Above Left: Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) larva prior to hatching
Above Right: Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles with developing hind limbs
Wood frog eggs began appearing in the vernal pools toward the end of March, beginning with a single mass found in the largest pool on the 25th. The tadpoles began to hatch one month later, when they were first observed swimming in the shallowest pool on April 25th. Spotted salamander eggs were not seen in any of the pools until a while later, with the first egg clusters appearing about a week after the wood frogs had finished laying their own.
Juvenile wood frogs look quite a bit like tadpoles with legs when they first leave the pools to begin life on land. As mature adults, they will have a smoother appearance and may be brown, reddish or even almost pink in color.
A symbiotic alga called Oophila amblystomatis is responsible for the salamander eggs' green coloration. While symbiotic relationships between photosynthetic algae and invertebrates are not uncommon, the spotted salamander is the first vertebrate species in which such a relationship is known to exist.
Kerney, R. (2011, February 18). Intracellular Invasion of Green Algae in a Salamander Host. http://www.pnas.org/content/108/16/6497.abstract
Above Left: Chironomid midge eggs
Above Right: Water sample showing a variety of insect larvae, crustaceans and mites
