Look like slimy-ies to me. BR

I've had Ravine Salamnders, and I think those are what you've got. Leadback Reds don't have such uniform speckling. Where exactly did you find them? You may have a new species altogether.

Dave

I found them along the Cardinal Greenway in the Whitewater Gorge. It didn't seem like the habitat was quite right, but the bike path does run along the side of the gorge which creates somewhat of a rocky slope. The speckling was what I noticed as well, but Minton's book did specifically say that juveniles were extremely difficult to tell apart. I didn't know if the fact that I found two almost identicaly colored specimens next to each other would possibly be less likely to be simply a phase and more likely the same species.

I agree with Bill, they look like Slimy. Were you too far north in Indiana to be in their range? Also the look of their tails doesn't quite fit and plus if Dave did not even mention it then I guess they're not Slimys.

Evan

They arent slimies. The spots were brought out more by the flash and you can not tell how small the salamanders are in this picture (Only about 3in or less). The range is also too far north. Even though the flash made the spots more evident, they were definitly more speckled than any redbacks that I've found.
-Andrew

It's hard to say without seeing the bellies. If the bellies were kind of translucent they are probably Ravines, if they were black bordered my white spots they were Slimies. But I'm still going with Ravines. Strangley enough I went to the Reptile Swap today to pick up some mice and a guy had two baby Slimies and a Ravine Salamander he was selling. The pictures you ahve literally look like a cross between the two. It's quite possible they were Slimies. Check out taht Caudatat list to see if the Ravines are onthe map for the county you found them in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ravine Salamander range

I know they are either ravines or redbacks because I am about a county and a half north of the range for the slimies and I've caught young slimies before and they were quite different from these. Once again the picture makes them look more like slimies than they actually did. By Minton's range map I am well within the range of both ravines and redbacks, but a local herpetologist told me that he has not found any ravines in the area so that makes me very hesitant to ID them as ravines.

-Andrew (I will be in SC until Friday and wont be able to reply back on this topic until then)

I'm almost positive they are not Redbacks, which would only mean that they are Ravines.

Dave

Thanks for the help,
I think you are probably right Dave (or at least I hope so!). I just got back from SC trip and we stopped for a day at Smoky Mt. National Park. Once I get the pics uploaded I will have some more salamanders that I need help or confirmation on the IDs.
-Andrew