Plethodon cheoah
Highton and Peabody, 2000
Cheoah Bald Salamander
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
VulnerableIUCN
Graham Howe, CC BY-NC 4.0
gman122, CC BY-NC 4.0
gman122, CC BY-NC 4.0
Jacob Malcom, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hubert Szczygieł, CC BY-NC 4.0
Hubert Szczygieł, CC BY-NC 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104640
Element CodeAAAAD12480
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNVulnerable
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
Concept Reference
Highton, R., and R. B. Peabody. 2000. Geographic protein variation and speciation in salamanders of the Plethodon jordani and Plethodon glutinosus complexes in the southern Appalachian Mountains with the description of four new species. Pages 31-93 in R. C. Bruce, R. G. Jaeger, and L. D. Houck, editors. The biology of plethodontid salamanders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. xiii + 485 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Highton and Peabody (2000) examined allozyme and morphological variation in the Plethodon jordani and P. glutinosus complexes, and they also looked at interactions in contact zones. As a result of these studies, Highton and Peabody split P. jordani into multiple species as follows: P. jordani, P. montanus, P. metcalfi, P. amplus, P. meridianus, P. shermani, and P. cheoah. This revision was adopted by Crother et al. (2000).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2013-04-18
Change Date2013-04-18
Edition Date2013-04-18
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 20
Rank Reasons
Small range in western North Carolina.
Range Extent Comments
This salamander is known from Cheoah Bald, Graham and Swain counties, North Carolina; the elevational range is at least 975-1,524 meters (Highton and Peabody 2000).
Occurrences Comments
Highton and Peabody (2000) listed seven locations from which they collected genetic data sets.
Threat Impact Comments
Clearcutting may strongly deplete local populations of the P. jordani complex (Petranka et al. 1993); time required for recovery is debatable but is at least a few decades (Ash 1997, Petranka 1999, Ash and Pollock 1999). However, a large amount of the habitat of this species is second-growth forest, so it seems capable of surviving logging and similar forms of habitat disturbance (Beamer, pers. comm., 2003). This and other Plethodon species can persist in relatively small patches of habitat (Beamer and Lannoo 2005).
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Mesic forest, often under leaf litter, logs, or mossy rocks. Terrestrial breeder.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - Mixed
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | S1 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 - Biological resource use | — | — | High (continuing) |
| 5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting | — | — | High (continuing) |
Roadless Areas (2)
North Carolina (2)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Cheoah Bald | Nantahala National Forest | 7,795 |
| Wesser Bald | Nantahala National Forest | 4,061 |
References (12)
- Ash, A. N. 1997. Disappearance and return of plethodontid salamanders to clearcut plots in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Conservation Biology 11:983-989.
- Ash, A. N., and K. H. Pollock. 1999. Clearcuts, salamanders, and field studies. Conservation Biology 13:206-208.
- Beamer, D. A., and M. J. Lannoo. 2005. <i>Plethodon cheoah</i> Highton and Peabody, 2000. Cheoah Bald salamander. Pages 794-795 in M. Lannoo, editor. Amphibian declines: the conservation status of United States species. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- 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.
- 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]
- 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
- Highton, R. 1970. Evolutionary interactions between species of North American salamanders of the genus <i>Plethodon</i>. Part 1. Genetic and ecological relationships of <i>Plethodon jordani</i> and <i>P. glutinosus</i> in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Evolutionary Biology 4:211-241.
- Highton, R. 2005. Declines of eastern North American woodland salamanders (<i>Plethodon</i>). Pages 34-46 in M. Lannoo, editor. Amphibian declines: the conservation status of United States species. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- Highton, R., and R. B. Peabody. 2000. Geographic protein variation and speciation in salamanders of the <i>Plethodon jordani </i>and <i>Plethodon glutinosus</i> complexes in the southern Appalachian Mountains with the description of four new species. Pages 31-93 in R. C. Bruce, R. G. Jaeger, and L. D. Houck, editors. The biology of plethodontid salamanders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. xiii + 485 pp.
- 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.
- Petranka, J. W. 1999. Recovery of salamanders after clearcutting in the southern Appalachians: a critique of Ash's estimates. Conservation Biology 13:203-205.
- Petranka, J. W., M. E. Eldridge, and K. E. Haley. 1993. Effects of timber harvesting on southern Appalachian salamanders. Conservation Biology 7(2): 363-370.