Southern Two-lined Salamander
Eurycea cirrigera
Summary: This species in limited to the Kankakee River valley in Will and Kankakee Counties, along small wooded streams or seeps in the vicinity of bedrock outcrops. It is relatively common in the few small areas where it occurs. The Chicago region populations are more than 100 miles disjunct from the main body of the range to the southeast.
Description: A small, slim salamander, 2.5 to 4.5 inches (6.4-11.0cm) total length), golden tan above with two dark brown lines on the upper sides. No other local salamander is similar in appearance. Sever (1989) summarized the complex and still-controversial taxonomic history of this species.
Distribution and Status: A handful of Chicago region populations exist along a relatively short segment of the Kankakee River in Will and Kankakee Counties. These are associated with small tributary streams of the Kankakee between Custer Park and Bourbonnais; some suitable habitat exists immediately to the east but has not been surveyed. Although the species occupies a very small geographic area, it may occur at locally high densities. Chicago region populations are almost 150 miles disjunct from the main body of the range, to the southeast. Mierzwa (1989) described the Illinois and Indiana distribution.
Habitat: All known Chicago region populations are associated with small permanent streams or seeps under forest cover, and in the immediate proximity of bedrock outcrops. They are most often found under rocks near the stream edge, and may escape into the water when uncovered. Raking through leaf litter in seeps also will frequently uncover specimens. In North Carolina I have seen the related Eurycea wilderae foraging in the open on rock faces and along rocky stream margins on humid spring nights, but nocturnal surveys have not been attempted in this area.
Phenology: Peak surface activity occurs in the spring and fall, although it is sometimes possible to find specimens in cool seepage through the summer. In southern Indiana some mid-winter activity occurs on mild days, although this is probably rare in the colder northern climate.
No specific information is available on breeding activity in the Chicago region, and interpretation of literature accounts from elsewhere is complicated by recent taxonomic uncertainty. As with many plethodontid salamanders, courtship is believed to occur in either fall or spring. It is known to take place in streams (Bishop, 1941), but may also occur on land (Petranka, 1999). Eggs are deposited in the spring, probably in April or May. They are attached to the underside of rocks in the stream, and hatch in four to 10 weeks (Bishop, 1941). In Ohio, the small gilled larvae remain in the streams for two years, with some percentage of the population overwintering into a third year (Duellman and Wood, 1954).
Literature Cited
Bishop, S. C. 1941. Salamanders of New York. New York State Museum Bulletin 324:1-365.
Duellman, W. E., and J. T. Wood. 1954. Size and growth of the two-lined salamander, Eurycea bislineata rivicola. Copeia 1954:92-96.
Mierzwa, K. S. 1989. Distribution and habitat of the two-lined salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, in Illinois and Indiana. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 24:61-69.
Sever, D. M. 1989. Comments on the taxonomy and morphology of two-lined salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata complex. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 24:70-74.
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| Updated: October 9, 2007
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