If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
Nir
Posts: 220
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:50 pm
Location: Gatineau, QC, Canada

If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Nir »

Or not... hehe

Well, I must say it really is a love story for me and the magnificent Spring Salamander! Before this year, I had never seen this species. It had never been among my top priotrities...

Earlier in june, I was able to enjoy some specimens when a friend showed me one of his spot. In a matter of minutes, we had 2 adult specimens and 5 larvae. It was then that I realized that not only was it the most beautiful salamander ever, but I was also surprised by how big they are... I then searched the species and found that we don't know much about them... I find them literally fascinating!

So far this summer, I've managed to had two more localities to the ones I was showed. And that I am pretty proud of as they are far from being common here in Quebec.

So here are pictures of the ones I've seen so far this summer. Some pictures are more oriented towards quality while others are oriented more towards documenting what I find...

This is from the first locality. These are the specimens that gave me the purple salamander bug! hehe

Image

The three species of plethondid salamanders were found in the same spring

Image

Here an adult with a very large larvae

Image

Here you can compare size

Image


This specimen is from the first locality which I identified by myself:

Image

And this is from this past weekend. I was able to identify another locality. 2 larvae and 1 adult were identified. Again the habitat was also packed with two lined and northern dusky salamanders and salamander larvae which I have no doubt serve as an all you can eat buffet for the purples! hehe

Spring larvae with northern dusky larvae ( I definately need a set-up to photograph larvae!!!)

Image

Adult Spring salamander

Image
Image

After realaesing, I tried some picture through the water... The result is interesting, but I'm gonna work on it...

Image
Image
Image

That's it for now, but I hope not for the summer! hehe Can't wait to find more Purple salamander!!

Also, go ahead and post your own Spring salamander photos! I really enjoy the variation in coloration on these guys!

PS: Sorry for my english!
User avatar
Warren
Posts: 351
Joined: June 9th, 2010, 7:17 am

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Warren »

tres malade :thumb:
User avatar
justinm
Posts: 3423
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:26 am
Location: Illinois
Contact:

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by justinm »

I haven't seen one in person yet either, but understand your enthusiasm. The pics were very good, you shouldn't discount yourself. By the way your english is as good if not better than many who only speak it!
User avatar
Hans Breuer (twoton)
Posts: 3230
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 3:19 am
Location: Kuching, Sarawak (Borneo)
Contact:

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Very nice! How big are they? Three, four inches?
User avatar
Nir
Posts: 220
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:50 pm
Location: Gatineau, QC, Canada

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Nir »

They can grow up to 8-9 inches. These specimens were between 5 and 7 inches.

Thanks for the comments!!
User avatar
KevinS
Posts: 120
Joined: June 14th, 2010, 3:48 pm
Location: West Virginia

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by KevinS »

Here are some G. p. duryi shots from Kentucky caves. I stuck my hand in one for a size reference, but they get much bigger than that.
Image
Image
Image
Image

They tend to turn up in some very unexpected places and I've found them well away from water on several occasions.
User avatar
brick911
Posts: 3488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:52 am
Location: Morrisville, PA

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by brick911 »

I still need to find Springs. One of my last in my area to find. Nice pics.
User avatar
MHollanders
Posts: 583
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 2:32 pm
Location: Houston, TX

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by MHollanders »

When I went to the Smoky Mountains, spring salamanders were on of my main target. The first rock I flipped in the first stream had an adult under it. I was ecstatic, but that proved to be the last on in the park. I later found an adult and a few larvae in the Pisgah NF.

Image

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
Nikon D300
Nikkor 105mm f/2.8
SB-800

Later, Matt
User avatar
spinifer
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:48 am
Location: Delmarva

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by spinifer »

I think you've got a two-lined larvae in here, not a dusky.
Image
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by BillMcGighan »

Southern Smokies
.
.
Image

Image
User avatar
Ames
Posts: 32
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:11 pm
Location: Northern, KY

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Ames »

I certainly like them. As of yet i haven't located any. I will probably have to travel to find them.
Anyways, I finally located this old spring at one of my urban herping spots the other day. A remnant from an early farm, the foundation of the spring house is all that is left. I suspected that some unique species would be present. I was excited to see that some cave salamanders were utilizing the micro-climate. Maybe there are other species present.

The Spring
Image

Eurycea lucifuga | Cave Salamander
Image

Nice shots of those Gyrinophilus.
hellihooks
Posts: 8025
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:12 am
Location: Hesperia, California.
Contact:

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by hellihooks »

Sometimes I open posts just to learn a new scientific name... :oops: :roll: VERY glad I did this time... awesome pics!! jim
User avatar
Nir
Posts: 220
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:50 pm
Location: Gatineau, QC, Canada

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Nir »

spinifer wrote:I think you've got a two-lined larvae in here, not a dusky.
Image
That is very possible... I'm not that good at identifying two lined and dusky larvae... But the specimen pictured definately had the typical "zipper" pattern I see on what I identify as dusky's... If anybody as good pictures, it could help me.

KevinS, I love the G. p. duryi shots! They are very different looking that the northern sub species.
User avatar
KevinS
Posts: 120
Joined: June 14th, 2010, 3:48 pm
Location: West Virginia

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by KevinS »

Nir wrote: That is very possible... I'm not that good at identifying two lined and dusky larvae... But the specimen pictured definately had the typical "zipper" pattern I see on what I identify as dusky's... If anybody as good pictures, it could help me.

KevinS, I love the G. p. duryi shots! They are very different looking that the northern sub species.
I agree, compared to the Gyrinophilus, that larva just seems too large to be a Desmognathus since they transform at much smaller sizes (at least around here). I think the duryi look pretty distinct as well. Most of West Virginia is supposed to be a zone of intergradation between G. p. duryi and G. p. porphyriticus. Here's a shot of one of these "intergrades" from a WV county bordering Kentucky.
Image
As a rule, all specimens I find around here are dark and brownish, though sometimes more red/orange than this one. Just 50 miles to the west in Kentucky, they all look like this though:
Image

Someday I should try to find some within that 50 mile stretch to see if they're intermediate in apperance or if there's a sharp delineation between these forms.
User avatar
Nir
Posts: 220
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:50 pm
Location: Gatineau, QC, Canada

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Nir »

Actually the Gyrinophilus larvae was by far the smallest I have ever seen. The Gyrinophilus larvae was like 2 inch or less. So the other larvae is really small.
User avatar
KevinS
Posts: 120
Joined: June 14th, 2010, 3:48 pm
Location: West Virginia

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by KevinS »

Nir wrote:Actually the Gyrinophilus larvae was by far the smallest I have ever seen. The Gyrinophilus larvae was like 2 inch or less. So the other larvae is really small.
Understandable, but when I say Desmog larvae are small, I mean small. I can probably get pics of some tonight to illustrate this, but in the meantime here's one that had already transformed. It seems to me that the one in your picture is somewhere around the same size as this one, though I could be wrong. Yours doesn't look close to transformation though, which makes me think it still has some growing to do.
Image
User avatar
Carl Brune
Posts: 488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:22 am
Location: Athens, OH
Contact:

Re: If you like G. porphyriticus, clap your hands!

Post by Carl Brune »

Congrats, Nir, on your success. Spring Salamanders are one of my favorite species.

The animals below are from Ohio. The following are G. p. p. -- I've found the color (red/orange versus brown) to depend on the locality.

Image

Image

Image

Image
Biggun.

Image
Anerythristic?

Image

Image

Image
Ugly end of the spectrum.

Image

G.p.p. and G.p.duryi are disjunct in Ohio. I've only seen a few G.p.d.:

Image

Image

Image
Post Reply