Taxonomy
Ambystoma macrodactylum is a member of the Ambystomatidae, also known as the mole salamanders. The Ambystomatidae originated approximately 81 million years ago (late Cretaceous) from its sister taxon Dicamptodontidae. The Ambystomatidae are also members of suborder Salamandroidea, which includes all the salamanders capable of internal fertilization. The sister species to A. macrodactylum is A. laterale, distributed in eastern North America. However, the species-level phylogeny for Ambystomatidae is tentative and in need of further testing.
Read more about this topic: Long-toed Salamander