Plethodon

Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox

Plethodon is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. They are commonly known as woodland salamanders.<ref name=Frost/> All members of the genus are endemic to North America (Canada and the United States).<ref name=Frost/> They have no aquatic larval stage. In some species, such as the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus).<ref name=IUCN/> Young hatch in the adult form.<ref name=IUCN/> Members of Plethodon primarily eat small invertebrates.<ref name=adwPcinereus/> The earliest known fossils of this genus are from the Hemphillian of Tennessee in the United States.<ref name=fossilworks/>

Taxonomy

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,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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:<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Plethodon cinereus group,<ref name=":0" /> which contains the ubiquitous red-backed salamander and 9 other small, slender species (P. electromorphus, P. hoffmani, P. hubrichti, P. nettingi, P. richmondi, P. serratus, P. shenandoah, P. sherando, and P. virginia).
The Plethodon wehrlei group<ref name=":0" /> is a species complex centered on Wehrle's salamander and at least 4 of its close relatives (P. dixi, P. jacksoni, P. pauleyi, P. punctatus). Some of these species were only formally distinguished from P. wehrlei as recently as 2019.<ref name="camp2019">Template:Cite journal</ref>
The Plethodon welleri group<ref name=":0" /> includes Weller's salamander and the three species of zigzag salamander (P. angusticlavius, P. dorsalis, P. ventralis).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /> Many studies have argued that the wehrlei and welleri groups should be conceived of as one larger clade, the Plethodon wehrlei-welleri group.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />
The Plethodon glutinosus group<ref name=":0" /> is the largest species group within Plethodon, with around 30 species and several subordinate species complexes. Many species within this group (including the nominal species) are commonly known as "slimy salamanders", characterized by a large size, robust build and black-and-white coloration. Not all members of the Plethodon glutinosus group are labelled as slimy salamanders, and species delimitation among slimy salamanders and their close relatives is a subject of continued debate.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> For example, some studies interpret Plethodon grobmani and Plethodon mississippi to be junior synonyms of Plethodon glutinosus, based on a lack of genetic or anatomical distinctiveness.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":8">Template:Cite journal</ref>
One difficult-to-classify species is Webster's salamander, which may lie among the wehrlei-welleri group<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> or the glutinosus group,<ref name=":6" /> or outside both groups,<ref name=":1" /> depending on the study.

