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Plethodon

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Plethodon
Temporal range: Hemphillian–recent[1]
Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Plethodon
Tschudi, 1838
Synonyms[2]

Plethodon is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. They are commonly known as woodland salamanders.[2] All members of the genus are endemic to North America (Canada and the United States).[2] They have no aquatic larval stage. In some species, such as the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus).[3] Young hatch in the adult form.[3] Members of Plethodon primarily eat small invertebrates.[4] The earliest known fossils of this genus are from the Hemphillian of Tennessee in the United States.[1]

Taxonomy

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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]

List of species

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As of 2024 there are up to 58 species in the genus Plethodon.[2] 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, 1998

Ainsworth's salamander Central Mississippi? (uncertain validity)[16] Possibly Extinct (GH)
P. albagula

Grobman, 1944

Western slimy salamander South-central United States (Missouri southwest to central Texas) Secure (G5)
P. amplus

Highton & Peabody, 2000

Blue Ridge gray-cheeked salamander Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina) Imperiled (G2)
P. angusticlavius

Grobman, 1944

Ozark zigzag salamander Ozark Mountains (Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. asupak

Mead, Clayton, Nauman, Olson & Pfrender, 2005

Scott Bar salamander Scott Bar Mountains (Siskiyou County, northern California) Imperiled (G2)
P. aureolus

Highton, 1984

Tellico salamander Unicoi Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border) Imperiled (G2)
P. caddoensis

C. Pope & S. Pope, 1951

Caddo Mountain salamander Caddo Mountains (western Arkansas) Imperiled (G2)
P. chattahoochee

Highton, 1989

Chattahoochee slimy salamander Chattahoochee National Forest (northern Georgia) Vulnerable (G3)
P. cheoah

Highton & Peabody, 2000

Cheoah Bald salamander Cheoah Bald (Graham and Swain counties, southwest North Carolina) Critically Imperiled (G1)
P. chlorobryonis

Mittleman, 1951

Atlantic Coast slimy salamander Atlantic Coastal Plain (Virginia south to Georgia) Secure (G5)
P. cinereus

(J. Green, 1818)

Red-backed salamander Northeast North America (Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to North Carolina) Secure (G5)
P. cylindraceus

(Harlan, 1825)

White-spotted slimy salamander Southeastern United States (Virginia west to easternmost Tennessee and south to South Carolina) Secure (G5)
P. dixi

C. Pope & J. Fowler, 1949

Dixie Cavern salamander Roanoke County, southwest Virginia Critically Imperiled (G1)
P. dorsalis

Cope, 1889

Northern zigzag salamander South-central United States (Indiana south to Alabama) Secure (G5)
P. dunni

Bishop, 1934

Dunn's salamander Pacific Coast (northwest California north to southwest Washington) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. electromorphus

Highton, 1999

Northern ravine salamander Midwestern United States (western Pennsylvania south to central West Virginia and west to Indiana) Secure (G5)
P. elongatus

Van Denburgh, 1916

Del Norte salamander Pacific Coast (northwest California and southwest Oregon) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. fourchensis

Duncan & Highton, 1959

Fourche Mountain salamander Fourche Mountain (Scott and Polk counties, western Arkansas) Imperiled (G2)
P. glutinosus

(J. Green, 1818)

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)
P. grobmani

Allen & Neill, 1949

Southeastern slimy salamander Southeastern United States (Georgia, Alabama, northern Florida) Secure (G5)
P. hoffmani

Highton, 1972

Valley and ridge salamander Appalachian Mountains (central Pennsylvania south to southwest Virginia) Secure (G5)
P. hubrichti

Thurow, 1957

Peaks of Otter salamander Peaks of Otter area (southwest Virginia) Imperiled (G2)
P. idahoensis

Slater & Slipp, 1940

Coeur d'Alene salamander Rocky Mountains (northern Idaho and surrounding areas of Montana and British Columbia) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. jacksoni

Newman, 1954

Blacksburg salamander Southwest Virginia and surrounding areas of North Carolina Unranked (GNR)
P. jordani

Blatchley, 1901

Red-cheeked salamander or Jordan's salamander Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. kentucki

Mittleman, 1951

Cumberland Plateau salamander Cumberland Plateau area (West Virginia south to northeast Tennessee) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. kiamichi

Highton, 1989

Kiamichi slimy salamander Kiamichi Mountains (Oklahoma, Arkansas) Imperiled (G2)
P. kisatchie

