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Home/Species/ Southern Shovel-nosed Salamander

Desmognathus aureatus

(Martof, 1956)

Southern Shovel-nosed Salamander

G3Vulnerable Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Data deficientIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1286166
Element CodeAAAAD03370
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusProvisional
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNData deficient
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusDesmognathus
Other Common Names
Golden Shovel-nosed Salamander (EN) Husky Shovel-nosed Salamander (EN)
Concept Reference
Pyron, R. A., and D. A. Beamer. 2023. A systematic revision of the Shovel-nosed Salamander (Plethodontidae: Desmognathus marmoratus), with re-description of the related D. aureatus and D. intermedius. Zootaxa 5270(2): 262-280.
Taxonomic Comments
This taxon represents Desmognathus marmoratus B of Pyron et al. (2022d). Dubois and Raffaëlli (2012) resurrected Desmognathus aureatus and D. melianus (now in the synonymy of D. intermedius, see Pyron and Beamer 2023) as valid species. It was formally recognized by Raffaëlli (2022) with a systematic revision by Pyron and Beamer (2023).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-07
Change Date2024-08-07
Edition Date2024-08-07
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 80
Rank Reasons
This species is restricted to a limited range within the Blue Ridge Mountains in the southeastern U.S. The population is considered widespread, abundant, and stable. No major threats are known at this time.
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northeastern Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, and in headwater streams of the Chattahoochee, Chattooga, and Tallulah River drainages North Carolina, USA (Pyron and Beamer 2023). Using records from iNaturalist (2024) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF 2024), range extent is estimated to be 2,210 km².
Occurrences Comments
Applying a 3 km separation distance to records from iNaturalist (2024) and GBIF (2024), 20 occurrences are estimated.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known at this time. Logging activities in national forests have the potential to degrade habitat and reduce populations (Petranka et al. 1993).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs almost exclusively in the rocky riffle zones of a fast-flowing, high-gradient mountain streams or spring runs (Martof 1962, Pyron and Beamer 2023). It is found at elevations from 400-1100 m (Pyron and Beamer 2023).

Reproduction

Females attach 27–54 eggs to the undersides of rocks from May to July (Martof 1962, Bruce 1985, Pyron and Beamer 2023). Females brood the eggs (Martof 1962, Bruce 1985, Pyron and Beamer 2023). Eggs hatch in late summer, hatchlings measuring as small as 10-12 mm SVL (Martof 1962, Bruce 1985, Pyron and Beamer 2023). Larvae undergo metamorphosis in 1-3 years (Martof 1962, Bruce 1985, Pyron and Beamer 2023).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaSNRYes
South CarolinaS2Yes
North CarolinaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource usePervasive - largeUnknownHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingPervasive - largeUnknownHigh (continuing)
5.3.4 - Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]Pervasive - largeUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (2)
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Joe GapChattahoochee National Forest5,321
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
References (11)
  1. Bruce, R. C. 1985. Larval periods, population structure and the effects of stream drift in larvae of the salamanders <i>Desmognathus quadramaculatus</i> and <i>Leurognathus marmoratus</i> in a southern Appalachian stream. Copeia 1985: 847-854.
  2. DuBois, A., and J. Raffaëlli. 2012. A new ergotaxonomy of the order Urodela Duméril, 1805 (Amphibia, Batrachia). Alytes. Paris 28:77–161.
  3. Frost, D. R. 2023. Amphibian Species of the World (ASW): an Online Reference. Version 6.1 (Date of access). Electronic Database accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. doi.org/10.5531/db.vz.0001
  4. Maes, D., N. J. B. Isaac, C. A. Harrower, B. Collen, A. J. van Strien, and D. B. Roy. 2015. The use of opportunistic data for IUCN Red List assessments. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 115:690-706. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12530
  5. Martof, B.S. 1962. Some aspects of the life history and ecology of the salamander <i>Leurognathus</i>. The American Midland Naturalist 67:1-35.
  6. Martof, B. S., and D. C. Scott. 1957. The food of the salamander <i>Leurognathus</i>. Ecology 38: 494–501. doi: 10.2307/1929894.
  7. Peterman, W. E., J. A. Crawford, and R. D. Semlitsch. 2008. Productivity and significance of headwater streams: population structure and biomass of the black-bellied salamander (<i>Desmognathus quadramaculatus</i>). Freshwater Biology 53: 347–357.
  8. 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.
  9. Pyron, R. A., and D. A. Beamer. 2023. A systematic revision of the Shovel-nosed Salamander (Plethodontidae: <i>Desmognathus marmoratus</i>), with re-description of the related <i>D. aureatus</i> and <i>D. intermedius</i>. Zootaxa 5270(2): 262-280.
  10. Pyron, R. A., K. A. O'Connell, E. M. Lemmon, A. R. Lemmon, and D. A. Beamer. 2022d. Candidate-species delimitation in <i>Desmognathus </i>salamanders reveals gene flow across lineage boundaries, confounding phylogenetic estimation and clarifying hybrid zones. Ecology and Evolution 12:e8574.
  11. Raffaëlli, J. 2022. Salamanders & newts of the world. 3rd Edition. Penclen Edition. 1100 pp.