Length 4 – 6 in. (10-15 cm). The Blue-spotted Salamander very closely resembles the Jefferson Salamander in appearance. However, it can usually be identified by a profusion of blue flecks on its bluish-black body. This produces an impression of the coloration of old-fashioned enamelware. The Jefferson Salamander has relatively few bluish flecks and these are, for the most part, confined along the creature’s sides. Blue- spotted Salamanders are only found in a few locations in extreme northwestern counties. The Blue-spotted Salamander is part of a complex of all-female populations that have genetic contributions from two or more species, including Jefferson, Small-mouthed, and (occasionally) Tiger Salamanders. These individuals often have more than the usual two sets of chromosomes and outward characteristics of one or more of these species. All of these “unisexual salamanders” have some of the genes of the Blue-spotted Salamander, however, so some amount of blue-flecking is often visible. ENDANGERED.
Text courtesy of the Ohio Division of Wildlife: https://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/portals/wildlife/pdfs/publications/id%20guides/pub348.pdf
