Apalachicola Dusky Salamander

How to identify

They are about 4 inches in length and are generally brownish to gray. The Apalachicola dusky salamander is a semi-aquatic salamander with a highly variable pattern. Old males are uniformly brown with a pale belly and traces of dark pigment. There are usually 5-7 pairs of pale, rounded, dark-edged and often coalescing spots on its back. They have a diagonal line below each eye and the front legs are shorter than the rear. Its tail accounts for more than half its body length and also they possess gills for breathing underwater. The juveniles have tiny silvery gills and bright dorsal blotches. At sexual maturity, the male Apalachicola Dusky Salamander has two lobes/testis measured 40 mm while the reproductive organs of the females are measured at 33.0 mm.