List of species

As of 2024 there are up to 58 species in the genus Plethodon.<ref name="Frost" /> 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 Template:Small	Ainsworth's salamander	Central Mississippi? (uncertain validity)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Possibly Extinct (GH)
	P. albagula Template:Small	Western slimy salamander	South-central United States (Missouri southwest to central Texas)	Secure (G5)
	P. amplus Template:Small	Blue Ridge gray-cheeked salamander	Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina)	Imperiled (G2)
	P. angusticlavius Template:Small	Ozark zigzag salamander	Ozark Mountains (Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma)	Apparently Secure (G4)
	P. asupak Template:Small	Scott Bar salamander	Scott Bar Mountains (Siskiyou County, northern California)	Imperiled (G2)
	P. aureolus Template:Small	Tellico salamander	Unicoi Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Imperiled (G2)
	P. caddoensis Template:Small	Caddo Mountain salamander	Caddo Mountains (western Arkansas)	Imperiled (G2)
Error creating thumbnail:	P. chattahoochee Template:Small	Chattahoochee slimy salamander	Chattahoochee National Forest (northern Georgia)	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Cheoah Bald Salamander imported from iNaturalist photo 5878362 on 20 April 2022.jpg	P. cheoah Template:Small	Cheoah Bald salamander	Cheoah Bald (Graham and Swain counties, southwest North Carolina)	Critically Imperiled (G1)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Plethodon chlorobryonis 118850695.jpg	P. chlorobryonis Template:Small	Atlantic Coast slimy salamander	Atlantic Coastal Plain (Virginia south to Georgia)	Secure (G5)
File:Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus, G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area, Linden, Virginia - Flickr - Judy Gallagher.jpg	P. cinereus Template:Small	Red-backed salamander	Northeast North America (Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to North Carolina)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon cylindraceus 269771890.jpg	P. cylindraceus Template:Small	White-spotted slimy salamander	Southeastern United States (Virginia west to easternmost Tennessee and south to South Carolina)	Secure (G5)
File:Dixie Caverns Salamander (Plethodon dixi).jpg	P. dixi Template:Small	Dixie Cavern salamander	Roanoke County, southwest Virginia	Critically Imperiled (G1)
File:Plethodon dorsalis 002.jpg	P. dorsalis Template:Small	Northern zigzag salamander	South-central United States (Indiana south to Alabama)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon dunni 183149993.jpg	P. dunni Template:Small	Dunn's salamander	Pacific Coast (northwest California north to southwest Washington)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon electromorphus 182055000.jpg	P. electromorphus Template:Small	Northern ravine salamander	Midwestern United States (western Pennsylvania south to central West Virginia and west to Indiana)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon elongatus 134949411.jpg	P. elongatus Template:Small	Del Norte salamander	Pacific Coast (northwest California and southwest Oregon)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon fourchensis 171429319.jpg	P. fourchensis Template:Small	Fourche Mountain salamander	Fourche Mountain (Scott and Polk counties, western Arkansas)	Imperiled (G2)
File:Northern Slimy Salamander - Plethodon glutinosus (49022625501).jpg	P. glutinosus Template:Small	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.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon grobmani.jpg	P. grobmani Template:Small	Southeastern slimy salamander	Southeastern United States (Georgia, Alabama, northern Florida)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon hoffmani 168500593.jpg	P. hoffmani Template:Small	Valley and ridge salamander	Appalachian Mountains (central Pennsylvania south to southwest Virginia)	Secure (G5)
File:Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti).jpg	P. hubrichti Template:Small	Peaks of Otter salamander	Peaks of Otter area (southwest Virginia)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Plethodon idahoensis.jpg	P. idahoensis Template:Small	Coeur d'Alene salamander	Rocky Mountains (northern Idaho and surrounding areas of Montana and British Columbia)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon jacksoni.jpg	P. jacksoni Template:Small	Blacksburg salamander	Southwest Virginia and surrounding areas of North Carolina	Unranked (GNR)
File:Plethodon jordani 1156554.jpg	P. jordani Template:Small	Red-cheeked salamander or Jordan's salamander	Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Pkentuckiwv.jpg	P. kentucki Template:Small	Cumberland Plateau salamander	Cumberland Plateau area (West Virginia south to northeast Tennessee)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon kiamichi 162325964.jpg	P. kiamichi Template:Small	Kiamichi slimy salamander	Kiamichi Mountains (Oklahoma, Arkansas)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Plethodon kisatchie 186707627.jpg	P. kisatchie Template:Small	Louisiana slimy salamander	Northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Plethodon larselli 183148883.jpg	P. larselli Template:Small	Larch Mountain salamander	Cascade Range (northern Oregon and southern Washington)	Imperiled (G2)
