| Valentine's southern dusky salamander | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Plethodontinae |
| Genus: | Desmognathus |
| Species: | D. valentinei |
| Binomial name | |
| Desmognathus valentinei Means, Lamb & Bernardo, 2017 | |
Valentine's southern dusky salamander (Desmognathus valentinei) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States. [2] [3]
It was previously thought to be a population of Holbrook's southern dusky salamander (D. holbrooki), with both species being grouped together as the southern dusky salamander. However, a 2008 study found D. holbrooki as previously defined to be polyphyletic and containing multiple undescribed species. [4] One of these undescribed species was formally described in 2017 as D. valentinei. [5] It is named in honor of Barry D. Valentine, a biologist and former faculty emeritus at Ohio State University, who had first suggested the distinctiveness of this taxon in the early 1960s. [6]
It is found in the Gulf Coast region, where it ranges from the Mobile Bay region of Alabama west through the southern half of Mississippi to eastern Louisiana. [4]
Despite its close resemblance to D. holbrooki, it has some morphological differences. It has a larger body structure than D. holbrooki and has nondescript dorsal markings instead of the crisply-defined blotches on other Desmognathus species. They also differ in aspects of the skull, and the tails of D. valentinei have a bladelike shape instead of narrowing to a tip. [6]
Desmognathus is a genus of lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae known as dusky salamanders. They range from Texas to the eastern United States and to south-eastern Canada.
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 Apalachicola dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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.
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 imitator salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern United States.
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 Santeetlah dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States.
The black mountain salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.
The many-lined salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is the only species of the monotypic genus Stereochilus. It is endemic to the United States.
The northern pygmy salamander is a terrestrial species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae and genus Desmognathus. Along with the southern pygmy and the seepage salamander, these are some of the smallest salamander species in North America and can be found in higher elevations in the southern Appalachians.
The spotted dusky salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States.
The flat-headed salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the state of Virginia in the United States.
