Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Wolf Dusky Salamander

Desmognathus lycos

Pyron and Beamer, 2023

Wolf Dusky Salamander

G4Apparently Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1286141
Element CodeAAAAD03350
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusDesmognathus
Concept Reference
Pyron, R. A., and D. A. Beamer. 2023. Systematic revision of the Spotted and Northern Dusky Salamanders (Plethodontidae: Desmognathus conanti and D. fuscus), with six new species from the eastern United States. Zootaxa 5311(4): 451-504.
Taxonomic Comments
This species was formerly referred to as the Desmognathus fuscus lineage C of Beamer and Lamb (2020). Based on genetic, geographic, and morphological evidence, Pyron and Beamer (2023) recognize six new species in the eastern United States along with re-descriptions of D. conanti and D. fuscus. This species exhibits extensive genetic structuring in three phylogeographic sublineages (Pyron et al. 2022d), including widely distributed populations with non-lineal mitochondrial haplotypes apparently captured from a historic episode of introgression from Desmognathus carolinensis (Kozak et al. 2005, Tilley et al. 2013, Beamer and Lamb 2020). Some populations also exhibit admixed genomic ancestry from D. valtos (Pyron et al. 2022d), and some phylogenetic network analyses indicate potential genetic exchange with D. anicetus in addition to D. carolinensis (Pyron et al. 2020) (Pyron and Beamer 2023).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-12
Change Date2024-09-12
Edition Date2024-08-07
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
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 southeastern United States in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Urbanization has been suggested as the cause of some historical declines. The population is considered widespread, abundant, and stable. Many occurrences are protected on conservation lands.
Range Extent Comments
This species has an unusual horseshoe-shaped distribution from the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, through the western Piedmont and adjacent Blue Ridge foothills of central North Carolina, and across the Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain of eastern South Carolina (Pyron and Beamer 2023). There is also a small and unusually disjunct trans-Appalachian population segment in the Ridge and Valley of northeastern Tennessee (Tilley et al. 2013). Using iNaturalist (2024) records, range extent is estimated to be 103,736 km².
Occurrences Comments
Applying a 3 km separation distance to records from iNaturalist (2024), 197 occurrences are estimated.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known at this time. There are anecdotal reports of declines due to urbanization (Pyron and Beamer 2023). Logging activities in national forests have the potential to degrade habitat and reduce populations (Petranka et al. 1993).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species is broadly generalist in habitat, occurring in a variety of creek-, stream-, and swamp-associated associated habitats, under rocks, logs, and leaf packs in and around flowing water. In many populations (e.g.: the type locality), large adult individuals can sometimes be observed foraging or defending territory during daylight hours even on relatively exposed stream banks and rocks (Pyron and Beamer 2023).
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentRestricted (11-30%)UnknownHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasRestricted (11-30%)UnknownHigh (continuing)

—

Roadless Areas (5)
North Carolina (5)
AreaForestAcres
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Dobson KnobPisgah National Forest6,111
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Wilson CreekPisgah National Forest4,863
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
References (11)
  1. Beamer, D. A., and T. Lamb. 2020. Towards rectifying limitations on species delineation in dusky salamanders (<i>Desmognathus</i>: Plethodontidae): An ecoregion-drainage sampling grid reveals additional cryptic clades. Zootaxa 4734: 1-61.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kozak, K. H., A. Larson, R. M. Bonett, and L. J. Harmon. 2005. Phylogenetic analysis of ecomorphological divergence community structure, and diversification rates in Dusky Salamanders (Plethodontidae: <i>Desmognathus</i>). Evolution 59:2000-2016.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Pyron, R. A., and D. A. Beamer. 2023. Systematic revision of the Spotted and Northern Dusky Salamanders (Plethodontidae: <i>Desmognathus conanti</i> and <i>D. fuscus</i>), with six new species from the eastern United States. Zootaxa 5311(4): 451-504.
  8. Pyron, R. A., K. A. O'Connell, E. M. Lemmon, and A. R. Lemmon. 2020. Phylogenomic data reveal reticulation and incongruence among mitochondrial candidate species in Dusky Salamanders (<i>Desmognathus</i>). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 146(106751):1-13.
  9. 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.
  10. Southerland, M. T. 1986. Behavioral interactions among four species of the salamander genus <i>Desmognathus</i>. Ecology 7(1): 175-181.
  11. Tilley, S. G., J. Bernardo, L. A. Katz, L. López, J. D. Roll, R. L. Eriksen, J. Kratovil, N. K. J. Bittner, and K. A. Crandall. 2013. Failed species, innominate forms, and the vain search for species limits: cryptic diversity in dusky salamanders (<i>Desmognathus</i>) of eastern Tennessee. Ecology and Evolution 3: 2547-2567.