Highton, 1989

Louisiana slimy salamander Northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas Vulnerable (G3)
P. larselli

Burns, 1954

Larch Mountain salamander Cascade Range (northern Oregon and southern Washington) Imperiled (G2)
P. meridianus

Highton & Peabody, 2000

South Mountain gray-cheeked salamander South Mountains area (southwest North Carolina) Imperiled (G2)
P. metcalfi

Brimley, 1912

Southern gray-cheeked salamander Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of South Carolina and Georgia) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. mississippi

Highton, 1989

Mississippi slimy salamander South-central United States (eastern Kentucky south to Alabama and west to Louisiana) Secure (G5)
P. montanus

Highton & Peabody, 2000

Northern gray-cheeked salamander Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. neomexicanus

Stebbins & Riemer, 1950

Jemez Mountains salamander Jemez Mountains (north-central New Mexico) Critically Imperiled (G1)
P. nettingi

N.B. Green, 1938

Cheat Mountain salamander Allegheny Mountains (northeast West Virginia) Critically Imperiled (G1)
P. ocmulgee

Highton, 1989

Ocmulgee slimy salamander Central Georgia Unranked (GNR)
P. ouachitae

Dunn & Heinze, 1933

Rich Mountain salamander Ouachita Mountains (western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma) Vulnerable (G3)
P. pauleyi

Felix, Wooten, Pierson & Camp, 2019

Yellow-spotted woodland salamander Cumberland Plateau (southern West Virginia southwest to northeast Tennessee) Unranked (GNR)
P. petraeus

Wynn, Highton & Jacobs, 1988

Pigeon Mountain salamander Pigeon Mountain (northwest Georgia) Imperiled (G2)
P. punctatus

Highton, 1972

Cow Knob salamander George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border) Vulnerable (G3)
P. richmondi

Netting & Mittleman, 1938

Ravine salamander East-central United States (southwest Virginia west to Kentucky and Indiana and south to North Carolina) Secure (G5)
P. savannah

Highton, 1989

Savannah slimy salamander East-central Georgia Imperiled (G2)
P. sequoyah

Highton, 1989

Sequoyah slimy salamander Beavers Bend State Park (eastern Oklahoma) Critically Imperiled (G1)
P. serratus

Grobman, 1944

Southern red-backed salamander Southeastern United States (southwest North Carolina west to Missouri and Oklahoma and south to Louisiana) Secure (G5)
P. shenandoah

Highton & Worthington, 1967

Shenandoah salamander Shenandoah National Park (Page and Madison counties, northwestern Virginia) Critically Imperiled (G1)
P. sherando

Highton, 2004

Big Levels salamander Big Levels (Augusta County, northwestern Virginia) Imperiled (G2)
P. shermani

Stejneger, 1906

Red-legged salamander Unicoi and Nantahala mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee and Georgia) Vulnerable (G3)
P. stormi

Highton & Brame, 1965

Siskiyou Mountains salamander Siskiyou Mountains (northern California and surrounding areas of Oregon) Vulnerable (G3)
P. teyahalee

Hairston, 1950

Southern Appalachian salamander Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. vandykei

Van Denburgh, 1906

Van Dyke's salamander Western Washington Imperiled (G2)
P. variolatus

(Gilliams, 1818)

South Carolina slimy salamander Atlantic Coastal Plain (South Carolina and Georgia) Unranked (GNR)
P. vehiculum

(Cooper, 1860)

Western redback salamander Pacific Coast (Oregon north to British Columbia) Secure (G5)
P. ventralis

Highton, 1997

Southern zigzag salamander Southeastern United States (southwest Virginia southwest to Mississippi) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. virginia

Highton, 1999

Shenandoah Mountain salamander George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border) Imperiled (G2)
P. websteri

Highton, 1979

Webster's salamander Southeastern United States (South Carolina west to Mississippi) Vulnerable (G3)
P. wehrlei

H. Fowler & Dunn, 1917

Wehrle's salamander Appalachian Mountains (western New York south to West Virginia and western Virginia) Apparently Secure (G4)
P. welleri

Walker, 1931

Weller's salamander Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border) Vulnerable (G3)
P. yonahlossee

Dunn, 1917

Yonahlossee salamander Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border) Apparently Secure (G4)

