Leurognathus is a monotypic genus. The species is similar in appearance to some Desmognathus species, but the most telling difference is the nasal apertures in the roof of the mouth, which are rounded and obvious in Desmognathus but slitlike and not so obvious in Leurognathus. See Conant and Collins for other differences in behaviour and appearance between L. marmoratus and D. quadrumaculatus, the Blackbelly Salamander.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution | Size | Notes |
| Leurognathus | ||||
| L. marginatus | Shovel-Nose Salamander | E USA (SW Virginia to NE Georgia, E Tennessee, W N Carolina and adj. S Carolina) | 3½-5" avg, 5¾" max | Aquatic species, found at elevations of 1,000-5,500ft in mountain streams with plenty of stones to hide under: small brooks with sandy or gravelly bottoms are apparently preferred. The amount of flow seems less important. Diet is principally the nymphs or aquatic larvae of insects. The species range is fairly restricted. Description: wedge-shaped, flattened head, short, laterally compressed tail. Coloration: variable, but cryptic so as to blend with stream bottoms. Dorsally black, brown or grey, usually with two rows of spots or blotches of often faint delineation and varying colour (grey, olive, yellow or whitish) according to population. A pale and often indistinct line runs from the eye to the angle of the jaw. Reproduction: no details available. |
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.
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