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Home/Species/ Chamberlain's Dwarf Salamander

Eurycea chamberlaini

Harrison and Guttman, 2003

Chamberlain's Dwarf Salamander

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101323
Element CodeAAAAD05092
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusEurycea
Other Common Names
Chamberlain's dwarf salamander (EN)
Concept Reference
Harrison, J. R., III, and S. I. Guttman. 2003. A new species of Eurycea (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from North and South Carolina. Southeastern Naturalist 2(2):159-178.
Taxonomic Comments
Eurycea chamberlaini formerly was included in E. quadridigitata; described as a new species by Harrison and Guttman (2003). Wray et al. (2017) revised the species and specified that since the description, a number of molecular studies have demonstrated significant genetic variation within E. quadridigitata sensu lato indicating that a number of undescribed taxa may exist (Kozak et al. 2009, Lamb and Beamer 2012, Bonett et al. 2014, Wray and Steppan 2016).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-11-18
Change Date2011-05-04
Edition Date2025-11-18
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2011); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
This species is restricted to the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of North Carolina and South Carolina. It appears to be relatively common and no major threats are known at this time.
Range Extent Comments
This species is restricted to South Carolina and North Carolina in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain (Fields 2019, Davenport et al. 2022, Graham et al. 2022). Surveys by Graham et al. (2022) using molecular data concluded that this species is not found in Georgia. Using Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (2025) records, range extent is estimated to be 102,818 km² (RARECAT 2025).

This species was previously considered to also occur in Georgia and Alabama (Harrison and Guttman 2003).
Occurrences Comments
Applying a 5 km separation distance to GBIF (2025) records, 117 occurrences are estimated (RARECAT 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known at this time.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Harrison and Guttman (2003).

Diagnostic Characteristics

See Harrison and Guttman (2003).

Habitat

Occurs in a variety of habitats but seems to prefer seepage areas near streams or ponds, particularly in Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain areas (Harrison and Guttman 2003).
Palustrine Habitats
Bog/fen
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS4Yes
South CarolinaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (1)
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
References (12)
  1. Bonett, R. M., M. A. Steffen, S. M. Lambert, J. J. Wiens, and P. T. Chippindale. 2014. Evolution of paedomorphosis in plethodontid salamanders: ecological correlated and re-evolution of metamorphosis. Evolution 68: 466-482.
  2. 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]
  3. Davenport, J. M., D. A. Beamer, C. L. Long, J. T. Waltz, S. B. Wren, and D. S. Siegel. 2022.
  4. Fields, S. E. Amphibians of the central and southwestern Piedmont Province of South Carolina. Southeastern Naturalist 18(2): 202-223.
  5. 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
  6. Graham, S. P., D. Walker, C. Kelehear, J. B. Jensen, K. Dunn, and C. Guyer. 2022. Georgia distribution and characterization of species within the <i>Eurycea quadridigitata</i> complex. Southeastern Naturalist 21(2): 125-139. doi: 10.1656/058.021.0207
  7. Harrison, J. R., III, and S. I. Guttman. 2003. A new species of <i>Eurycea </i>(Caudata: Plethodontidae) from North and South Carolina. Southeastern Naturalist 2(2):159-178.
  8. Kozak, K. H., R. W. Mendyk, and J. J. Wiens. 2009. Can parallel diversification occur in sympatry? Repeated patterns of body-size evolution in coexisting clades of North American salamanders. Evolution 63:1769-1784.
  9. Lamb, T., and D. A. Beamer. 2012. Digits lost or gained? Evidence for pedal evolution in the dwarf salamander complex (Eurycea, Plethodontidae). PLoS ONE 7(5):e37544. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037544
  10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2011. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; partial 90-day finding on a petition to list 404 species in the southeastern United States as threatened or endangered with critical habitat. Federal Register 76(187):59836-59862.
  11. Wray, K. P., and S. J. Steppan. 2017. Ecological opportunity, historical biogeography and diversification in a major lineage of salamanders. Journal of Biogeography 44(4):797-809.
  12. Wray, K.P., D.B. Means and S.J. Steppan. 2017. Revision of the <i>Eurycea quadridigitata</i> (Holbrook 1842) complex of dwarf salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Hemidactyliinae) with a description of two new species. Herpetological Monographs 31(1): 18-46.