Spotted dusky salamander

The spotted dusky salamander (Desmognathus conanti) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States.[2][3][1]

Spotted dusky salamander

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Desmognathus
Species:
D. conanti
Binomial name
Desmognathus conanti
Rossman, 1958
Synonyms

Desmognathus fuscus conanti

Taxonomy

Desmognathus conanti was described in 1958 by Douglas A. Rossman, but was later reclassified as a subspecies of the northern dusky salamander (D. fuscus).[4] However, numerous genetic and morphological studies since then have affirmed it as being a distinct species.[2][5] In addition, genetic studies indicate that D. conanti is paraphyletic with respect to the Santeetlah dusky salamander (D. santeelah), which lies nested within it; thus, D. conanti itself likely represents a species complex of multiple undescribed cryptic species.[6]

Distribution

Desmognathus conanti has a wide range in the southeastern and south-central United States, ranging from southern Illinois south to the panhandle of Florida, and west to Louisiana and southern Arkansas.[2]

Description
D. conanti fluorescing

Desmognathus conanti is a moderately stout salamander with a moderately keeled tail. It has several pairs of golden spots on the dorsum that may sometimes fuse to form a light dorsal stripe in adults. The belly is light with dark flecks. It closely resembles D. fuscus and D. santeetlah, and is thus best distinguished from them by range.[4][7][8]

References
  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  2. "Desmognathus conanti Rossman, 1958 | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  3. "AmphibiaWeb - Desmognathus conanti". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  4. "Spotted Dusky Salamander | Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency". www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  5. Beamer, David A.; Lamb, Trip (2008-04-01). "Dusky salamanders (Desmognathus, Plethodontidae) from the Coastal Plain: Multiple independent lineages and their bearing on the molecular phylogeny of the genus". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 47 (1): 143–153. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.01.015. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 18337126.
  6. Pyron, R. Alexander; O'Connell, Kyle A.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty; Lemmon, Alan R.; Beamer, David A. (2020-05-01). "Phylogenomic data reveal reticulation and incongruence among mitochondrial candidate species in Dusky Salamanders (Desmognathus)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 146: 106751. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106751. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 32028035. S2CID 211047139.
  7. "Species Profile: Northern / Spotted Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus / conanti) | SREL Herpetology". srelherp.uga.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  8. "Spotted Dusky Salamander – INHS Herpetology Collection". Retrieved 2021-12-23.
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