Dwarf black-bellied salamander

Dwarf black-bellied salamander
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Plethodontidae
Genus:	Desmognathus
Species:	D. folkertsi
Binomial name
Desmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002

The dwarf black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus folkertsi) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States, specifically found in the southern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains range, near the borders of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. ^[1]

Its natural habitats are temperate forests and rivers ^[1] .

The dwarf black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus folkertsi) was originally thought to be the blackbelly salamander (Desmognathus quadramaculatus) as they appear similar and are sympatric in the areas that the dwarf black-bellied salamander is found. They can be distinguished through genetically different loci or morphologically in that D. folkertsi are smaller, have different coloration and patterns, and different proportions in body. ^[2]

References

1. SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Desmognathus folkertsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2023 e.T59248A118989063. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T59248A118989063.en . Retrieved 30 December 2025.
2. Camp, Carlos D.; Tilley, Stephen G.; Austin, Richard M.; Marshall, Jeremy L. (2002). "A New Species of Black-Bellied Salamander (Genus Desmognathus) from the Appalachian Mountains of Northern Georgia". Herpetologica. 58 (4): 471–484. doi:10.1655/0018-0831(2002)058[0471:ansobs]2.0.co;2. ISSN   0018-0831.