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Home/Species/ Caddo Mountain Salamander

Plethodon caddoensis

Pope and Pope, 1951

Caddo Mountain Salamander

G2Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
HighThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100395
Element CodeAAAAD12010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
Other Common Names
Caddo Mountain salamander (EN)
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
This is a member of the Plethodon ouachitae complex (Petranka 1998). Shepard and Burbrink (2011) sequenced two mitochondrial genes in a detailed study of geographic variation in this species and found four highly divergent groups, but made no taxonomic changes.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-11-16
Change Date2023-11-16
Edition Date2023-11-16
Edition AuthorsA.D. Davidson and D.B. Shepard (2017), rev. N. Sears (2023)
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Occurs in the Caddo Mountains, Arkansas; locally common in small range; habitat degradation and loss are potential threats, but most known localities occur within the Ouachita National Forest, which affords this species some level of protection.
Range Extent Comments
Occurs in the Caddo Mountains, Ouachita Mountains region, southwestern Arkansas (Conant and Collins 1991, Petranka 1998), 900-2150 ft (274-655 m).
Occurrences Comments
There are four distinct lineages of P. caddoensis in the Caddo Mountain region (Shepard and Burbrink 2011).
Threat Impact Comments
Threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation resulting from silviculture, but primarily only in lower elevation habitat off National Forest land (Kelly Irwin, pers. comm., 2017). Timber management activities and conversion of land to pine plantations most likely reduced suitable habitat for this species (Warriner 2002, Kelly Irwin, pers. comm., 2017). Habitat degradation and loss continue to be potential threats, but most known localities occur within the Ouachita National Forest, which affords this species some level of protection (Warriner 2002, Kelly Irwin, pers. comm., 2017).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Differs from PLETHODON OUACHITAE in lacking chestnut pigment (though some may have small amounts of red on the dorsum). Differs from PLETHODON GLUTINOSUS complex in having less prominent whitish spots and a dark throat (Robison and Allen 1995).

Habitat

"Locally abundant in or near talus slopes or other rocky sites, particularly on north-facing slopes that support mature, mesic forests" (Petranka 1998). Moves into underground retreats under shaded talus or in abandoned mine shafts during hot, dry weather (Petranka 1998). Large numbers have been found in abandoned mines on rock walls near water in summer (Saugey et al. 1985). Has been found in second-growth, mixed deciduous woods with some pine (Pope 1964). Eggs clusters have been found in mine shafts (Heath et al. 1986).

Reproduction

Terrestrial breeder. Eggs are laid mainly in June. Young hatch in late summer and fall (Petranka 1998). Females probably reproduce biennially (Taylor et al. 1990).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - MixedWoodland - MixedBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
ArkansasS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
3 - Energy production & miningSmall (1-10%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingSmall (1-10%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useRestricted - smallSerious - moderateHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingRestricted - smallSerious - moderateHigh (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceSmall (1-10%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive - largeSerious - moderateHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (1)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Brush HeapOuachita National Forest4,205
References (23)
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Blair, A. P. 1957. A comparison of living PLETHODON OUACHITAE and P. CADDOENSIS. Copeia 1957:47-48.
  4. 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.
  5. 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]
  6. Dowling, H. G. 1956. Geographic relations of Ozarkian amphibians and reptiles. Southwestern Naturalist 1:174-189.
  7. Dowling, H. G. 1957. A review of the amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. Occasional Papers University of Arkansas Museum (3):1-51.
  8. Duncan, R., and R. Highton. 1979. Genetic relationships of the eastern large <i>Plethodon </i>of the Ouachita Mountains. Copeia 1979:95-110.
  9. 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.
  10. 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
  11. Heath, D. R., D. A. Saugey, and G. A. Heidt. 1986. Abandoned mine fauna of the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Sciences 40:33-36.
  12. Highton, R. 1962. Revision of North American salamanders of the genus <i>Plethodon</i>. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum 6:235-367.
  13. 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.
  14. Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
  15. Pope, C.H. 1964. Plethodon caddoensis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 14:1.
  16. Pope, C. H., and S. H. Pope. 1951. A study of the salamander <i>Plethodon ouachitae</i> and the description of an allied form. Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci. 9:129-152.
  17. Robison, H.W. and R.T. Allen. 1995. Only in Arkansas: A Study of the Endemic Plants and Animals of the State. University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
  18. Saugey, D. A., G. A. Height, and D. R. Heath. 1985. Summer use of abandoned mines by the Caddo Mountain salamander, PLETHODON CADDOENSIS (Plethodontidae), in Arkansas. Southwestern Naturalist 30:318-9.
  19. Shepard, D. B., and F. T. Burbrink. 2011. Local-scale environmental variation generates highly divergent lineages associated with stream drainages in a terrestrial salamander, <i>Plethodon caddoensis</i>. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59(2):399-411.
  20. Spotila, J. R. 1972. Role of temperature and water in the ecology of lungless salamanders. Ecological Monographs 42:95-125.
  21. Taylor, C. L., R. F. Wilkinson, Jr., and C. L. Peterson. 1990. Reproductive patterns of five plethodontid salamanders from the Ouachita Mountains. Southwestern Naturalist 35:468-472.
  22. Trauth, S. E., H. W. Robison, and M. V. Plummer. 2004. The amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press.
  23. Warriner, M. D. 2002. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Rare Amphibian Fact Sheet, Caddo Mountain Salamander - <i>Plethodon caddoensis. </i>