Plethodon shenandoah
Highton and Worthington, 1967
Shenandoah Salamander
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
Critically endangeredIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101967
Element CodeAAAAD12170
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNCritically endangered
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
SynonymsPlethodon nettingi shenandoah
Other Common NamesShenandoah salamander (EN)
Concept ReferenceFrost, 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 CommentsPlethodon shenandoah formerly was regarded as a subspecies of P. richmondi, later as subspecies of P. nettingi; also formerly synonymized with P. cinereus (Highton 1988). P. shenandoah and P. hubrichti were elevated from subspecies to species status by Highton and Larson (1979). Whether P. hubrichti and P. shenandoah merit recognition as species distinct from P. nettingi is debatable (Petranka 1998), but these species generally have been accepted.
Plethodon cinereus and P. shenandoah hybridize at a low level on the east side of the Hawksbill Mountain talus slope (Wynn and Highton, in Mitchell 1999).
Conservation Status
Review Date2005-04-15
Change Date2001-11-01
Edition Date2011-04-04
Edition AuthorsPague, C. A., J. C. Mitchell, and G. Hammerson
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank ReasonsExtremely limited range and habitat, restricted to Virginia; threatened by acid deposition and effects of introduced insect pests.
Range Extent CommentsThree isolated populations on Hawksbill Mountain, The Pinnacles, and Stony Man Mountain (including Bushytop and a subpopulation below Hemlock Springs Overlook), Shenandoah National Park, Page and Madison counties, Virginia; generally above 800 m (914-1143 m). A report of P. shenandoah-like salamanders from three localities farther south in the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province (Thurow 1999), which would represent a range extension for P. shenandoah of approximately 90 km from its nearest known locality, was not confirmed by subsequent genetic studies (Sites et al. 2004).
Occurrences CommentsThree occurrences.
Threat Impact CommentsRange may be restricted by competition (interspecific territoriality) with P. cinereus; cinereus excludes shenandoah from moist deep soil adjacent to talus occupied by the latter (Griffis and Jaeger 1992). Deterioration of talus and accumulation of organic matter may allow incursion of P. cinereus into P. shenandoah habitat (53 FR 37815). Recent work indicates that human-related factors, including acid deposition (direct effects and vegetation defoliation) and tree defoliation caused by introduced insect pests such as Spongy Moths (Lymantria dispar) and woolly adelgids, may be more important threats (draft recovery plan, 1994). Changes in climate could impact already marginal habitat and exceed salamander's tolerance.
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Highest mountains of Shenadoah National Park; steep, northerly facing talus slopes in forested situations. Tolerant of relatively dry conditions. Mostly confined to pockets of soil and/or vegetative debris. Apparently, talus is suboptimal habitat for P. shenandoah, but it is excluded from forest habitat through competition with P. cinereus. Terrestrial breeder.
Ecology
Solitary, but occasionally in fairly dense populations.
Reproduction
No aquatic larval stage.
Terrestrial HabitatsBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|
| Virginia | S1 | Yes |
References (18)
- 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.
- 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.
- Bury, R. B., C. K. Dodd, Jr., and G. M. Fellers. 1980. Conservation of the Amphibia of the United States: a review. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C., Resource Publication 134. 34 pp.
- 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. 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.
- 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
- Griffis, M. R., and R. G. Jaeger. 1992. Competitive exclusion of the endangered Shenandoah salamander: field test of the hypothesis. Abstract, 6th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, p. 66.
- Highton, R. 1988. Plethodon shenandoah. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 413:1-2.
- Jacobs, J. 1994. Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah Highton and Worthington). In Recovery Plan, Technical/Agency Draft, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region Five.
- 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.
- Mitchell, J. 2003. Review of draft Red List assessment for Plethodon shenandoah. Unpublished report submitted to NatureServe. 3 pp.
- 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.
- Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
- Sites, Jr, J.W., Morando, M., Highton, R., Huber, F. and Jung, R.E. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships of the endangered Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) and other salamanders of the Plethodon cinereus Group (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Journal of Herpetology. 38:96-105.
- Sites, J. W., Jr., M. Morando, R. Highton, F. Huber, and R. E. Jung. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships of the endangered Shenandoah salamander (<i>Plethodon shenandoah</i>) and other salamanders of the <i>Plethodon cinereus</i> group (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Journal of Herpetology 38:96-105.
- Thurow, G. R. 1999. New <i>Plethodon shenandoah</i> localities and their significance. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 34:269-273.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1989d. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; determination of threatened status for the Cheat Mountain salamander and endangered status for the Shenandoah salamander. Federal Register 54(159):34464.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1990. Endangered and threatened species recovery program: report to Congress. 406 pp.