How can you tell eastern newt larvae from small mouth larvae?

[matt3civic]

I caught some larvae on Sunday and collected some eggs in a flooded area next to a pond and think they are small mouth (because last year I fished small mouth larvae out) but from all the pictures I look at, their larvae look the same. I'll try and post a picture, but freshly hatched, it may be impossible to tell.

 

[matt3civic]

These are all I've got.

 

[matt3civic]

And this one...

 

[Jake]

Looks like an Ambystoma larva.

 

[Kaysie]

Noto larvae have really distinct 'racing stripes' below/through their eyes.

 

[matt3civic]

That's interesting about the stripe. Theses seem to have a stripe going into the eye, but stopping at/in the eye. I suppose time will tell, but I'm feeling a little impatient. I assumed the eggs are small mouthed and that since these larvae already have two rear legs coming in that they are a different species. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Kaysie]

Based on the second pic, it's quite likely an Ambystomatid morph. The only larvae in a pond this early to be significantly larger are likely to be marbled salamanders. Others will catch up in size after a month or two, but since marbleds lay their eggs in the fall, they're the first to hatch.

The most reliable way is to count the toes on the back feet. 5 = Ambystoma, 4 = Noto.

Here's a pic that illustrates the eye-stripe. You can see that the eye itself is actually striped, and the line continues through.