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NOTE: Key leads only to more common examples at Genus / Species level.
Some specimens may not "key out" at that level.
1a. Body usually long and cylindrical; head, trunk, and tail are separate;
legs, if present, usually all equal in size. Salamanders and
Newts.
Order Urodela....................................................................................... 2
1b. Body usually short and stout; head and trunk usually combined,
with no tail; legs often smaller in front. Frogs and Toads.
Order Salientia...................................................................................... 8
2a. Quite large; whole lifetime is spent in water (totally aquatic).
Family Cryptobranchidae.................................................................. 3
2b. Adults live on land (terrestrial), usually hidden under objects;
have lungs; slimy; mouth is blunt; bodies are fairly thick.
Mole salamanders. Family
Ambystomidae, Genus
Ambystoma........................................................................................... 5
2c. Skin is thick, often "warty"; rarely slimy; tail often is flattened from
sides; sometimes aquatic as adults; distasteful to predators.
Newts. Family Salamandridae.......................................................... 6
2d. Skin breathers, with no lungs; usually slender; found in streams or
moist land environments. Family Plethodontidae........................... 7
2e. Aquatic; external, plume-like gills present throughout life.
Mud Puppies. Family Necturidae.......................... Genus Necturus
INFO LINK
2f. Superficially eel-like, with four very small limbs; 1-3 toes per
foot.
Family Amphiumidae.......................................... Genus Amphiuma
INFO LINK
2g. Distinctly eel-like, but with small front
limbs................. Family Sirenidae
INFO LINK
3a. Found in Asia: Japan and China, freshwater streams.
Genus Megalobatrachus..................................................................
4
3b. Found in eastern North America. Hellbenders.
Genus Cryptobranchus.............. Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
INFO LINK
4a. Japanese Giant Salamander................. Megalobatrachus japonicus
4b. Chinese Giant
Salamander................ Megalobatrachus davidiansis
5a. Black, with silvery squiggle markings. Eastern North America.
Marbled
Salamander....................................... Ambystoma opacum
INFO LINK
5b. Black, with rows of yellow spots. Eastern North America.
Spotted Salamander.................................. Ambystoma
maculatum
INFO LINK
5c. Gray to black, with many light flecks on sides.
Blue-Spotted
Salamander............................... Ambystoma laterale
INFO LINK
5d. Brownish-gray, with small light flecks on sides.
Jefferson's Salamander..................... Ambystoma jeffersonianum
INFO LINK
5e. Dark, with random sprinkling of large yellowish spots.
Eastern Tiger
Salamander............................. Ambystoma tigrinum
INFO LINK
5f. Dark, with light flecks; head and mouth small.
Smallmouth Salamander................................ Ambystoma texanum
INFO LINK
5g. Dark, with greenish spots, sometimes silvery patches; yellow
eyes; adults stay aquatic, with external gills and tail fin.
Axolotls........................................................ Ambystoma mexicanum
INFO LINK
5h. Dark with many gray markings. Flatwoods
Salamander.
.............................................................. Ambystoma cingulatum
INFO LINK
5i. Dark with orangish irregular markings; lower jaw juts out slightly;
tail somewhat flattened. Streamside Salamander.
.................................................................. Ambystoma barbouri
INFO LINK
5j. Brownish to gray, with blue flecks mostly on sides; long, thin toes;
long snout. Silvery Salamander................... Ambystoma platineum
INFO LINK
6a. Greenish with small, rimmed orange dots. Goes through
terrestrial eft stage. Eastern newt. Genus
Notophthalmus.
.......................................................
Notophthalmus viridescens
INFO LINK
6b. Brick-red or orange-red with yellowish belly. California Newt.
Genus Taricha............................................................ Taricha torosa
INFO LINK
6c. Dark, with yellow-to-red markings. Poisonous secretions.
Fire Salamander. Genus Salamandra... Salamandra salamandra
INFO LINK
7a. Dusky
Salamanders........................................... Genus Desmognathus
INFO LINK
7b. Woodland Salamanders. Includes Red-Backed, Slimy, and
Ravine
Salamanders.............................................. Genus Plethodon
INFO LINK
8a. Body is oval and flattened; mostly aquatic; some lack tongues.
Suborder Opisthocoela..................................................................... 9
8b. Modern frogs, including "true frogs."
Suborder Diplasiocoela................................................................... 11
8c. Bodies are rounded; hops are short; skin is "warty."
Toads.
Suborder
Procoela, Family Bufonidae...................... Genus Bufo
INFO LINK
9a. Somewhat toad-like; bellies are brightly-colored.
Fire-Belly
Toads............................................ Family Discoglossidae
INFO LINK
9b. Totally aquatic; front legs stick out to sides; large rear feet, with
webbing used for swimming and respiration;
no tongues.
Family Pipidae.................................................................................. 10
10a. Surinam Toad. Genus Pipa.................................................... Pipa pipa
IMAGES LINK
10b. Inner toes have claws. African Clawed Frogs. Genus Xenopus.
............................................................................. Xenopus laevis
INFO LINK
11a. True frogs, including most common frogs. Tongue has slight
"fork." Family Ranadae,
Genus Rana........................................... 12
11b. Tree Frogs and Peepers. Tongue not "forked"; toes often have
climbing disks. Family Hylidae........................................................ 13
11c. Brilliantly colored, from Africa and
Asia......... Family Rhacophoridae
INFO LINK
12a. American
Bullfrog....................................................... Rana catesbeiana
IMAGES LINK
12b. Common Green
Frog.................................................... Rana clamitans
INFO LINK
12c. North American Leopard
Frog.......................................... Rana pipiens
IMAGES LINK
13a. Back is smooth or with many small "warts"; back of thigh is
yellow or orange. Common Treefrog. Genus Hyla.
............................................................................... Hyla versicolor
INFO LINK
13b. Back has an "X" marking. Spring Peeper. Genus Hyla.
................................................................................... Hyla crucifer
IMAGES LINK
13c. Usually have "warty" backs; hind feet well webbed; toe disks
are small. Northern Cricket Frog. Genus Acris.
............................................................................... Acris crepitans
INFO LINK
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