Ambystomatidae (see family information on Tree of Life site)

Mole salamanders Medium to large terrestrial salamanders (up to 340 mm in Ambystoma tigrinum ), occurring only in North America from southern Canada south to Mexico City. This family includes metamorphosing as well as facultative and obligate paedomorphic (maintaining juvenile traits as adults) species, such as the famous Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum ). Paedomorphs are confined to aquatic habitats and can be induced to metamorphose by the addition of iodine into their habitat. Polyploidy and gynogenetic lineages also occur within this family. The majority of the species in this family spend most of the year underground in rodent burrows and emerge only on rainy nights to mate and feed. Ambystomatid salamanders are famous for the migration of large numbers of individuals to mating ponds. Some morphological characters are: 1) lacrimal bone absent; 2) exoccipitals, prootics, and opisthotics fused; 3) vomerine teeth may be in a transverse orientation in the mouth.

Ambystoma tigrinum Photo by John White (Click for details)

Genus Ambystoma (32 species)

Ambystoma altamirani	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma amblycephalum	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma andersoni	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma annulatum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma barbouri	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma bishopi	no species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma bombypellum	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma californiense	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma cingulatum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma dumerilii	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma flavipiperatum	species account	photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma gracile	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma granulosum	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma jeffersonianum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma laterale	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma leorae	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma lermaense	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma mabeei	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma macrodactylum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma maculatum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma mavortium	species account	photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma mexicanum	species account	photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma opacum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma ordinarium	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma rivulare	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma rosaceum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma silvensis	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma talpoideum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma taylori	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma texanum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma tigrinum	species account	photos	range maps	no sounds
Ambystoma velasci	species account	no photos	no range maps	no sounds

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