The silvery salamander (''Ambystoma platineum'') is a hybrid species of
mole salamander
The mole salamanders (genus ''Ambystoma'') are a group of advanced salamanders endemic to North America. The group has become famous due to the presence of the axolotl (''A. mexicanum''), widely used in research due to its paedomorphosis, and t ...
from the United States of America and Canada. It is usually between 5.5 – 7.75 in (12 – 19.9 cm) long and is slender with many small silvery-blue spots on its back and sides. It is brownish grey and the area around its vent is grey. This unisexual ''Ambystoma''
hybrid species
Hybrid speciation is a form of speciation where hybridization between two different species leads to a new species, reproductively isolated from the parent species. Previously, reproductive isolation between two species and their parents was tho ...
, has been grouped with other unisexual ambystomatids that takes genetic material from
Jefferson salamander (''A. jeffersonianum''),
streamside salamander
The streamside salamander (''Ambystoma barbouri'') is a species of mole salamander from North America, occurring in several Midwestern states of the US.
Description
The streamside salamander is a medium-sized amystomatid salamander. It typica ...
(''A. barbouri''),
small-mouthed salamander (''A. texanum''),
tiger salamander
The tiger salamander (''Ambystoma tigrinum'') is a species of mole salamander and one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America.
Description
These salamanders usually grow to a length of with a lifespan of around 12–15 years. ...
(''A. tigrinum'') and the
blue-spotted salamander
The blue-spotted salamander (''Ambystoma laterale'') is a mole salamander native to the Great Lakes states and northeastern United States, and parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Their range is known to extend to James Bay to the north, an ...
(''A. laterale'').
"Species name designations for unisexual ''Ambystoma'' are no longer in use". Instead, unisexual ''Ambystoma'' are now considered distinct