Added 4 March 2004. Last updated 24 March 2014: updated Introduction and Bibliography.
A medium-sized genus of salamanders that is concentrated in the Appalachian region of the USA. They are usually found in or near rills, seeps, brooks and mountain cascades, but not in larger streams where predatory fish might be found. An interesting characteristic of the genus is their jumping ability.
In appearance, Desmognathus species are confusingly similar to one another. They can however be distinguished from other genera by the following guidelines: (a) their hind limbs are usually larger than their forelimbs, whereas in Plethodon all limbs are roughly equal in size; (b) Leurognathus has smaller eyes and a more wedge-shaped head; (c) Phaeognathus has 20-22 costal grooves, as opposed to no more than 15 in Desmognathus; (d) mole salamanders of the Ambystomatidae lack the nasolabial groove, although this last feature may not always be easily discernible in the field, especially on a wet night! See Conant and Collins for useful ways to distinguish between the different Desmognathus species.
Desmognathus species do not seem to be particularly popular within the herpetocultural hobby, but Zimmermann gives a few husbandry details.
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QUICK INDEX |
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D. aeneus, Seepage Salamander |
D. apalachicolae, Apalachicola Dusky Salamander |
D. auriculatus, Southern Dusky Salamander |
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D. brimleyorum, Ouachita Dusky Salamander |
D. fuscus, Dusky Salamander |
D. imitator, Imitator Salamander |
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D. monticola, Seal Salamander |
D. ocrophaeus, Mountain Dusky Salamander |
D. quadramaculata, Blackbelly Salamander |
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D. santeetlah, Santeetlah Dusky Salamander |
D. welteri, Black Mountain Salamander |
D. wrighti, Pygmy Salamander |
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Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
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Desmognathus |
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Seepage Salamander |
E USA (SW N Carolina to E/C Alabama; also W/C Alabama and NE Georgia) |
1¾-2¼" |
Usually encountered beneath damp leaf mold on the forest floor near suitable water. Description: slender body, tail rounded: top of head smooth: small, kidney-shaped mental gland. Coloration:. Reproduction: no aquatic larvae stage: terrestrial larvae transform in just a few days. |
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Apalachicola Dusky Salamander |
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3¼-4" |
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Southern Dusky Salamander |
USA (SE Virginia to C Florida and E Texas; also N/C Mississippi) |
3-5" avg, 6¼ max |
Found in near cypress ponds or in pools in river flood plains and coastal swamps: water is usually acidic from decaying organic matter. May be sympatric with D. f. conanti and in some areas the two species may hybridise. Description: tail stout at base but laterally compressed at rear, giving a "knife edge". Coloration: overall dark brown or black, usually with reddish or whitish spots running longitudinally between front and hind limbs and the sides of the tail: however, these may be in one or two rows, irregular, or largely absent. Some individuals in ravine or spring habitats in peninsular Florida have a reddish coloration that gives the effect of a middorsal stripe. Reproduction: |
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Ouachita Dusky Salamander |
E USA (Ouchita Mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma) |
3-5½" avg, 7" max |
Very much an aquatic rather than terrestrial salamander, with individuals being found among boulders in water or among along rocky banks. The tail distinctly keeled and compressed near the tip. Many individuals are infested with mites (see Conant and Collins for details). Coloration: dorsally brown or grey, usually with lateral row of faint pale spots and another running between foreleg and hind leg. Ventrally pinkish white to yellowish, faintly stippled with very light brown. Large adult males are dorsally a uniform dark brown. |
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Dusky Salamander |
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2½-5" |
One of the most common plethodont salamanders in North America. |
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D. f. fuscus |
Northern Dusky Salamander |
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2½-4½" avg, 5½ max |
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D. f. conanti |
Spotted Dusky Salamander |
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2½-5" |
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Imitator Salamander |
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2½-4" avg, 4¾ max |
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Seal Salamander |
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3¼-5" avg, 5¾ max |
This was (or is) often used as live fish bait. The common name arises from its apparent likeness to a miniature seal if seen at night (see Conant and Collins). |
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Mountain Dusky Salamander |
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2¾-4" avg, 4¼" max |
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Blackbelly Salamander |
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4-6¾" avg, 8¼" max |
Largest species in the genus. Coloration: belly does not become black until adulthood. |
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Santeetlah Dusky Salamander |
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2½-3¾" |
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Black Mountain Salamander |
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3-5" avg, 6½ max |
Another fairly aquatic species, being founded in wooded mountain terrain in brooks and even puddles. Body is rather chubby (Conant and Collins), while the tail is stout at base but becomes laterally compressed and dorsally sharp on the posterior part. Coloration: dorsally pale to medium brown with small brown spots or streaks: dorsum and ventrum colours merge rather than being sharply divided. Ventrally pale, lateral row of faint pale spots between limbs. Tips of toes usually dark except in very young animals. |
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Pygmy Salamander |
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1½-2" |
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A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, R Conant and J T Collins, Peterson Field Guides, Houghton Mifflin, Boston/New York 1998.
. . Gives care details for D. fuscus, D. aeneus and D. ochrophaeus.
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