Salamanders of 2012

Hi all! I’m a wildlife biologist who has worked with a variety of taxonomic groups. My main interests center around community ecology and evolutionary biology. Of particular interest to me are caudates! Here are some of the animals I was fortunate enough to see this year.

Ambystomatidae

Ambystoma maculatum


Spotted Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Spotted Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Spotted Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Spotted Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Ambystoma opacum


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Marbled Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Ambystoma talpoideum


Mole Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Mole Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Mole Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Mole Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Ambystoma texanum


Smallmouth Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Smallmouth Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Smallmouth Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Smallmouth Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Smallmouth Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Amphiumidae

Amphiuma tridactylum


Three-toed Amphiuma by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Three-toed Amphiuma by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodontidae

Desmognathus brimleyorum


Ouachita Dusky Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Desmognathus conanti


Spotted Dusky Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Desmognathus cf. conanti


Dusky Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Dusky Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Dusky Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Desmognathus imitator


Imitator Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Desmognathus ocoee


Ocoee Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Desmognathus quadramaculatus


Black-bellied Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Black-bellied Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Desmognathus santeetlah


Santeetlah Dusky Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Eurycea longicauda


Long-tailed Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Long-tailed Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Eurycea multiplicata


Many-ribbed Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Eurycea quadridigitata


Dwarf Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Dwarf Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Eurycea cf. quadridigitata


Dwarf Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Dwarf Salamander Eggs by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon albagula


Western Slimy Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon fourchensis


Fourche Mountain Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon glutinosus


Northern Slimy Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Northern Slimy Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Northern Slimy Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon cf. glutinosus


Western Slimy Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon metcalfi


Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon montanus


Northern Gray-cheeked Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Northern Gray-cheeked Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon ouachitae


Rich Mountain Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon serratus


Southern Redback Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon teyahalee


Southern Appalachian Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Plethodon yonahlossee


Yonahlossee Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Yonahlossee Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Yonahlossee Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr


Yonahlossee Salamander by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Salamandridae

Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens


Red-spotted Newt by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis


Central Newt by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!

Amazing photos, thank you for posting. What camera and lens(es) do you use?

Quality shots! Looks like you have spent some time in my neck of the woods.



-Brad

Glad to see a fellow Texan enjoying the Smoky Mts and Appalachia. Nice Imitator!! Even though I've seen many, Long-tails and Black-bellies never get old. I was born in TX,but live in MI. The rare Ozark sallies were amazing too. Good job on the D. conanti, my first sally, and the deep south specimens. Try a cave sally sometime. Better yet, get some Central Texas cave salamanders.

Thanks all! I look forward to participating in this community.

evut said:

Amazing photos, thank you for posting. What camera and lens(es) do you use?

Click to expand...

These were all taken with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro. Most of them were taken with a canon 7D, but a few were taken with backup bodies: Canon Digital Rebel XT and T1i

Jefferson said:

Glad to see a fellow Texan enjoying the Smoky Mts and Appalachia. Nice Imitator!! Even though I've seen many, Long-tails and Black-bellies never get old. I was born in TX,but live in MI. The rare Ozark sallies were amazing too. Good job on the D. conanti, my first sally, and the deep south specimens. Try a cave sally sometime. Better yet, get some Central Texas cave salamanders.

Click to expand...

Thanks. The imitator was hefty. I have seen many cave dwelling species, both terrestrial and aquatic, though none this year. I find the neotenic Eurycea fascinating, but am generally more interested in species that have a terrestrial component to their life history. The neotenics are also much more challenging to photograph!

Fabulous pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome assortment of caudates Matt!

Thanks for sharing these Matt! Great photos as ever.