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Home/Species/ Cow Knob Salamander

Plethodon punctatus

Highton, 1972

Cow Knob Salamander

G3Vulnerable Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104349
Element CodeAAAAD12140
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
Other Common Names
white-spotted salamander (EN)
Concept Reference
Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Analyses by Felix et al. (2019) corroborate Kuchta et al. (2018), as well as others, in recognizing this species as genetically distinct.
Conservation Status
Review Date2002-03-26
Change Date2001-10-31
Edition Date2002-03-26
Edition AuthorsPague, C. A., J. C. Mitchell, and G. Hammerson
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent250-5000 square km (about 100-2000 square miles)
Rank Reasons
Small range on a few high mountains along the Virginia-West Virginia border; locally abundant; vulnerable to deforestation.
Range Extent Comments
Shenandoah, North, and Great North mountains, George Washington National Forest, Virginia (Augusta, Rockingham, and Shenandoah counties) and West Virginia (Green and Pauley 1987, Highton 1988, Conant and Collins 1991, Petranka 1998); elevations of 735-1200 m (mainly 900-1200 m).
Occurrences Comments
Number of occurrences has not been determined; Highton (1988) mapped 11 locations.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats include deforestation/logging and defoliation by the introduced Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar); the effect of spraying pesticides to control Spongy Moths is unknown (Mitchell 1991). Firewood collection and over-collection are potential threats.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

High elevations in Valley and Ridge province. Mixed deciduous forest interspersed with Virginia pine and hemlock and numerous rock outcrops (Green and Pauley 1987). Mixed hardwood stands, hardwoods mixed with eastern hemlock, and hemlock stands; most abundant in high-elevation old-growth forests with many downed logs and in areas with an abundance of surface rocks (Mitchell 1991), including talus. Tends to be most abundant on north-facing slopes. Occurs under rocks and logs or in burrows during the day. Terrestrial breeder.

Ecology

Movements and recolonization abilities appear to be limited. In Virginia, recaptures of 4 individuals all were within 1 m of the original capture site (Buhlmann, in Mitchell 1991). Minimum density was 2600/ha at a site in Rockingham County, Virginia (Fraser 1976).

Reproduction

Limited evidence suggests that mating may occur in winter or spring (Mitchell 1991). No aquatic larval stage. Mature in 3 years. (Fraser 1976). Annual recruitment apparently is low (Mitchell 1991).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
VirginiaS2Yes
West VirginiaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource use——High (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting——High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases——High (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases——High (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (5)
Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
References (20)
  1. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  2. Blackburn, L., P. Nanjappa, and M. J. Lannoo. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Copyright, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA.
  3. Buhlmann, K.A., C. Pague, J. Mitchell and R. Glasglow. 1988. Forestry operations and terrestrial salamanders: techniques in a study of the Cow Knob salamander, <i>Plethodon punctatus</i>. Pages 38-44 in R.C. Szaro, et al. Management of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals in North America. USDA For. Serv., Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-166.
  4. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  5. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  6. Felix, Z. I., J. A. Wooten, T. W. Pierson, and C. D. Camp. 2019. Re-evaluation of the Wehrle’s salamander (<i>Plethodon wehrlei</i> Fowler and Dunn) species group (Caudata: Plethodontidae) using genomic data, with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 4609(3):429-448.
  7. Fraser, D. F. 1976. Empirical evaluation of the hypotheses of food competition in salamanders of the genus PLETHODON. Ecology 57:459-471.
  8. Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
  9. Frost, D. R. 2013. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.6 (9 January 2013). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
  10. Frost, D.R. 2020. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Online: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html
  11. Green, N. B., and T. K. Pauley. 1987. Amphibians and reptiles in West Virginia. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. xi + 241 pp.
  12. Highton, R. 1972. Distributional interactions among eastern North American salamanders of the genus <i>Plethodon</i>. Pages 139-188 in P. C. Holt, editor. The distributional history of the biota of the Southern Applachians. Virginia Polytechnic Institute Research Division Monograph 4.
  13. Highton, R. 1988. Plethodon punctatus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 414:1-2.
  14. Highton, R., and A. Larson. 1979. The genetic relationships of the salamanders of the genus <i>Plethodon</i>. Systematic Zoology 28:579-599.
  15. Highton, R., A. P. Hatings, C. Palmer, R. Watts, C. A. Hass, M. Culver, and S. J. Arnold. 2012. Concurrent speciation in the eastern woodland salamanders (genus <i>Plethodon</i>): DNA sequences of the complete albumin nuclear and partial mitochondrial 12s genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63:278–290.
  16. Kuchta, S. R., A. D. Brown, and R. Highton. 2018. Disintegrating over space and time: paraphyly and species delimitation in the Wehrle's Salamander complex. Zoologica Scripta 47(3): 285-299.
  17. Mahoney, M. J. 2001. Molecular systematics of <i>Plethodon </i>and <i>Aneides </i>(Caudata: Plethodontini): phylogenetic analysis of an old and rapid radiation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 18:174-188.
  18. Martof, B. S., W. M. Palmer, J. R. Bailey, and J. R. Harrison, III. 1980. Amphibians and reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 264 pp.
  19. Mitchell, J. C. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles. Pages 411-76 in K. Terwilliger (coordinator). Virginia's Endangered Species: Proceedings of a Symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Virginia.
  20. Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.