The red-legged salamander (''Plethodon shermani'') is a species of

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 t ...

in the family

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 B ...

. Formerly considered a subspecies of ''

Plethodon jordani The red-cheeked salamander (''Plethodon jordani''), also known as the Jordan's salamander, Jordan's redcheek salamander, or Appalachian woodland salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Appalachian ...

'', it is native to the mountain forests of the southeastern United States.

Description

Red-legged salamanders tend to be somewhere between 85-185mm in length and are characterized by their slate-grey to bluish-black bodies and red coloration on their dorsal side of their legs. In the Unicoi Mountains it rarely has red coloration on the legs, but has lateral white spotting. Sexually active males have obvious, rounded mental glands. Young juveniles may have paired red spots running along the back. It is a terrestrial breeder.

Habitat

The red-legged salamanders make their

habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

in cool, moderately humid forests in areas of high elevation, such as the Unicoi and Nantahala mountains as well as the southern

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. While the species is mainly concentrated in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, they are also found in northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and southeast

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Due to being indigenous to less than five known regions, the species has been labeled as vulnerable to extinction. This species shelters under logs or rocks by day, and forages on the forest floor at night.

Diet

The red-legged salamander is a nocturnal forager that consumes a wide variety of small invertebrates found on the forest floor.

Conservation actions

Most of the range occurs in the Nantahala National Forest, where some clear cutting also occurs. Benefits of the species should come with the conservation actions being taken. The species does not appear to be on any state or federal list of endangered species. Red-legged salamanders are relatively resilient to disturbances such as those associated with timbering operations, and are frequently found in second-growth forests and relatively small, fragmented woodlots.

References

AmphibiaWeb
Information on amphibian biology and conservation. eb application 2014. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: Oct 23, 2014). *Michael J. Lannoo. Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, 2005 - Nature. *Arnold, S. J. 1972. The evolution of courtship behavior in salamanders. Unpubl. Ph.D. diss., University of Michigan. Ann Arbor {{Taxonbar, from=Q2274585 Amphibians of the United States Plethodon Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1906