Red-legged salamander

Red-legged salamander
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Plethodontidae
Subfamily:	Plethodontinae
Genus:	Plethodon
Species:	P. shermani
Binomial name
	Plethodon shermani; Stejneger, 1906

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

Plethodon jordani

, 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

Appalachians. While the species is mainly concentrated in North Carolina, they are also found in northern Georgia and southeast Tennessee

. 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

^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Plethodon shermani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T59355A118996233. Retrieved 24 December 2022.

AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web 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.
ISBN 978-05-202-3592-2

Arnold, S. J. 1972. The evolution of courtship behavior in salamanders. Unpubl. Ph.D. diss., University of Michigan. Ann Arbor

[iucn_status_9_December_2022-1] IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Plethodon shermani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T59355A118996233. Retrieved 24 December 2022.

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