The species found in most of Kansas is the Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), formerly called the "Barred" Tiger Salamander. Barred tiger salamander is a species of salamander occurring in Canada, United States and Mexico. The barred tiger salamander (ambystoma tigrinum mavortium, Baird, 1850) being a strikingly marked species, with robust body, and living in a range from the humid tallgrass prairie of eastern Kansas to the arid high plains at the western border, is hereby designated as … Scientific Classification; Quick Information Tiger Salamanders inhabit areas near bodies of water, including damp forest areas, pine barrens, and arid plains, where the soil is easily burrowed. This species of Salamander grows to an adult size of approx. 300mm (12 inches) from head to tip of tail. The tail can sometime be the same length or longer than the body. The Sonoran tiger salamander (A. m. stebbinsi), an endangered subspecies from the San Rafael Valley, possesses a unique reticulate pattern on a dark background, but many are indistinguishable from the barred salamander. There are six recognized subspecies of this species. The species is mainly nocturnal and terrestrial. They have a dark black base colour with bright yellow bands and blotches over the … In northeastern Kansas you may find the Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). They are opportunistic feeders eating anything they can catch, including various insects, slugs, and earthworms. It belongs to the group of mole salamanders. Barred tiger salamanders are primarily nocturnal. The California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) (listed at Vulnerable), the barred tiger salamander (A. mavortium), and the plateau tiger salamander (A. velasci) were all once considered subspecies of A. tigrinum, but are now considered separate species. What does the Barred Tiger Salamander look like?