File:Plethodon meridianus 67602344.jpg	P. meridianus Template:Small	South Mountain gray-cheeked salamander	South Mountains area (southwest North Carolina)	Imperiled (G2)
File:Plethodon metcalfi 145749131.jpg	P. metcalfi Template:Small	Southern gray-cheeked salamander	Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of South Carolina and Georgia)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon mississippi 176472351.jpg	P. mississippi Template:Small	Mississippi slimy salamander	South-central United States (eastern Kentucky south to Alabama and west to Louisiana)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon montanus 273847659.jpg	P. montanus Template:Small	Northern gray-cheeked salamander	Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Apparently Secure (G4)
	P. neomexicanus Template:Small	Jemez Mountains salamander	Jemez Mountains (north-central New Mexico)	Critically Imperiled (G1)
File:Photo of the Week - Cheat Mountain Salamander (WV) (13432757184).jpg	P. nettingi Template:Small	Cheat Mountain salamander	Allegheny Mountains (northeast West Virginia)	Critically Imperiled (G1)
File:Plethodon ocmulgee.jpg	P. ocmulgee Template:Small	Ocmulgee slimy salamander	Central Georgia	Unranked (GNR)
File:Plethodon ouachitae 162325777.jpg	P. ouachitae Template:Small	Rich Mountain salamander	Ouachita Mountains (western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma)	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Plethodon pauleyi.jpg	P. pauleyi Template:Small	Yellow-spotted woodland salamander	Cumberland Plateau (southern West Virginia southwest to northeast Tennessee)	Unranked (GNR)
File:Pigeon Mountain Salamander (Plethodon petraeus) - Flickr - 2ndPeter.jpg	P. petraeus Template:Small	Pigeon Mountain salamander	Pigeon Mountain (northwest Georgia)	Imperiled (G2)
File:Plethodon punctatus 02 white background 1.jpg	P. punctatus Template:Small	Cow Knob salamander	George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border)	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Plethodon richmondi on rock.jpg	P. richmondi Template:Small	Ravine salamander	East-central United States (southwest Virginia west to Kentucky and Indiana and south to North Carolina)	Secure (G5)
File:Savannah Slimy Salamander.jpg	P. savannah Template:Small	Savannah slimy salamander	East-central Georgia	Imperiled (G2)
File:Plethodon sequoyah 171428541.jpg	P. sequoyah Template:Small	Sequoyah slimy salamander	Beavers Bend State Park (eastern Oklahoma)	Critically Imperiled (G1)
File:Plethodon serratus 171428558.jpg	P. serratus Template:Small	Southern red-backed salamander	Southeastern United States (southwest North Carolina west to Missouri and Oklahoma and south to Louisiana)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon shenandoah 62186.jpg	P. shenandoah Template:Small	Shenandoah salamander	Shenandoah National Park (Page and Madison counties, northwestern Virginia)	Critically Imperiled (G1)	File:Fl mammals cr.svg
File:Plethodon sherando Augusta County, Virginia.jpg	P. sherando Template:Small	Big Levels salamander	Big Levels (Augusta County, northwestern Virginia)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Plethodon shermani 53538956.jpg	P. shermani Template:Small	Red-legged salamander	Unicoi and Nantahala mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee and Georgia)	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Plethodon stormi 33477528.jpg	P. stormi Template:Small	Siskiyou Mountains salamander	Siskiyou Mountains (northern California and surrounding areas of Oregon)	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Plethodon teyahalee 53422101.jpg	P. teyahalee Template:Small	Southern Appalachian salamander	Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon vandykei 74040361.jpg	P. vandykei Template:Small	Van Dyke's salamander	Western Washington	Imperiled (G2)
File:Plethodon variolatus.jpg	P. variolatus Template:Small	South Carolina slimy salamander	Atlantic Coastal Plain (South Carolina and Georgia)	Unranked (GNR)
File:Western Redback Salamander Plethodon vehiculum (7641775992).jpg	P. vehiculum Template:Small	Western redback salamander	Pacific Coast (Oregon north to British Columbia)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon ventralis 354617767.jpg	P. ventralis Template:Small	Southern zigzag salamander	Southeastern United States (southwest Virginia southwest to Mississippi)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:Plethodon virginia 583428091.jpg	P. virginia Template:Small	Shenandoah Mountain salamander	George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border)	Imperiled (G2)
File:Plethodon websteri 169631240.jpg	P. websteri Template:Small	Webster's salamander	Southeastern United States (South Carolina west to Mississippi)	Vulnerable (G3)
File:Plethodon wehrlei 227978399.jpg	P. wehrlei Template:Small	Wehrle's salamander	Appalachian Mountains (western New York south to West Virginia and western Virginia)	Apparently Secure (G4)
File:A Weller's Salamander (Plethodon welleri) sitting on a broken log.jpg	P. welleri Template:Small	Weller's salamander	Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Yonahlossee salamander.jpg	P. yonahlossee Template:Small	Yonahlossee salamander	Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Apparently Secure (G4)