Blue-Spotted Salamander vs

Ambystoma laterale compared with Exobasidium splendidum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-Spotted Salamander
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Exobasidiomycetes (Exobasidiomycetes)
Order	Caudata (Caudata)	Exobasidiales (Exobasidiales)
Family	Ambystomatidae	Exobasidiaceae
Genus	Ambystoma	Exobasidium
Species	Ambystoma laterale	Exobasidium splendidum

Conservation Status

Blue-Spotted Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-Spotted Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue-Spotted Salamander

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in United States.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

Blue-Spotted Salamander

The Blue-Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale) is a species in the genus Ambystoma. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Exobasidium splendidum is a parasitic basidiomycete fungus that forms galls and hypertrophied growths on the leaves and stems of host plants in the heath family. It inhabits boreal and montane habitats where Ericaceae shrubs such as Arctostaphylos grow. This parasitic fungus deforms host plant tissue to extract nutrients during its reproductive phase.