Appalachian Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles

learn more about this article

It usually has a snout-vent length between 60 and 70 mm. It is smooth-skinned, with dark brown or black dorsal blotches which are often arranged in two regular rows and which usually are squarish or rectangular. It is gray or tan in color, with a bright yellow wash on the concealed surfaces of the hind legs and belly. The glandular, yellowish dorsolateral fold is roughly half the width of a dorsal blotch in large-spotted individuals and more than half in small-spotted individuals.

The range of R. palustris extends from the Gaspe Peninsula to the west end of Lake Superior, southward to the Gulf Coast of east Texas. A relict population occurs on the Coastal PLain of Alabama and Georgia. It is absent from the predominantly prairie regions of Illinois and adjacent states.
North of the coastal plain boundary, it occurs in habitats where the water is cool and clear. On the Coastal Plain, it occurs in floodplain swamp habitat, while in karst topography, it is often confined to the vicinity of the cave mouth.