Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Red Salamander

Pseudotriton ruber

(Latreille,1801)

Red Salamander

G5Secure Found in 91 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101775
Element CodeAAAAD13020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPseudotriton
Other Common Names
red salamander (EN) Salamandre rousse (FR)
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
Four subspecies are recognized: the nominate P. r. ruber (Northern Red Salamander), P. r. nitidus (Blue Ridge Red Salamander), P. r. schencki (Black-chinned Red Salamander), and P. r. vioscai (Southern Red Salamander). Using phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers, Folt et al. (2016) retained these subspecies, concluding that they do not represent monophyletic lineages and thus should not be considered as distinct evolutionary species at this time.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2015-06-05
Change Date2001-11-13
Edition Date2011-05-08
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
Southern New York to southern Indiana and south to the Gulf Coast; absent from most of Atlantic coastal plain south of Virginia and from peninsular Florida (Petranka 1998).
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range (e.g., Martof 1975, Tobey 1985, Redmond and Scott 1996, Hulse et al. 2001).
Threat Impact Comments
Deforestation, acid drainage from coal mines, and stream siltation and pollution undoubtedly have resulted in the loss of many populations (Petranka 1998). However, the species is secure on a global scale.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cold, clear, rocky streams and springs in wooded or open areas. Adults occur in or near water in leaf litter and under rocks, and in crevices and burrows near water. Adults sometimes disperse into woods. Eggs are attached to underside of rocks in water. Larvae occur in still pools.

Reproduction

Lays clutch of 50-100 eggs in fall. Eggs hatch in December-January in South Carolina. Aquatic larval period lasts 27-33 months in Blue Ridge and Piedmont populations, 18-23 months in Coastal Plain of South Carolina (Semlitsch 1983). Sexually mature at 4-5 years, males perhaps sooner.
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS3Yes
West VirginiaSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
New YorkS3Yes
District of ColumbiaS3Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
New JerseySNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
MississippiS3Yes
DelawareS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
IndianaSHYes
LouisianaSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
MarylandS5Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
OhioSNRYes
CanadaNNA
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial development——High (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areas——High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining——High (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarrying——High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors——High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads——High (continuing)
5 - Biological resource use——High (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting——High (continuing)
9 - Pollution——High (continuing)
9.2 - Industrial & military effluents——High (continuing)
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluents——High (continuing)

—

Roadless Areas (91)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Gum BayApalachicola National Forest11,645
Long BayApalachicola National Forest5,726
Georgia (9)
AreaForestAcres
Ben GapChattahoochee National Forest1,292
Boggs CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,073
Cedar MountainChattahoochee National Forest1,083
Indian Grave GapChattahoochee National Forest1,020
Ken MountainChattahoochee National Forest527
Lance CreekChattahoochee National Forest9,025
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
North Carolina (17)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
Big Indian (addition)Nantahala National Forest1,155
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Sam Knob (addition)Pisgah National Forest2,576
SnowbirdNantahala National Forest8,489
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Wesser BaldNantahala National Forest4,061
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)Nantahala National Forest1,255
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bee CoveSumter National Forest3,025
Tennessee (11)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Add.Cherokee National Forest1,396
Rogers RidgeCherokee National Forest4,738
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Sycamore CreekCherokee National Forest6,984
Upper Bald RiverCherokee National Forest9,202
Virginia (34)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
Brushy MountainJefferson National Forest4,168
Crawford MountainGeorge Washington National Forest9,892
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Hoop HoleJefferson National Forest4,652
Horse HeavenJefferson National Forest4,748
JerkemtightGeorge Washington National Forest16,687
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
Mottesheard (VA)Jefferson National Forest2,596
Mountain Lake Addition AJefferson National Forest1,469
Mountain Lake Addition B (VA)Jefferson National Forest3,405
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
North Fork PoundJefferson National Forest4,757
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Peters Mountain Addition A (VA)Jefferson National Forest1,268
Price MountainJefferson National Forest9,119
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Rogers RunJefferson National Forest181
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Shawvers Run AdditionJefferson National Forest1,927
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
West Virginia (14)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Gauley MountainMonongahela National Forest13,285
Glady ForkMonongahela National Forest3,239
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Mottesheard (WV)Jefferson National Forest3,964
Mountain Lake Addition B (WV)Jefferson National Forest557
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
Peters Mountain Addition A (WV)Jefferson National Forest343
Tea Creek MountainMonongahela National Forest8,295
References (20)
  1. Barbour, R. W. 1971. Amphibians and reptiles of Kentucky. Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington. x + 334 pp.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Bruce, R. C. 1969. Fecundity in primitive plethodontid salamanders. Evolution 23:50-54.
  5. Bruce, R. C. 1974. Larval development of the salamander PSEUDOTRITON MONTANUS DIASTICTUS and P. RUBER. Am. Midl. Nat. 92:173-190.
  6. Bruce, R. C. 1978. Reproductive biology of the salamander PSEUDOTRITON RUBER in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Copeia 1978:417-423.
  7. 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.
  8. 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]
  9. Folt, B., N. Garrison, C. Guyer, J. Rodriguez, and J. E. Bond. 2016. Phylogeography and evolution of the Red Salamander (<i>Pseudotriton ruber</i>). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 98:97-110.
  10. 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.
  11. 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
  12. Green, N. B., and T. K. Pauley. 1987. Amphibians and reptiles in West Virginia. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. xi + 241 pp.
  13. Hulse, A. C., C. J. McCoy, and E. Censky. 2001. Amphibians and reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. 419 pp.
  14. Martof, B.S. 1975. <i>Pseudotriton ruber</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 167.1-167.3.
  15. Minton, S. A., Jr. 2001. Amphibians & reptiles of Indiana. Revised second edition. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. xiv + 404 pp.
  16. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  17. Pfingsten, R. A., and F. L. Downs, eds. 1989. Salamanders of Ohio. Bull. Ohio Biological Survey 7(2):xx + 315 pp.
  18. Redmond, W. H., and A. F. Scott. 1996. Atlas of amphibians in Tennessee. The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Miscellaneous Publication Number 12. v + 94 pp.
  19. Semlitsch, R. D. 1983. Growth and metamorphosis of larvaled salamanders (<i>Pseudotritin ruber</i>) on the coastal plain of South Carolina. Herpetologica 39:48-52.
  20. Tobey, F. J. 1985. Virginia's amphibians and reptiles: a distributional survey. Virginia Herpetological Survey. vi + 114 pp.