Southern red-backed salamander

The southern red-backed salamander (Plethodon serratus) is a species of salamander endemic to the United States.[2] It is found in four widely disjunct populations: one in central Louisiana; one in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma; one in central Missouri; and one from southeastern Tennessee, to southwestern North Carolina, western Georgia, and eastern Alabama. It is sometimes referred to as the Georgia red-backed salamander or the Ouachita red-backed salamander. It was once considered a subspecies of the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus.

Southern red-backed salamander
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Plethodon
Species:
P. serratus
Binomial name
Plethodon serratus
Grobman, 1944
Synonyms[2]
  • Plethodon cinereus serratus
    Grobman, 1944
  • Plethodon cinereus polycentratus Highton and Grobman, 1956

Description

The southern red-backed salamander is typically gray or black in color, with a red-brown, fading stripe across the width of its back. It grows from 8 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in) in length. Similar to Plethodon cinereus, Plethodon serratus comes in several atypical color variations. The typical red backed phase with a red dorsal stripe consists of most individuals. The atypical variations include a lead backed phase with a dark grey stripe, a silver back phase with a light grey dorsal stripe, hypomelanistic (leucistic) variations of the red backed form, and the rare white backed, or ghost phase. Unlike P. cinereus, P. serratus has not yet been found to have an erythristic variation.[3]

Behavior

Mostly nocturnal, it is often found under ground debris in moist, forested areas. In dry seasons, it moves closer to permanent water sources. Its primary diet is small arthropods and mollusks.

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2014). "Plethodon serratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T59354A56338786. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T59354A56338786.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Plethodon serratus Grobman, 1944". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  3. DRAKE, DANA L.; O'DONNELL, KATHERINE M. (2014). "Sampling of Terrestrial Salamanders Reveals Previously Unreported Atypical Color Morphs in the Southern Red-backed Salamander Plethodon serratus". The American Midland Naturalist. 171 (1): 172–177. doi:10.1674/0003-0031-171.1.172. ISSN 0003-0031. JSTOR 43822723. S2CID 86306543.


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