Unisexual Salamander Complexes
(Ambystoma spp.)
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| Examples of some unisexual salamanders in Ohio from Henry County (top left and right), Kelleys Island (bottom left) and Wood County (bottom right). Unisexual salamanders can be diploid, triploid, tetraploid, or even pentaploid and may have "mixed" genotypes of the Blue-spotted Salamander, Small-mouth Salamander, Jeffson Salamander, and (less commonly) the Eastern Tiger Salamander. In the past some of these "mixes" were given names, including Tremblay's Salamander, Silvery Salamander, and Kelleys Island Salamander. These are no longer considered valid species, however. | ||
Description: Individuals of these complexes are extremely variable, having characteristics intermediate of two or more species (see caption above). Of the 18 different genomic combinations so far identified, all but one have contributions from the Blue-spotted Salamander; therefore, a degree of blue-flecking along the sides is usually evident. All individuals of these complexes are female. |
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Distribution in Ohio: Positively identified from the northern tier of counties along Lake Erie, unisexual salamanders may be present throughout the state. |
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Status in Ohio: Unisexual salamander complexes are the most common salamanders in many parts of northwestern Ohio. As the genetic makeup of populations is only beginning to be discerned, the status of the different lineages is unknown. |
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Habitat: Breed in woodland vernal pools and spend the remainder of the year in the adjacent forests, hiding in burrows, and within and under rotting logs. |
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Life history: Like other members of the genus, these salamanders migrate to vernal pools in the late winter or early spring, where they use the sperm from males of other species to fertilize their eggs. All of their offspring are females, usually clones of the mother. Little else is known about the specifics of their life history. |
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Conservation: Populations are threatened by wetland filling and draining, the introduction of predaceous fish to breeding ponds, pollution, including herbicides and pesticides, and the loss of adult habitat. |
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