for its spotty distribution. When a predator grabs the Four-toed's tail, it readily breaks off - a twitching morsel that distracts the enemy. A new tail is soon regenerated.