Plethodon
Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox
Plethodon is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. They are commonly known as woodland salamanders.[1] All members of the genus are endemic to North America (Canada and the United States).[1] They have no aquatic larval stage. In some species, such as the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus).[2] Young hatch in the adult form.[2] Members of Plethodon primarily eat small invertebrates.[3] The earliest known fossils of this genus are from the Hemphillian of Tennessee in the United States.[4]
Taxonomy
Plethodon is part of the family Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders) and the subfamily Plethodontinae. The genus Plethodon can be divided into two subgenera: the nominal subgenus Plethodon, which includes up to 49 eastern species (the bulk of diversity in the genus), and the subgenus Hightonia,[5] which includes 9 species native to the western part of North America.
The eastern Plethodon subgenus can be further categorized into at least three major species groups which genetic analyses confirm to be clades:[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
- The Plethodon cinereus group,[6] which contains the ubiquitous red-backed salamander and 9 other small, slender species (P. electromorphus, P. hoffmani, P. hubrichti, P. nettingi, P. richmondi, P. serratus, P. shenandoah, P. sherando, and P. virginia).
- The Plethodon wehrlei group[6] is a species complex centered on Wehrle's salamander and at least 4 of its close relatives (P. dixi, P. jacksoni, P. pauleyi, P. punctatus). Some of these species were only formally distinguished from P. wehrlei as recently as 2019.[13]
- The Plethodon welleri group[6] includes Weller's salamander and the three species of zigzag salamander (P. angusticlavius, P. dorsalis, P. ventralis).[7][12] Many studies have argued that the wehrlei and welleri groups should be conceived of as one larger clade, the Plethodon wehrlei-welleri group.[8][9][10][11]
- The Plethodon glutinosus group[6] is the largest species group within Plethodon, with around 30 species and several subordinate species complexes. Many species within this group (including the nominal species) are commonly known as "slimy salamanders", characterized by a large size, robust build and black-and-white coloration. Not all members of the Plethodon glutinosus group are labelled as slimy salamanders, and species delimitation among slimy salamanders and their close relatives is a subject of continued debate.[8][11][12] For example, some studies interpret Plethodon grobmani and Plethodon mississippi to be junior synonyms of Plethodon glutinosus, based on a lack of genetic or anatomical distinctiveness.[14][15]
- One difficult-to-classify species is Webster's salamander, which may lie among the wehrlei-welleri group[6][8][9][10][11] or the glutinosus group,[12] or outside both groups,[7] depending on the study.
List of species
As of 2024 there are up to 58 species in the genus Plethodon.[1] Most are native to eastern and central North America, with the Appalachian Mountains having the highest diversity. Seven species live along the West Coast, one (P. idahoensis) in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, and one (P. neomexicanus) in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.
All 58 Plethodon species listed in alphabetical order of specific name:
| Image | Species and author | Common name | Geographic range | NatureServe status | IUCN status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. ainsworthi
Lazell, 1998Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Ainsworth's salamander | Central Mississippi? (uncertain validity)[16] | Possibly Extinct (GH) | File:Fl mammals ex.svg | |
| File:Plethodon albagula 168277235.jpg | P. albagula
Grobman, 1944Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Western slimy salamander | South-central United States (Missouri southwest to central Texas) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon amplus 157030770.jpg | P. amplus
Highton & Peabody, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Blue Ridge gray-cheeked salamander | Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals en.svg |
| File:Plethodon angusticlavius (Ozark Zigzag Salamander) (3679651745).jpg | P. angusticlavius
Grobman, 1944Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Ozark zigzag salamander | Ozark Mountains (Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon asupak.jpg | P. asupak
Mead, Clayton, Nauman, Olson & Pfrender, 2005Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Scott Bar salamander | Scott Bar Mountains (Siskiyou County, northern California) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals en.svg |
| File:Plethodon aureolus (Stanton 3).jpg | P. aureolus
Highton, 1984Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Tellico salamander | Unicoi Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals dd.svg |
| File:Plethodon caddoensis 162754730.jpg | P. caddoensis
C. Pope & S. Pope, 1951Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Caddo Mountain salamander | Caddo Mountains (western Arkansas) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon chattahoochee 270018759.jpg | P. chattahoochee
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Chattahoochee slimy salamander | Chattahoochee National Forest (northern Georgia) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Cheoah Bald Salamander imported from iNaturalist photo 5878362 on 20 April 2022.jpg | P. cheoah
Highton & Peabody, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Cheoah Bald salamander | Cheoah Bald (Graham and Swain counties, southwest North Carolina) | Critically Imperiled (G1) | File:Fl mammals vu.svg |
| File:Plethodon chlorobryonis 118850695.jpg | P. chlorobryonis
Mittleman, 1951Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Atlantic Coast slimy salamander | Atlantic Coastal Plain (Virginia south to Georgia) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus, G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area, Linden, Virginia - Flickr - Judy Gallagher.jpg | P. cinereus
