Post-larval individuals inhabit mesic Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)-Wiregrass (Aristida stricta) flatwoods and savannas. The terrestrial habitat is best described as a topographically flat or slightly rolling savanna having moderate to no midstorey and an open overstory of widely scattered longleaf pine. Low-growing shrubs, such as Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens), Gallberry (Ilex glabra) and blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), co-exist with grasses and forbs in the groundcover. Groundcover plant diversity is usually very high. The underlying soil is typically poorly drained sand or clay that becomes seasonally inundated.

In the past, this ecosystem was characterized by open pine woodlands maintained by frequent fires. Naturally ignited by lightning during late spring and early summer, these flatwoods historically burned at intervals ranging from one to four years (Clewell 1989), with an average fire return interval of approximately every two years (Noss 2018). During the early summer lightning season, breeding wetlands were reliably dry and would experience regular fire in their basins. Post-larval individuals are fossorial (live underground) and occupy burrows (Goin 1950, Neill 1951, Mount 1975, Ashton 1992). Presumably, they remain underground during the lightning-season (May through September). Fire-maintained terrestrial habitat is necessary for dispersal, migration to/from adjacent wetlands, and for sheltering during the non-breeding season (USFWS 2020).

Adults return to seasonally-flooded wetlands to breed in the fall. Breeding wetlands are located within mesic to intermediate-mesic pine dominated flatwoods and savanna communities, and are themselves open and contain fire-maintained wetland plant communities. Optimal sites have structurally complex and diverse assemblages of herbaceous and graminaceous vegetation, with little or no accumulated litter, peat, or muck (USFWS 2020). Crayfish burrows (primarily Procambarus) are common at breeding sites, and may be important to the species' life history (USFWS 2021). Ponds typically fill in late fall or early winter, and dry in late spring, or early summer. Summer thunderstorms may refill some ponds but most of these dry again before early fall, which performs the critical function of eliminating aquatic predator and competitor species, prior to the breeding season (USFWS 2020). 

Before breeding sites fill with water, eggs are deposited singly or in small groups on the ground beneath leaf litter, under logs and Sphagnum mats, at the base of grasses, shrubs or trees, or at the entrance to crayfish burrows (Anderson and Williamson 1976). In wetlands that fill incrementally, eggs are deposited amid graminaceous vegetation at the edge (J. Palis, pers. obs.). The majority of extant nesting sites occur in open-canopied areas carpeted with fire-maintained wetland herbs and grasses, and eggs are deposited in small cavities beneath low-lying vegetation (P. Hill pers. comm. June 2021). Gorman et al. (2014) found that females of the closely related species Ambystoma bishopi typically select egg deposition habitat by seeking micro-depressions in areas with dense herbaceous vegetation cover. It is thought that selecting deposition sites within suitable larval habitat (i.e., herbaceous cover and little canopy) is important as once the eggs hatch, larvae may not initially be able to travel far in the shallow basins (Gorman et al. 2014). Egg deposition by A. cingulatum in shallow water also has been reported (Ashton 1992), although this is considered a very unusual circumstance. Typically if standing water is present in the nesting area prior to laying, females will lay their eggs inside bunch grasses or on hummocks above the water line (P. Hill pers. comm. June 2021). Larvae hide amid inundated graminaceous vegetation by day, but will enter the water column at night (J. Palis pers. obs.). They metamorphose between March and May after an 11 to 18 week larval period (Palis 1995). Certain suboptimal habitats, such as roadside ditches and borrow pits, may have the physical and biotic characteristics of natural breeding sites and may occasionally be used by flatwoods salamanders, especially when located near natural breeding ponds (Anderson and Williamson 1976, J.D. Palis unpubl. data 1995, Stevenson 1999, T. Gorman and C. Haas unpubl. data 2014, USFWS 2020). Most adults return to their natal pond to breed (Petranka 1998). The generation length is thought to be approximately three years, similar to its congener A. bishopi.

This species is found at low elevations in the lower southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States, where it was previously known from southern South Carolina southward to Marion County in north-central Florida, with fragmented occurrences westward to the Apalachicola and Flint Rivers (Pauly et al. 2007). Local extirpations have occurred throughout its range since the previous assessment in 2008 (P. Hill pers. comm. May 2021). This species has not been recorded in South Carolina, where it was known from the Francis Marion National Forest in Berkeley County, since 2010. It is now thought to possibly be extirpated in South Carolina. In Georgia, this species is thought to now be restricted to a single pond on the Fort Stewart Military Installation in Liberty County (Bevelhumer et al. 2008). In Florida, this species now only occurs in the Apalachicola National Forest and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS 2020, P. Hill pers. comm. May 2021).

Conservation Actions In-Place
This species was originally listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1999, and the most recent 5-year status review has recommended changing this status to "Endangered" status (USFWS 2020). A recovery plan has been urgently needed for this species, and one was recently published in 2021. It is important that this plan be implemented in an effective and efficient manner. The entirety of this species' current range occurs on public lands, including the Apalachicola National Forest and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and Fort Stewart in Georgia. 

A head-starting program co-managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USGS is currently in operation at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and the Apalachicola National Forest under the co-management of Florida Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service. While the Apalachicola National Forest subpopulations haven't experienced growth as a result of this programme, it does seem to have successfully slowed the rate of decline as without the head-started individuals two of the focal subpopulations would be extirpated. A captive assurance colony has been established at the Amphibian Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, although this program has yet to successfully breed the species in captivity. However, the San Antonio Zoo successfully bred Ambystoma bishopi in 2020 so it is possible that similar methods could produce success with A. cingulatum (P. Hills pers. comm. May 2021).

In an effort to prevent the introduction of Bsal into the US, an Interim Rule of the Lacey Act has been enacted that bans the importation of 201 species of salamanders (USFWS 2016). Additionally, a temporary voluntary trade moratorium of imports of Asian salamander species that are known to carry the disease until such time as effective testing and treatment regimens can be developed and distributed has been recommended to all exporters, shippers, sellers and buyers by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). A North America Bsal Task Force has also been created, with working groups designed to address a variety of disease prevention and mitigation goals (North America Bsal Task Force 2021).

Conservation Needed
Active restoration of potentially suitable breeding wetlands is recommended to help offset anticipated losses of breeding sites to sea level rise and other climate changes. Translocations and reintroductions may also be needed if individuals fail to colonize these restored ponds. Additionally, it is important that land managers diversify burning strategies to help burn more effectively (Bishop and Hass 2005, USFWS 2020). Specifically, prescribed fire management should closely mimic historical fire patterns in both frequency (every 1–3 years) and seasonality (April–July) in order to maintain the herbaceous structure of both uplands and wetlands (USFWS 2020). On landscapes that can’t be burned during early summer, follow-up prescribed fires targeting dry wetlands may be used to restore and maintain breeding habitat. Enforcement of existing regulatory mechanisms should also be improved. 

Research Needed
Demographic data are needed to better understand the natural history and, in particular, factors that limit population size (e.g., egg, larval, and metamorph survivorship; competition with other species). More information is needed on the extent of upland habitat required to support a population breeding in a particular pond. Radiotelemetry or radioactive tagging of adults could be used to address this need. Additional research into the extent and severity of ongoing threats, as well as the potential future impacts of climate change, is recommended.