The Ohio Senate voted yesterday to crown the spotted salamander as the official state amphibian, dealing a harsh blow to the hopes and dreams of the once-hyped bullfrog.

But the bill now goes to the House, which has been more bullfrog friendly in recent years, even approving the big frog late last session as part of a bill that died in the Senate.

As with many state-symbol bills, the spotted salamander started with students, this time from the wetlands-education team at West Geauga Middle School. Students testified in committee on the positive attributes of the amphibian and organized a campaign with other schools that Sen. Timothy J. Grendell said produced thousands of postcards.

"If you are seeing a spotted salamander, then you are looking at a quality wetlands, and we do want to support quality wetlands across the state of Ohio," the Chesterland Republican said.

The spotted salamander is believed to inhabit all 88 counties, Grendell said.

He also couldn't pass up the chance to take a poke at the bullfrog, which was pushed last year by students at Dublin's Grizzell Middle School.

"Unlike the bullfrog, which is a cannibal, the spotted salamander is a peaceful amphibian, and we want to show an image of Ohio of peace, prosperity and wetlands quality," Grendell said.

To provide his colleagues with some added incentive, Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, noted that, if the bill passes, West Geauga Middle School students have agreed to change their school mascot from a wolverine to the spotted salamander.

"I think everyone can agree with me that one less wolverine in Ohio is a good thing," he said.

In other business yesterday, the Senate approved increasing court costs for traffic violations by $10, raising more than $16 million a year. If the House agrees and the governor signs the bill, the money would be divided among multi-jurisdictional drug task forces, new systems to deal with multiple DUI offenders and attorneys for indigent defendants.

jsiegel@dispatch.com