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Redback Salamander
Plethodon cinereus
Status
No status assigned in Minnesota.
Description
This is one of the smaller salamanders
native to Minnesota. They are 21/2 to 4 inches long. The back
and tail is usually a bright orange-red, but it can vary to
almost a brown. Ventrally, they are gray or brown with white
or silvery flecks. This pattern extends upward onto the sides.
There is a "leadback" phase of this salamander in which the
entire body and tail is gray. This phase has not been reported
in Minnesota, but occurs in states east of here. They have
proportionately long, slender bodies compared to our other
salamanders. They have four toes on the front feet and five
toes on the hind feet.
Subspecies
No subspecies of Plethodon cinereus are
recognized.
Range
Redback Salamanders are found in northeastern
Minnesota with an old record as far south as Chisago County.
There is an old, isolated record along the Minnesota River
in Chippewa County.
Habitat
These salamanders are primarily found in
upland coniferous and mixed forests. Soil ph. is important.
They are found in and under rotting logs, stones, bark, and
other debris. I have found these salamanders in moss mats
in water saturated potholes in Pine County.
Habits
Redbacks are the most terrestrial of all
of Minnesota's salamanders. They breed on land and the female
lays 3-14 eggs in damp soil under logs or inside the rotten
logs themselves. She guards the eggs until they hatch and
stay with the young up to three weeks thereafter. Colonies
within populations appear to be localized. In one small area,
there may be a specimen (or a few) under every good log and
then you may not see a specimen outside of that zone for some
distance. They seem to prefer slopes rather than flat bottomlands
or uplands. They need high humidity and certain soil ph. Redbacks
overwinter on land under debris and in ant mounds.
Food
Redback Salamanders eat worms, ants, spiders,
and a variety of other small invertebrates.
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