(J. Green, 1818)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Red-backed salamander | Northeast North America (Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to North Carolina) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon cylindraceus 269771890.jpg | P. cylindraceus
(Harlan, 1825)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
White-spotted slimy salamander | Southeastern United States (Virginia west to easternmost Tennessee and south to South Carolina) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Dixie Caverns Salamander (Plethodon dixi).jpg | P. dixi
C. Pope & J. Fowler, 1949Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Dixie Cavern salamander | Roanoke County, southwest Virginia | Critically Imperiled (G1) | File:Fl mammals dd.svg |
| File:Plethodon dorsalis 002.jpg | P. dorsalis
Cope, 1889Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Northern zigzag salamander | South-central United States (Indiana south to Alabama) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon dunni 183149993.jpg | P. dunni
Bishop, 1934Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Dunn's salamander | Pacific Coast (northwest California north to southwest Washington) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon electromorphus 182055000.jpg | P. electromorphus
Highton, 1999Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Northern ravine salamander | Midwestern United States (western Pennsylvania south to central West Virginia and west to Indiana) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon elongatus 134949411.jpg | P. elongatus
Van Denburgh, 1916Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Del Norte salamander | Pacific Coast (northwest California and southwest Oregon) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon fourchensis 171429319.jpg | P. fourchensis
Duncan & Highton, 1959Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Fourche Mountain salamander | Fourche Mountain (Scott and Polk counties, western Arkansas) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Northern Slimy Salamander - Plethodon glutinosus (49022625501).jpg | P. glutinosus
(J. Green, 1818)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Northern slimy salamander | Eastern United States (Connecticut south to Georgia and west to Illinois and Alabama). Range extends to Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana according to some conceptions of the species.[14][15] | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon grobmani.jpg | P. grobmani
Allen & Neill, 1949Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southeastern slimy salamander | Southeastern United States (Georgia, Alabama, northern Florida) | Secure (G5) | |
| File:Plethodon hoffmani 168500593.jpg | P. hoffmani
Highton, 1972Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Valley and ridge salamander | Appalachian Mountains (central Pennsylvania south to southwest Virginia) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti).jpg | P. hubrichti
Thurow, 1957Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Peaks of Otter salamander | Peaks of Otter area (southwest Virginia) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals vu.svg |
| File:Plethodon idahoensis.jpg | P. idahoensis
Slater & Slipp, 1940Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Coeur d'Alene salamander | Rocky Mountains (northern Idaho and surrounding areas of Montana and British Columbia) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon jacksoni.jpg | P. jacksoni
Newman, 1954Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Blacksburg salamander | Southwest Virginia and surrounding areas of North Carolina | Unranked (GNR) | File:Fl mammals dd.svg |
| File:Plethodon jordani 1156554.jpg | P. jordani
Blatchley, 1901Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Red-cheeked salamander or Jordan's salamander | Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Pkentuckiwv.jpg | P. kentucki
Mittleman, 1951Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Cumberland Plateau salamander | Cumberland Plateau area (West Virginia south to northeast Tennessee) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon kiamichi 162325964.jpg | P. kiamichi
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Kiamichi slimy salamander | Kiamichi Mountains (Oklahoma, Arkansas) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals vu.svg |
| File:Plethodon kisatchie 186707627.jpg | P. kisatchie
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Louisiana slimy salamander | Northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon larselli 183148883.jpg | P. larselli
Burns, 1954Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Larch Mountain salamander | Cascade Range (northern Oregon and southern Washington) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon meridianus 67602344.jpg | P. meridianus
Highton & Peabody, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
South Mountain gray-cheeked salamander | South Mountains area (southwest North Carolina) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals en.svg |
| File:Plethodon metcalfi 145749131.jpg | P. metcalfi
Brimley, 1912Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southern gray-cheeked salamander | Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of South Carolina and Georgia) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon mississippi 176472351.jpg | P. mississippi
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Mississippi slimy salamander | South-central United States (eastern Kentucky south to Alabama and west to Louisiana) | Secure (G5) | |
| File:Plethodon montanus 273847659.jpg | P. montanus
Highton & Peabody, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Northern gray-cheeked salamander | Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| P. neomexicanus
Stebbins & Riemer, 1950Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Jemez Mountains salamander | Jemez Mountains (north-central New Mexico) | Critically Imperiled (G1) | File:Fl mammals en.svg | |
| File:Photo of the Week - Cheat Mountain Salamander (WV) (13432757184).jpg | P. nettingi
N.B. Green, 1938Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Cheat Mountain salamander | Allegheny Mountains (northeast West Virginia) | Critically Imperiled (G1) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon ocmulgee.jpg | P. ocmulgee
