Fire sals in Tennessee?

[caudatadude28]

I dont believe it but on another forum people say fire sals are in streams in the south. Could this really be true. I said it wasnt so I hope I didnt lie.

 

[Otterwoman]

I'm sure they must be confusing Fire sals and marbled sals. They can look very similar.

 

[Jennewt]

Or maybe with spotted sals. There is a superficial resemblance. I would have to see a photo before I'd believe they were fire sals.

 

[Nathan]

I spend a lot of time in streams all over Tennessee, and I promise there are no fire salamanders here. Could you post a link to the discussion on the other forum? I'd like to see what they're going on about.

 

[caudatadude28]

I cant, it was in the chatroom, sorry.

 

[Kaysie]

Being as how fire sals are fairly expensive, I think anyone who actually HAD a fire sal wouldn't just dump it into a stream.

 

[caudatadude28]

Yea, and I dont think they would survive. I showed the person a picture of A. maculatum and they said it looked similar to that. Probly maculatum but does maculatum hang around streams?

 

[Otterwoman]

I'm sure they must be confusing Fire sals and marbled sals. They can look very similar.

Or maybe with spotted sals. There is a superficial resemblance. I would have to see a photo before I'd believe they were fire sals.

D'oh. That's what I meant, spotted sals.

 

[Nathan]

Yea, and I dont think they would survive. I showed the person a picture of A. maculatum and they said it looked similar to that. Probly maculatum but does maculatum hang around streams?

A. maculatum are not particularly associated with streams, but that doesn't mean they can't be found near them. I've found juveniles along stream banks above a beaver-dammed pool where they breed.

There are also a lot of brightly-spotted duskies down here, like Desmognathus conanti and some of the former "D. ochrophaeus" species, which are somewhat less Salamandra-like but more stream associated.

Who knows, though. People mistake Labrador retrievers for cougars, so it could be most anything, I guess.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I have heard the name "Fire Salamander" used to describe quite a few species through out Appalachia. (Thank my hillbilly roots).

My mother's family uses this name to describe both Notos in the "eft" stage, and various Ambystomid salamanders. I have also personally seen various Plethos and Desmos referred to as Fire Salamanders. My father's family even demonstrated to me as a child the easiest way to find salamanders was when building a campfire!

I feel this is another example of the confusion caused by common names and regional usage of them.

Remember that a good portion of the population of that area of the US is descended from an interesting mix of Slavic, Germanic, and Scots-Irish ancestry. I suspect the whole bit about salamanders living in fire got carried over with them and continued on in reference to the local critters. My father's family even demonstrated to me the easiest way to find salamanders was when building a campfire!

In fact, this is one of the critters my mountain folk most often called a fire salamander!