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Plethodon
''Plethodon'' is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. They are commonly known as woodland salamanders. All members of the genus are endemic to North America (Canada and the United States). They have no aquatic larval stage. In some species, such as the red-backed salamander (''Plethodon cinereus''). Young hatch in the adult form. Members of ''Plethodon'' primarily eat small invertebrates. The earliest known fossils of this genus are from the Hemphillian of Tennessee in the United States. Taxonomy ''Plethodon'' is part of the family Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders) and the subfamily Plethodontidae, Plethodontinae. The genus ''Plethodon'' can be divided into two Subgenus, subgenera: the nominal subgenus ''Plethodon'', which includes up to 49 eastern species (the bulk of diversity in the genus), and the subgenus ''Hightonia'', which includes 9 species native to the western part of North America. The eastern ''Plethodon'' subgenus can be further categorized int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-backed Salamander
The red-backed salamander (''Plethodon cinereus'') is a small, hardy woodland salamander species in the Family (biology), family Plethodontidae. It is also known as the redback salamander, eastern red-backed salamander,Integrated Taxonomic Information System [Internet] 2012. [updated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Nov 26] Available from: www.itis.gov or the northern red-backed salamander to distinguish it from the southern red-backed salamander (''Plethodon serratus''). The species inhabits wooded slopes in eastern North America, west to Missouri, south to North Carolina, and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime provinces in Canada to Minnesota. It is one of 56 species in the genus ''Plethodon''. Red-backed salamanders are notable for their color Polymorphism (biology), polymorphism and primarily display two color morph varieties ("red-backed" and "lead-backed"), which differ in physiology and anti-predator behavior. Description and ecology The red-backed salamander is a small terr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plethodon Cinereus
The red-backed salamander (''Plethodon cinereus'') is a small, hardy woodland salamander species in the family Plethodontidae. It is also known as the redback salamander, eastern red-backed salamander,Integrated Taxonomic Information System nternet2012. pdated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Nov 26Available from: www.itis.gov or the northern red-backed salamander to distinguish it from the southern red-backed salamander ('' Plethodon serratus''). The species inhabits wooded slopes in eastern North America, west to Missouri, south to North Carolina, and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime provinces in Canada to Minnesota. It is one of 56 species in the genus ''Plethodon''. Red-backed salamanders are notable for their color polymorphism and primarily display two color morph varieties ("red-backed" and "lead-backed"), which differ in physiology and anti-predator behavior. Description and ecology The red-backed salamander is a small terrestrial salamander, in total length (includi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-backed Salamander
The red-backed salamander (''Plethodon cinereus'') is a small, hardy woodland salamander species in the Family (biology), family Plethodontidae. It is also known as the redback salamander, eastern red-backed salamander,Integrated Taxonomic Information System [Internet] 2012. [updated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Nov 26] Available from: www.itis.gov or the northern red-backed salamander to distinguish it from the southern red-backed salamander (''Plethodon serratus''). The species inhabits wooded slopes in eastern North America, west to Missouri, south to North Carolina, and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime provinces in Canada to Minnesota. It is one of 56 species in the genus ''Plethodon''. Red-backed salamanders are notable for their color Polymorphism (biology), polymorphism and primarily display two color morph varieties ("red-backed" and "lead-backed"), which differ in physiology and anti-predator behavior. Description and ecology The red-backed salamander is a small terr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plethodon Punctatus
''Plethodon punctatus'', Common name, commonly known as the Cow Knob salamander or white-spotted salamander (not to be confused with ''P. cylindraceus'', the white-spotted slimy salamander), is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to high mountain forests on the border of Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. Nearly all occurrences are on Shenandoah Mountain, Nathaniel Mountain and Great North Mountain in George Washington National Forest. Cow Knob salamanders are a member of the ''P. wehrlei'' species complex, which includes many other Appalachian Mountains, Appalachian salamanders historically referred to ''Plethodon wehrlei'' (Wehrle's salamander). Major threats to ''Plethodon punctatus'' include habitat loss and climate change, and it is rated as Near-threatened species, Near Threatened by the IUCN. Although not protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Endangered Species Act, Cow Knob salamanders benefit from a 1994 conservatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plethodon Hubrichti
The Peaks of Otter salamander (''Plethodon hubrichti'') is a species of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Peaks of Otter area in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It is a montane salamander found at elevations above , but more commonly above . It can be locally common, but its distribution is small and patchy. This makes it vulnerable to local threats such as timber harvesting, recreational development, defoliation by gypsy moths, and spraying to control the latter. Description The adult Peaks of Otter salamander is characterized by a dark-brown dorsum with heavy brassy flecking down its entire length. The dorsum and sides of ''P. hubrichti'' may also be lightly speckled with white, while the venter is not spotted and ranges from light to charcoal grey in color. Males have small mental glands immediately behind the chin.Petranka, J. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 583 pp. While the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plethodontidae
Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. With over 500 species, lungless salamanders are by far the largest family of salamanders in terms of their diversity. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil. Only two extant genera occur in the Eastern Hemisphere: '' Speleomantes'' (native to Sardinia and mainland Europe south of the Alps) and '' Karsenia'' (native to South Korea). Biology Adult lungless salamanders have four limbs, with four toes on the fore limbs, and usually with five on the hind limbs. Within many species, mating and reproduction occur solely on land. Accordingly, many species also lack an aquatic larval stage, a phenomenon known as direct development in which the offspring hatch as fully-formed, miniature adults. Direct development is correlated with changes in the developmental characteristics of plethodontids compared to other families of salamanders including increases in egg size and durat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plethodon Jacksoni
The Blacksburg salamander (''Plethodon jacksoni'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Southeastern United States, where it is restricted to a portion of the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia (and possibly neighboring portions of North Carolina). Its common name refers the town of Blacksburg, Virginia, as many specimens were initially found in the vicinity of the town. Description ''Plethodon jacksoni'' is very similar in appearance to the Wehrle's salamander (''P. wehrlei'') in both proportions and color. It is slender in build, with a rounded head, large eyes, and a short snout. Males can reach up to in total length ( on average), with females up to , on average. Broadly speaking, ''P. jacksoni'' are larger than '' P. dixi'' and smaller than ''P. wehrlei''. Mature males have a prominent mental gland on the chin and swellings above the base of the tail, while females have proportionally longer bodies. The background col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela, the sole surviving order from the group Caudata. ''Urodela'' is a scientific Latin term based on the Ancient Greek : ourà dēlē "conspicuous tail". ''Caudata'' is the Latin for "tailed ones", from : "tail". Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm. Salamanders never have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
