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Home/Species/ Black Mountain Salamander

Desmognathus welteri

Barbour, 1950

Black Mountain Salamander

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102488
Element CodeAAAAD03090
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusDesmognathus
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
Sometimes has been treated as subspecies of Desmognathus fuscus; see Juterbock (1984) for a summary of evidence supporting the recognition of D. welteri as a distinct species.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-07-01
Change Date2025-07-01
Edition Date2025-07-01
Edition AuthorsJennings, R., and G. Hammerson (2011); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Small range in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia; vulnerable to stream habitat degradation.
Range Extent Comments
This species is found in eastern Kentucky, adjacent southwestern Virginia, southern West Virginia, and southward into eastern Tennessee (Barbour 1971, (McCleary and Orr 1987, McCleary 1989, Conant and Collins 1991, Redmond and Floyd 1996). Range extent is estimated to be 39,909 km² (GBIF 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025).
Occurrences Comments
Redmond and Scott (1996) mapped 20 sites in Tennessee, representing probably at least a dozen distinct occurrences. Applying a 3 km separation distance to extant occurrences from 2000-2025, 42 occurrences are estimated (GBIF 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Major threats include complete habitat loss due to mining and habitat degradation by siltation and pollution from mining. Mountain top removal mining and valley fills increases stream conductance (i.e., increased ion concentration) in streams, resulting in decreased abundance of salamanders (Wood and Williams 2013, Muncy et al. 2014, Hutton et al. 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Mountain brooks, spring runs, and roadside puddles in wooded mountainous terrain at elevations of 300-1220 m. Adults hide under rocks or logs in water, or in splash zone crevices. Larvae and juveniles occupy smaller seeps. Eggs are laid under rocks or in or under logs at streamside.

Reproduction

Single clutch of up to about 60 (average 26) eggs laid March-November. Females remain with eggs. Aquatic larvae metamorphose in about 2 years.
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaS3Yes
VirginiaS3Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
3 - Energy production & miningRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
9 - PollutionRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
9.2 - Industrial & military effluentsRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (1)
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
References (18)
  1. Barbour, R. W. 1971. Amphibians and reptiles of Kentucky. Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington. x + 334 pp.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  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. 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.
  7. 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
  8. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  9. Hutton, J. M., S. J. Price, S. J. Bonner, S. C. Richter, and C. D. Barton. 2020. Occupancy and abundance of stream salamanders along a specific conductance gradient. Freshwater Science 39(3): 433–446. doi: 10.1086/709688
  10. Juterbock, J. E. 1984. Evidence for the recognition of specific status for DESMOGANTHUS WELTERI. J. Herpetol. 18: 240-255.
  11. Martof, B. S., W. M. Palmer, J. R. Bailey, and J. R. Harrison, III. 1980. Amphibians and reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 264 pp.
  12. McCleary, E. C. 1989. The taxonomic status and geographical distribution of Desmognathus welteri in West Virginia. Masters thesis, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
  13. McCleary, E. C., and L. P. Orr. 1987. A new salamander for West Virginia: <i>Desmognathus welteri</i>. Ohio Journal of Science 87(2):49.
  14. Muncy, B. L., S. J. Price, S. J. Bonner, and C. D. Barton. 2014. Mountaintop removal mining reduces stream salamander occupancy and richness in southeastern Kentucky (USA). Biological Conservation 180: 115–121. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2014.09.040
  15. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  16. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  17. Redmond, W. H., and A. F. Scott. 1996. Atlas of amphibians in Tennessee. The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Miscellaneous Publication Number 12. v + 94 pp.
  18. Wood, P. B., and J. M. Williams. 2013. Impact of valley fills on streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia. Journal of Herpetology 47(1): 119–125.