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Ocmulgee slimy salamander | Central Georgia | Unranked (GNR) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon ouachitae 162325777.jpg | P. ouachitae
Dunn & Heinze, 1933Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Rich Mountain salamander | Ouachita Mountains (western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon pauleyi.jpg | P. pauleyi
Felix, Wooten, Pierson & Camp, 2019Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Yellow-spotted woodland salamander | Cumberland Plateau (southern West Virginia southwest to northeast Tennessee) | Unranked (GNR) | File:Fl mammals dd.svg |
| File:Pigeon Mountain Salamander (Plethodon petraeus) - Flickr - 2ndPeter.jpg | P. petraeus
Wynn, Highton & Jacobs, 1988Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Pigeon Mountain salamander | Pigeon Mountain (northwest Georgia) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon punctatus 02 white background 1.jpg | P. punctatus
Highton, 1972Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Cow Knob salamander | George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon richmondi on rock.jpg | P. richmondi
Netting & Mittleman, 1938Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Ravine salamander | East-central United States (southwest Virginia west to Kentucky and Indiana and south to North Carolina) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Savannah Slimy Salamander.jpg | P. savannah
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Savannah slimy salamander | East-central Georgia | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals dd.svg |
| File:Plethodon sequoyah 171428541.jpg | P. sequoyah
Highton, 1989Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Sequoyah slimy salamander | Beavers Bend State Park (eastern Oklahoma) | Critically Imperiled (G1) | File:Fl mammals dd.svg |
| File:Plethodon serratus 171428558.jpg | P. serratus
Grobman, 1944Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southern red-backed salamander | Southeastern United States (southwest North Carolina west to Missouri and Oklahoma and south to Louisiana) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon shenandoah 62186.jpg | P. shenandoah
Highton & Worthington, 1967Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Shenandoah salamander | Shenandoah National Park (Page and Madison counties, northwestern Virginia) | Critically Imperiled (G1) | File:Fl mammals cr.svg |
| File:Plethodon sherando Augusta County, Virginia.jpg | P. sherando
Highton, 2004Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Big Levels salamander | Big Levels (Augusta County, northwestern Virginia) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals vu.svg |
| File:Plethodon shermani 53538956.jpg | P. shermani
Stejneger, 1906Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Red-legged salamander | Unicoi and Nantahala mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee and Georgia) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon stormi 33477528.jpg | P. stormi
Highton & Brame, 1965Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Siskiyou Mountains salamander | Siskiyou Mountains (northern California and surrounding areas of Oregon) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals en.svg |
| File:Plethodon teyahalee 53422101.jpg | P. teyahalee
Hairston, 1950Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southern Appalachian salamander | Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon vandykei 74040361.jpg | P. vandykei
Van Denburgh, 1906Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Van Dyke's salamander | Western Washington | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon variolatus.jpg | P. variolatus
(Gilliams, 1818)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
South Carolina slimy salamander | Atlantic Coastal Plain (South Carolina and Georgia) | Unranked (GNR) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Western Redback Salamander Plethodon vehiculum (7641775992).jpg | P. vehiculum
(Cooper, 1860)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Western redback salamander | Pacific Coast (Oregon north to British Columbia) | Secure (G5) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon ventralis 354617767.jpg | P. ventralis
Highton, 1997Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southern zigzag salamander | Southeastern United States (southwest Virginia southwest to Mississippi) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon virginia 583428091.jpg | P. virginia
Highton, 1999Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Shenandoah Mountain salamander | George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border) | Imperiled (G2) | File:Fl mammals nt.svg |
| File:Plethodon websteri 169631240.jpg | P. websteri
Highton, 1979Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Webster's salamander | Southeastern United States (South Carolina west to Mississippi) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:Plethodon wehrlei 227978399.jpg | P. wehrlei
H. Fowler & Dunn, 1917Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Wehrle's salamander | Appalachian Mountains (western New York south to West Virginia and western Virginia) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
| File:A Weller's Salamander (Plethodon welleri) sitting on a broken log.jpg | P. welleri
Walker, 1931Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Weller's salamander | Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border) | Vulnerable (G3) | File:Fl mammals vu.svg |
| File:Yonahlossee salamander.jpg | P. yonahlossee
Dunn, 1917Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Yonahlossee salamander | Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border) | Apparently Secure (G4) | File:Fl mammals lc.svg |
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Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Plethodon.
Intrinsic Phylogeny
Script error: No such module "Clade". Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus Plethodon.[10]
References
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