Phibs in Western Mass

[Mike H]

Hi! I just joined! My wife and I are avid herpers, usually with more of a snake interest, but we've been seeing many wonderful salamanders this year and my interest in piqued!

We were in Windsor Massachusetts this past weekend, in Windsor National Forest. We saw a half-dozen Red Efts, Redbacks, Two-Lined Salamanders and a veritable Toad orgy!! I will be blogging about it soon. I'll link if anyone is interested.

In a slow spot of the cool, running river, I flipped an underwater rock and saw a little salamander larvae. (I think) I cannot ID it. There are no feathery gills that I can see.

It's great to be here! I'm looking forward to learning a lot!

 

[John]

FYI your photos aren't linked correctly.

 

[Mike H]

Oops... sorry- Thanks for pointing that out. Let's try these ones...

 

[Zach42]

They are larvae, looks like desmogs.

 

[John]

Desmognathus in Massachusetts don't have an aquatic larva, so if they are Plethodontids they have to be Eurycea bislineata or Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (and they look like Eurycea).

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

That isn't a Gyrinophilus porphyriticus/Spring Salamander! I'd lean towards a smaller species. It does look like a Desmognathus to be honest. The speckling resembles Desmognathus but at that size it could be anything.

 

[EasternNewtLove]

I'm pretty sure that's not Eurycea Bislineata larvae. I've had one before. It had visible stripes going the length its sides and had visible feathery gills.

 

[Zach42]

Desmognathus in Massachusetts don't have an aquatic larva, so if they are Plethodontids they have to be Eurycea bislineata or Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (and they look like Eurycea).

Hmm, I didn't know that.

I'm pretty sure that's not Eurycea Bislineata larvae. I've had one before. It had visible stripes going the length its sides and had visible feathery gills

It does have gills, they're just pressed against the head because it is out of water.