Plethodon

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	Ainsworth's salamander	Central Mississippi? (uncertain validity)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Possibly Extinct (GH)	File:Fl mammals ex.svg
File:Plethodon albagula 168277235.jpg	P. albagula	Western slimy salamander	South-central United States (Missouri southwest to central Texas)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon amplus 157030770.jpg	P. amplus	Blue Ridge gray-cheeked salamander	Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals en.svg
File:Plethodon angusticlavius (Ozark Zigzag Salamander) (3679651745).jpg	P. angusticlavius	Ozark zigzag salamander	Ozark Mountains (Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Scott Bar Salamander imported from iNaturalist photo 115598410 on 21 April 2022.jpg	P. asupak	Scott Bar salamander	Scott Bar Mountains (Siskiyou County, northern California)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals en.svg
	P. aureolus	Tellico salamander	Unicoi Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals dd.svg
File:Plethodon caddoensis 162754730.jpg	P. caddoensis	Caddo Mountain salamander	Caddo Mountains (western Arkansas)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Plethodon chattahoochee 270018759.jpg	P. chattahoochee	Chattahoochee slimy salamander	Chattahoochee National Forest (northern Georgia)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Cheoah Bald Salamander imported from iNaturalist photo 5878362 on 20 April 2022.jpg	P. cheoah	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	Atlantic Coast slimy salamander	Atlantic Coastal Plain (Virginia south to Georgia)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Eastern Red-backed Salamander - Plethodon cinereus, G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area, Linden, Virginia - Flickr - Judy Gallagher.jpg	P. cinereus	Red-backed salamander	Northeast North America (Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to North Carolina)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon cylindraceus 269771890.jpg	P. cylindraceus	White-spotted slimy salamander	Southeastern United States (Virginia west to easternmost Tennessee and south to South Carolina)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
	P. dixi	Dixie Cavern salamander	Roanoke County, southwest Virginia	Critically Imperiled (G1)	File:Fl mammals dd.svg
File:Plethodon dorsalis 002.jpg	P. dorsalis	Northern zigzag salamander	South-central United States (Indiana south to Alabama)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon dunni 183149993.jpg	P. dunni	Dunn's salamander	Pacific Coast (northwest California north to southwest Washington)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon electromorphus 182055000.jpg	P. electromorphus	Northern ravine salamander	Midwestern United States (western Pennsylvania south to central West Virginia and west to Indiana)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon elongatus 134949411.jpg	P. elongatus	Del Norte salamander	Pacific Coast (northwest California and southwest Oregon)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon fourchensis 171429319.jpg	P. fourchensis	Fourche Mountain salamander	Fourche Mountain (Scott and Polk counties, western Arkansas)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Northern Slimy Salamander - Plethodon glutinosus (49022625501).jpg	P. glutinosus	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:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon grobmani.jpg	P. grobmani	Southeastern slimy salamander	Southeastern United States (Georgia, Alabama, northern Florida)	Secure (G5)
File:Plethodon hoffmani 168500593.jpg	P. hoffmani	Valley and ridge salamander	Appalachian Mountains (central Pennsylvania south to southwest Virginia)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti).jpg	P. hubrichti	Peaks of Otter salamander	Peaks of Otter area (southwest Virginia)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
	P. idahoensis	Coeur d'Alene salamander	Rocky Mountains (northern Idaho and surrounding areas of Montana and British Columbia)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
	P. jacksoni	Blacksburg salamander	Southwest Virginia and surrounding areas of North Carolina	Unranked (GNR)	File:Fl mammals dd.svg
File:Plethodon jordani 1156554.jpg	P. jordani	Red-cheeked salamander or Jordan's salamander	Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Pkentuckiwv.jpg	P. kentucki	Cumberland Plateau salamander	Cumberland Plateau area (West Virginia south to northeast Tennessee)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon kiamichi 162325964.jpg	P. kiamichi	Kiamichi slimy salamander	Kiamichi Mountains (Oklahoma, Arkansas)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Plethodon kisatchie 186707627.jpg	P. kisatchie	Louisiana slimy salamander	Northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon larselli 183148883.jpg	P. larselli	Larch Mountain salamander	Cascade Range (northern Oregon and southern Washington)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon meridianus 67602344.jpg	P. meridianus	South Mountain gray-cheeked salamander	South Mountains area (southwest North Carolina)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals en.svg
