Salamanders

Salamander

many species

Salamanders are terrestrial as adults, but eggs and larvae are aquatic. Larvae have both gill slits and external gills. A few species are completely aquatic, retaining these features as adults. Some salamanders are boldly colored and patterned and easy to identify, but many are simply small and brown and very difficult to tell apart, like this one.

A tiny larval salamander

A tiny larval salamander at Dutch Springs. Possibly some kind of Dusky Salamander.


Gammarus

Amphipod crustaceans typically range in size from 2 to 50 mm, although a few may be larger. Amphipods are common in aquatic ecosystems throughout many parts of the world, inhabiting marine, brackish, and freshwater environments. A few species are also terrestrial. Amphipod means "different foot", a reference to the varied legs that are evident in the illustrations, as opposed to isopods.

The order Amphipoda, which contains nearly 7,000 described species, is divided into three suborders: Gammaridea, Caprellidea, and Hyperiidea. Gammaridea, with more than 5500 described species, is not only the largest amphipod suborder but also contains all of the freshwater and subterranean taxa. Approximately 21 superfamily groups, 95 families and more than 1000 genera are recognized within this suborder.