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Home/Species/ Four-toed Salamander

Hemidactylium scutatum

(Temminck and Schlegel, 1838)

Four-toed Salamander

G5Secure Found in 23 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101408
Element CodeAAAAD08010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusHemidactylium
Synonyms
Batrachoseps scutatusBoulenger, 1882Salamandra scutataTemminck and Schlegel, 1838
Other Common Names
four-toed salamander (EN) Salamandre à quatre doigts (FR) Salamandre à quatre orteils (FR)
Concept Reference
Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Herman and Bouzat (2016) analyzed geographic variation in a mitochondrial gene throughout the range of the genus and found six highly divergent lineages, but suggested no change in the current taxonomy (Crother 2017).
Conservation Status
Review Date2014-02-18
Change Date2001-10-25
Edition Date2014-02-18
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G., and D. R. Jackson (2014)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Widely but discontinuously distributed throughout much of the eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada; secretive species that is proving to be more abundant and widespread than previously available records indicated; secure.
Range Extent Comments
Discontinuously distributed from Nova Scotia (Friet and MacDonald 1995), New Brunswick, southern Quebec (e.g., Sharbel 1990), southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin (Vogt 1981), and Minnesota (Dorff 1995, Hall et al. 2000) south to southeastern Oklahoma, Louisiana (Dundee and Rossman 1989), Mississippi, Alabama (Mount 1975), Florida panhandle, and Georgia (Conant and Collins 1991). Distribution is fairly continuous in the northeastern part of the range, spotty in the southwestern part.
Occurrences Comments
Hundreds of known occurrences. Many new ones are being discovered. As an indication of this, 18 new county records were published in Herpetological Review during the period 1995-2000; these included several for Minnesota, where the species had not been previously documented. In southern New England, where the species had been regarded as rare, Klemens (1993) found that H. SCUTATUM was widely distributed and secure. Most state distribution maps do not distinguish between old and recent records. Gilhen (1984) mapped a dozen locations in Nova Scotia. Klemens (1993) mapped dozens of occurrences (many previously unreported) in Connecticut. Redmond and Scott (1996) mapped 25 locations in Tennessee but stated that the distribution is poorly known. Pfingsten and Downs (1989) mapped 47 post-1950 locations in Ohio. Vogt (1981) mapped 25 locations in Wisconsin. Phillips et al. (1999) mapped pre-1980 records for 7 counties and 4 more recent county occurrences. Tobey (1985) mapped about 55 locations in Virginia. Green and Pauley (1987) mapped occurrences in about 20 counties in West Virginia; they stated that the species probably occurs throughout the state. Johnson (1987) mapped 12 locations in 12 counties in Missouri. Minton (1972) mentioned that some of the 10 populations he mapped in Indiana may no longer exist. At the southern limit of the range in the Florida panhandle, specimens are known from three river drainages in four counties (Means 1992, Krysko et al. 2011). Dundee and Rossman (1989) recorded two occurrences in Louisiana.
Threat Impact Comments
Primary potential threat is loss/degradation of habitat, but this is ameliorated in some areas by wetland protection regulations. However, colonies may be more or less isolated by the species' relatively restricted habitat preferences, and development of intervening uplands may inhibit dispersal and colonization of new habitats (Harding 1997). Populations may flourish in many moderately developed and semi-rural areas in southern New England (Klemens 1993). Road mortality does not appear substantial when compared to many species of frogs and AMBYSTOMA salamanders (Klemens 1993). Impoundments likely have reduced the range in some areas (Means 1992). Tolerant of nondestructive intrusion.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Adults live under objects or among mosses in swamps, boggy streams, and wet, wooded or open areas near ponds or quiet, mossy or grassy/sedgy pools (the larval habitat). Sphagnum moss is commonly abundant in suitable habitat.

Eggs are laid in moss or other protected sites immediately above or next to a pool, into which the larvae drop or wriggle after hatching.

Ecology

May aggregate in favorable hibernation areas.

Reproduction

Breeds in fall, lays eggs in winter (in south) or early spring. Clutch size variously reported as a dozen or so up to 80. Female remains with eggs until hatching (about 2 months). Communal nesting occurs. Aquatic larvae metamorphose in about 1.5-2 months (summer), attain sexual maturity about 18 months later.
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS3Yes
New BrunswickS1Yes
Nova ScotiaS3Yes
OntarioS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MarylandS5Yes
Rhode IslandS3Yes
LouisianaS1Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
MinnesotaS3Yes
AlabamaS4Yes
ConnecticutS4Yes
New HampshireS3Yes
IndianaS3Yes
MississippiS2Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
DelawareS1Yes
WisconsinS3Yes
ArkansasS2Yes
MassachusettsS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
South CarolinaS3Yes
New YorkS4Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
VermontS3Yes
OhioS3Yes
New JerseySUYes
IllinoisS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSHYes
MaineS3Yes
FloridaS2Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
MissouriS4Yes
MichiganS4Yes
OklahomaS1Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (23)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)Nantahala National Forest1,255
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (11)
AreaForestAcres
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Mountain Lake Addition AJefferson National Forest1,469
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
West Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Glady ForkMonongahela National Forest3,239
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
Wisconsin (3)
AreaForestAcres
09011 - Flynn Lake Study AreaChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest5,951
09162 - MooseChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest6,161
09166 - East TorchChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest4,647
References (39)
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  2. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
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  4. Blanchard, F.N. 1923. The life history of the four-toed salamander. Amer. Nat., 57: 262-268.
  5. Blanchard, F.N. 1934a. Late autumn collections and hibernating situations of the salamandar Hemidactylium scutatum (Schlegel) in southern Michigan. Copeia. 1933: 216.
  6. Blanchard, F.N. 1934b. The relation of the female four-toed salamander to her nest. Copeia. 1934 (3):137-138.
  7. Blanchard, F.N. 1934c. The spring migration of the four-toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum. Copeia. 1934:50.
  8. Breitenbach, G.L. 1982. The frequency of communal nesting and solitary brooding in the salamander, HEMIDACTYLUM SCUTATUM. J. Herpetology. 16 (4):341-346.
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  38. Vogt, R. C. 1981c. Natural history of amphibians and reptiles of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Public Museum. 205 pp.
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