Slanted hatch indicates pre-1980 records only. Not all specimens upon which these maps are based have been verified. Juvenile eastern newt, juvenile dusky salamander, redback salamander, zigzag salamander. Costal grooves extend to midline of back. Snout distinctly pale brown.
Some individuals have a broad pale brown stripe down midback.
Tail breaks off easily. Boggy pools or spring-fed ravines in undisturbed or mature deciduous forests. Mating occurs in autumn, before hibernation. Within two months, hatchlings fall or wriggle into water where they develop into high-finned aquatic larvae. A few scattered localities are relics of post-glacial times when range was more continuous and northern forests covered much of Illinois.