| Flat-headed salamander | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Plethodontinae |
| Genus: | Desmognathus |
| Species: | D. planiceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Desmognathus planiceps Newman, 1955 | |
The flat-headed salamander (Desmognathus planiceps) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States, where it is known from Virginia and likely North Carolina. [2] [3] [1]
Desmognathus planiceps was described in 1955 [4] but was later reclassified as synonymous with the northern dusky salamander (D. fuscus). [2] However, a phylogenetic study in 2008 affirmed it as being a distinct species, and it was thus revived as such. [5]
It is found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and adjacent Piedmont of Virginia, ranging from southern Roanoke County south to the headwaters of the Dan River in Patrick County and east to Pittsylvania County. Potential specimens referable to this species are also known from the New River drainage in Floyd County and potentially adjacent regions of North Carolina. [2] [5]
Desmognathus planiceps closely resembles many other species in the genus Desmognathus , but can be distinguished by its flattened head, reddish-brown dorsal stripe dotted with dark spots, and tan spots on the venter. [6]
Holbrook's southern dusky salamander, previously known as just the southern dusky salamander, is a species of salamander endemic to the southeastern United States. Older sources often refer to it as the eared triton. Formerly abundant, it has precipitously declined since the 1960s.
The Cumberland dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family of lungless salamanders, Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and rivers. This species is threatened by habitat loss.
The seepage salamander is a small, terrestrial species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. They are found in small areas of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, intermittent rivers, and freshwater springs. It gets its name from the seepages around which it lives. It is very similar in its appearance and life history to the pygmy salamander. These two species differ greatly from the other Desmognathus species. They are the smallest salamanders in the genus, measuring only 3–5 cm (1–2 in) in length. They are also the only two terrestrial, direct-developing Desmognathus species. However, the two species are not often seen to coexist, differing in distribution by elevation; although there are exceptions. The seepage salamander is currently listed as Near Threatened, with its numbers declining in most of states in which it is found. It is threatened by habitat loss, with logging having a major effect.
The Ouachita dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma in the United States. The specific epithet is in honor of Herbert Hutchinson Brimley and his younger brother, Clement Samuel Brimley, both of whom were zoologists.
The Carolina mountain dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.
Desmognathus fuscus is a species of amphibian in the family Plethodontidae. The species is commonly called the dusky salamander or northern dusky salamander to distinguish it from populations in the southern United States which form several distinct species, the southern dusky salamanders. The northern dusky salamander is the most widespread representative of its genus in Canada. It can be found in eastern North America from extreme eastern Canada in New Brunswick south to South Carolina. The size of the species' total population is unknown, but is assumed to easily exceed 100,000. The species' habitat differs somewhat geographically; dusky salamanders in the northern part of the range prefer rocky woodland streams, seepages, and springs, while those in the south favor floodplains, sloughs, and muddy places along upland streams. They are most common where water is running or trickling. They hide under various objects, such as leaves or rocks, either in or near water. Alternatively, they may enter burrows for protection. The dusky salamander lays its eggs close to water under moss or rocks, in logs, or in stream-bank cavities. The larval stage which follows is normally aquatic.
The shovelnose salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States.
The Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander is a species in the Plethodontidae family native to eastern North America.
The ocoee salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. This salamander has a variety of colors and patterns, and got its name from Tennessee state wildflower. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater springs and wet rocks in mountainous areas of the Southeastern United States. It was first described by Nicholls in 1949. They are territorial and feed on small invertebrates. It is widely distributed in the southeastern United States and is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Blue Ridge dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.
The blackbelly salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, and freshwater springs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The black mountain salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.
The pygmy salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States in the southern Appalachians in North Carolina and Tennessee. Desmognathus wrighti is a member of the family Plethodontidae and is commonly known as the pygmy salamander. As the name suggest the pygmy salamander is the smallest of the nineteen species in the genus Desmognathus. D. wrighti undergoes direct development and does not have a free-living larval stage. Only two other taxa in Desmognathus, D. aeneus and D. organi, exhibit direct development along with the pygmy salamander. In the genus Desmognathus, body size, habitat preferences, and patterns used by males during courtship are quite variable. D. wrighti courtship is noted by the male biting and seizing its partner in order to provide them with a chemical stimulus. The pygmy salamander can be found in the southern Appalachians of the United States in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Geographical distribution of the Desmognathus wrighti is fragmented and the highest abundance of the species can be found at high elevations in spruce and fir tree forest.
Valentine's southern dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States.
The spotted dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States.
The Nantahala black-bellied salamander or southern black-bellied salamander is a species of lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the eastern United States, where it is only known from the southern Appalachian Mountains.
The Kanawha black-bellied salamander or New River black-bellied salamander is a species of lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the eastern United States, where it is only known from the south-central Appalachian Mountains.
The Pisgah black-bellied salamander or Blue Ridge black-bellied salamander is a species of lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the eastern United States, where it is only known from the southern Appalachian Mountains.
