. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. 26 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 28, Art. 1 sal pattern, one of the most reliable subspe- cific characters, all four Illinois specimens are assignable to C. a. alleganlensis. Habits.—The hellbender is permanently aquatic, occurring in fast-running water of rivers and large creeks. Although essen- twisted into a single rosary-like string. Egg masses deposited by several females may be found under one flat rock. The nest site may be attended by a male who aerates the eggs by his movements. Eggs laid in mid- September hatch in mid-Nove
. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. 26 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 28, Art. 1 sal pattern, one of the most reliable subspe- cific characters, all four Illinois specimens are assignable to C. a. alleganlensis. Habits.—The hellbender is permanently aquatic, occurring in fast-running water of rivers and large creeks. Although essen- twisted into a single rosary-like string. Egg masses deposited by several females may be found under one flat rock. The nest site may be attended by a male who aerates the eggs by his movements. Eggs laid in mid- September hatch in mid-November. Dur-. Fig. 16.—An adult Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis from Harrison County, Indi- ana. (Photo by Isabelle Hunt Conant.) The groundcolor is slate gray; the scattered irregular blotches are black. tially nocturnal, in the spring many of these salamanders are caught on baited hooks during the day. According to Bishop (1941), the lungs of the hellbender are well devel- oped, and captive individuals rise to the sur- face at intervals to gulp air. Hellbenders are ugly in appearance and unpleasant to handle because of their ex- treme sliminess. In food habits they are predatory, eating crustaceans, fishes, mol- lusks, insects, and even their own eggs and young. Bishop (1941), who summarized the life history of C. a. alleganiensis, noted that in the eastern United States breeding aggrega- tions are found in August. Fertilization is external. Approximately 300 to 400 eggs, each of which is about 6 mm. in diameter and surrounded by concentric rings of jelly, are laid in multiple strands, which become ing the 2-year larval period, the young hell- benders, which are gilled, gradually acquire the characteristics of the adults. Illinois Distribution.—^Although C. a. alleganiensis was long presumed by many authors to occur in Illinois waters, actual specimens with locality data were not avail- able until recently. Prior to 1900, the sev- eral references to the species
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