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Plethodon.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Plethodon Tschudi 1838". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Plethodon Tschudi, 1838". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Plethodon cinereus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T59334A193391260. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T59334A193391260.en. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamander)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  5. ^ Vieites, David R.; Román, Sandra Nieto; Wake, Marvalee H.; Wake, David B. (2011). "A multigenic perspective on phylogenetic relationships in the largest family of salamanders, the Plethodontidae" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 59 (3): 623–635. Bibcode:2011MolPE..59..623V. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.03.012. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 21414414.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Highton, R (1995). "SPECIATION IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICAN SALAMANDERS OF THE GENUS PLETHODON". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 26 (1): 579–600. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.26.110195.003051. ISSN 0066-4162.
  7. ^ a b c Kozak, Kenneth H; Weisrock, David W; Larson, Allan (2006-03-07). "Rapid lineage accumulation in a non-adaptive radiation: phylogenetic analysis of diversification rates in eastern North American woodland salamanders (Plethodontidae: Plethodon )". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 273 (1586): 539–546. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3326. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 1560065. PMID 16537124.
  8. ^ a b c d Wiens, John J.; Engstrom, Tag N.; Chippindale, Paul T. (2006). "Rapid diversification, incomplete isolation, and the "speciation clock" in North American salamanders (Genus Plethodon): Testing the hybrid swarm hypothesis of rapid radiation" (PDF). Evolution. 60 (12): 2585–3103. doi:10.1554/06-138.1 (inactive 2024-03-07). ISSN 0014-3820. PMID 17263119.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link)
  9. ^ a b c Kozak, Kenneth H.; Mendyk, Robert W.; Wiens, John J. (2009). "Can Parallel Diversification Occur in Sympatry? Repeated Patterns of Body-Size Evolution in Coexisting Clades of North American Salamanders" (PDF). Evolution. 63 (7): 1769–1784. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00680.x. PMID 19473404. S2CID 3914496.
  10. ^ a b c Alexander Pyron, R.; Wiens, John J. (2011). "A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (2): 543–583. Bibcode:2011MolPE..61..543A. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.012. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 21723399.
  11. ^ a b c d Fisher-Reid, M. Caitlin; Wiens, John J. (2011-10-13). "What are the consequences of combining nuclear and mitochondrial data for phylogenetic analysis? Lessons from Plethodon salamanders and 13 other vertebrate clades" (PDF). BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11 (1): 300. Bibcode:2011BMCEE..11..300F. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-300. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 3203092. PMID 21995558.
  12. ^ a b c d Highton, Richard; Hastings, Amy Picard; Palmer, Catherine; Watts, Richard; Hass, Carla A.; Culver, Melanie; Arnold, Stevan J. (2012). "Concurrent speciation in the eastern woodland salamanders (Genus Plethodon): DNA sequences of the complete albumin nuclear and partial mitochondrial 12s genes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63 (2): 278–290. Bibcode:2012MolPE..63..278H. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.018. PMID 22230029.
  13. ^ Camp, Carlos D.; Pierson, Todd W.; Wooten, Jessica A.; Felix, Zachary I. (2019-05-24). "Re-evaluation of the Wehrle's salamander (Plethodon wehrlei Fowler and Dunn) species group (Caudata: Plethodontidae) using genomic data, with the description of a new species". Zootaxa. 4609 (3): 429–448. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4609.3.2. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 31717092. S2CID 181533495.
  14. ^ a b Joyce, Kathlene L.; Hayes, Malorie M.; Potter, Jacqueline; Guyer, Craig (2019-11-22). "Phylogeography of the Slimy Salamander Complex (Plethodon: Plethodontidae) in Alabama". Copeia. 107 (4): 701. doi:10.1643/CH-18-170. ISSN 0045-8511. S2CID 208942753.
  15. ^ a b Guyer, Craig; Goetz, Scott; Folt, Brian; Joyce, Kathlene; Hayes, Malorie (2019-11-22). "Variation in Head Shape and Color at the Range Boundary of Gulf Coastal Slimy Salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus Complex), USA". Copeia. 107 (4): 694. doi:10.1643/CH-18-169. ISSN 0045-8511. S2CID 208942734.
  16. ^ Himes, John G.; Beckett, David C. (2013). "The Status of Plethodon ainsworthi Lazell: Extinct, Extant, or Nonexistent?". Southeastern Naturalist. 12 (4): 851–856. doi:10.1656/058.012.0419. ISSN 1528-7092. S2CID 55019821.