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Home/Species/ Chattooga Dusky Salamander

Desmognathus perlapsus

Neill, 1950

Chattooga Dusky Salamander

G4Apparently Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1286170
Element CodeAAAAD03380
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusProvisional
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusDesmognathus
Other Common Names
Cliffside Salamander (EN) Tallulah Salamander (EN)
Concept Reference
Pyron, R. A., and D. A. Beamer. 2022e. Systematics of the Ocoee Salamander (Plethodontidae: Desmognathus ocoee), with description of two new species from the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Zootaxa 5190: 207-240 (https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5190.2.3).
Taxonomic Comments
Removed from the synonymy of Desmognathus ocoee by Pyron and Beamer (2022). Also referred to as Desmognathus ocoee D (Beamer and Lamb 2020, Pyron and Beamer 2022).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-12
Change Date2024-09-12
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2024)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
This species has a limited range in the southeastern United States. It is widespread and abundant within the range, many occurrences are protected, and no major threats are known at this time.
Range Extent Comments
This species is found in the southeastern United States from the Alarka and Cowee Mountains in western North Carolina between the Tuckasegee and Little Tennessee Rivers; the western headwater mountain streams of the Savannah River drainage in northwestern South Carolina, northeastern Georgia, and adjacent North Carolina; and the Chattahoochee River drainage in the Piedmont of Georgia and Alabama to the Fall Line and Uchee Creek in the adjacent Coastal Plain (Pyron and Beamer 2022). Using iNaturalist (2024) records, range extent is estimated to be 15,568 km².
Occurrences Comments
Applying a 3 km separation distance to iNaturalist (2024) records, there are approximately 65 occurrences.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known at this time (Pyron and Beamer 2022). Logging activities in national forests have the potential to degrade habitat and reduce populations (Petranka et al. 1993). Development and urbanization could be impacting populations in the Atlanta Metro area.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

In western North Carolina, D. perlapsus is associated with montane hardwood forests with cool, clear-flowing headwater streams and seepages and wet rock faces. Brooding females and overwintering juveniles and adults congregate in aquatic habitats, but non-brooding individuals move away from aquatic habitats and live on the forest floor during the warmer months of the year. At sites where mesic conditions prevail, they can be found well away from streams and other aquatic sites. Farther south, populations in Georgia and Alabama are most commonly found in the immediate vicinity of streams due to less mesic conditions (Petranka et al. 2024).

Ecology

Population density on rock faces in western North Carolina was 6-7 adults per square meter (Tilley 1980). Annual survival rate of adults was 63-74% in two populations studied by Tilley (1980). Predators include birds, small snakes, and large salamanders (Bruce 1979).

Reproduction

Sexual maturity is attained in 3-4 years in males, 3-5 years in females (Castanet et al. 1996, Bruce et al. 2002). Mating occurs in spring and late summer-fall, and individual adult females reproduce annually in most populations (Tilley 1972, Forester 1977). Eggs are laid in wet rock crevices or under rocks, logs, or moss in seepage areas or near small streams, usually at or slightly above the water surface (Forester 1977, Forester 1984, Petranka 1998). Multiple females often nest close together (Tilley 1972, Forester 1977). Eggs hatch after about 52-74 days in North carolina (Tilley 1972, Forester 1977). Metamorphosis occurs within approximately one year, from August-September to May-June (Bruce 1989, Castanet et al. 1996).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
South CarolinaS5Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
North CarolinaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

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Roadless Areas (4)
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Big MountainChattahoochee National Forest1,974
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ellicott Rock 1Sumter National Forest301
References (23)
  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. Bernardo, J. 1994. Experimental analysis of allocation in two divergent, natural salamander populations. American Naturalist 143:14-38.
  3. Bruce, R. C. 1979. Evolution of paedogenesis in salamanders of the genus <i>Gyrinophilus</i>. Evolution 33:998-1000.
  4. Bruce, R. C. 1989. Life history of the salamander <i>Desmognathus monticola</i>, with a comparison of the larval periods of <i>D. </i><i>monticola</i> and <i>D. ochrophaeus</i>. Herpetologica 45:144-155.
  5. Bruce, R. C. 1990. An explanation for differences in body size between two desmognathine salamanders. Copeia 1990: 1-9.
  6. Bruce, R. C., J. Castanet, and H. Francillon-Viellot. 2002. Skeletochronological analysis of variation in age structure, body size, and life history in three species of desmognathine salamanders. Herpetologica 58:181-193.
  7. Castanet, J., H. Francillon-Vieillot, and R. C. Bruce. 1996. Age estimation in desmognathine salamanders assessed by skeletochronology. Herpetologica 52:160-171.
  8. Forester, D. C. 1977. Comments on the female reproductive cycle and philopatry by <i>Desmognathus ochrophaeus</i> (Amphibia, Urodela, Plethodontidae). Journal of Herpetology 11:311-316.
  9. Forester, D. C. 1979. The adaptiveness of parental care in <i>Desmognathus</i><i> ochrophaeus</i> (Urodela: Plethodontidae). Copeia 1979: 332-341.
  10. Forester, D. C. 1981. Parental care in the salamander <i>Desmognathus ochrophaeus</i>: female activity pattern and trophic behavior. Journal of Herpetology 15:29-34.
  11. Forester, D. C. 1984. Brooding behavior by the mountain dusky salamander: can the female's presence reduce clutch desiccation? Herpetologica 40: 105-109.
  12. Frost, D. R. 2023. Amphibian Species of the World (ASW): an Online Reference. Version 6.1 (Date of access). Electronic Database accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. doi.org/10.5531/db.vz.0001
  13. Huheey, J. E., and R. A. Brandon. 1973. Rock-face populations of the mountain salamander, <i>Desmognathus ochrophaeus</i>, in North Carolina. Ecological Monographs 43: 59-77.
  14. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  15. Maes, D., N. J. B. Isaac, C. A. Harrower, B. Collen, A. J. van Strien, and D. B. Roy. 2015. The use of opportunistic data for IUCN Red List assessments. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 115:690-706. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12530
  16. Martof, B. S. and F. L. Rose. 1963. Geographic variation in southern populations of <i>Desmognathus ochrophaeus</i>. The American Midland Naturalist 69: 376-425.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. Petranka, J. W., S. Hall, and T. Howard, with contributions from H. LeGrand. 2024. Amphibians of North Carolina [Internet]. Raleigh (NC): North Carolina Biodiversity Project and North Carolina State Parks. Available from https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/amphibians/index.php
  20. Pyron, R. A., and D. A. Beamer. 2022e. Systematics of the Ocoee Salamander (Plethodontidae: <i>Desmognathus ocoee</i>), with description of two new species from the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Zootaxa 5190: 207-240 (https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5190.2.3).
  21. Shealy, R. M. 1975. Factors influencing activity in the salamanders <i>Desmognathus ochrophaeus</i> and <i>D. monticola</i> (Plethodontidae). Herpetologica 31:94-102.
  22. Tilley, S. G. 1972. Aspects of parental care and embryonic development in <i>Desmognathus ochrophaeus</i>. Copeia 1972: 532-540.
  23. Tilley, S. G. 1980. Life histories and comparative demography of two salamander populations. Copeia 1980: 806-821.