Locating larvae and ambystoma tigrinum

[JessKB]

Hello everyone! I have been herping in SE Michigan for a few weeks now with the intent on finding A. Tigrinum or any Ambystoma larvae. So far I haven't found any I've found tons of Ambystoma laterale, Plethodon cinereus, and various frogs and toads but that's about it.

I've been mainly flipping logs in forested areas and using a dip net in vernal pools. In the water, all I've found is tons and tons of tadpoles, but no salamander larvae. I haven't really been wading into the pools, is it necessary to get farther from the shore? Is it too late in the season to encounter A. Tigrinum adults above ground?
Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Kaysie]

Yeah, good luck. Tigrinum are hard to find in Michigan. I personally think they should be listed as a species of special concern.

It's too late to find the adults. They come out in Michigan usually around early April. And you have to be at a known breeding pond. They're not at every pond. There are a couple of small sites in Jackson County, but I haven't been there in a long time, so I can't say if they're still intact or not.

If you want to find tigrinum, take a trip west of Chicago. They're like a plague there every time it rains.

 

[JessKB]

Thanks Kasie. I'm actually originally from Jackson and that's the only place I've ever caught one, and that was a long time ago. I was out in the general area that I would assume you're talking about, but came up empty handed. Oh well, I guess there's always next spring to try.

 

[John]

Tigers are one of the hardest species to "flip", because they're so fossorial. It's like the lottery, even in the right area. Keep trying though!