File:Plethodon metcalfi 145749131.jpg	P. metcalfi	Southern gray-cheeked salamander	Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of South Carolina and Georgia)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon mississippi 176472351.jpg	P. mississippi	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	Northern gray-cheeked salamander	Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
	P. neomexicanus	Jemez Mountains salamander	Jemez Mountains (north-central New Mexico)	Critically Imperiled (G1)	File:Fl mammals en.svg
File:Photo of the Week - Cheat Mountain Salamander (WV) (13432757184).jpg	P. nettingi	Cheat Mountain salamander	Allegheny Mountains (northeast West Virginia)	Critically Imperiled (G1)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
	P. ocmulgee	Ocmulgee slimy salamander	Central Georgia	Unranked (GNR)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon ouachitae 162325777.jpg	P. ouachitae	Rich Mountain salamander	Ouachita Mountains (western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
	P. pauleyi	Yellow-spotted woodland salamander	Cumberland Plateau (southern West Virginia southwest to northeast Tennessee)	Unranked (GNR)	File:Fl mammals dd.svg
File:Pigeon Mountain Salamander (Plethodon petraeus) - Flickr - 2ndPeter.jpg	P. petraeus	Pigeon Mountain salamander	Pigeon Mountain (northwest Georgia)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Plethodon punctatus 02 white background 1.jpg	P. punctatus	Cow Knob salamander	George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Plethodon richmondi on rock.jpg	P. richmondi	Ravine salamander	East-central United States (southwest Virginia west to Kentucky and Indiana and south to North Carolina)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
	P. savannah	Savannah slimy salamander	East-central Georgia	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals dd.svg
File:Plethodon sequoyah 171428541.jpg	P. sequoyah	Sequoyah slimy salamander	Beavers Bend State Park (eastern Oklahoma)	Critically Imperiled (G1)	File:Fl mammals dd.svg
File:Plethodon serratus 171428558.jpg	P. serratus	Southern red-backed salamander	Southeastern United States (southwest North Carolina west to Missouri and Oklahoma and south to Louisiana)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon shenandoah 62186.jpg	P. shenandoah	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	Big Levels salamander	Big Levels (Augusta County, northwestern Virginia)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals vu.svg
File:Plethodon shermani 53538956.jpg	P. shermani	Red-legged salamander	Unicoi and Nantahala mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee and Georgia)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Plethodon stormi 33477528.jpg	P. stormi	Siskiyou Mountains salamander	Siskiyou Mountains (northern California and surrounding areas of Oregon)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals en.svg
File:Plethodon teyahalee 53422101.jpg	P. teyahalee	Southern Appalachian salamander	Southern Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest North Carolina and surrounding areas of Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon vandykei 74040361.jpg	P. vandykei	Van Dyke's salamander	Western Washington	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon variolatus.jpg	P. variolatus	South Carolina slimy salamander	Atlantic Coastal Plain (South Carolina and Georgia)	Unranked (GNR)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Western Redback Salamander Plethodon vehiculum (7641775992).jpg	P. vehiculum	Western redback salamander	Pacific Coast (Oregon north to British Columbia)	Secure (G5)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon ventralis 354617767.jpg	P. ventralis	Southern zigzag salamander	Southeastern United States (southwest Virginia southwest to Mississippi)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
	P. virginia	Shenandoah Mountain salamander	George Washington National Forest (West Virginia-Virginia border)	Imperiled (G2)	File:Fl mammals nt.svg
File:Plethodon websteri 169631240.jpg	P. websteri	Webster's salamander	Southeastern United States (South Carolina west to Mississippi)	Vulnerable (G3)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:Plethodon wehrlei 227978399.jpg	P. wehrlei	Wehrle's salamander	Appalachian Mountains (western New York south to West Virginia and western Virginia)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg
File:A Weller's Salamander (Plethodon welleri) sitting on a broken log.jpg	P. welleri	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	Yonahlossee salamander	Blue Ridge Mountains (southwest Virginia south to the Tennessee-North Carolina border)	Apparently Secure (G4)	File:Fl mammals lc.svg

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Plethodon.

Intrinsic Phylogeny

Template:Clade Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus Plethodon. <ref name=":4" />