Plethodon chlorobryonis
Mittleman, 1951
Atlantic Coast Slimy Salamander
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.732489
Element CodeAAAAD12500
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
Concept ReferenceHighton, R., G.C. Maha, and L.R. Maxson. 1989. Biochemical evolution in the slimy salamanders of the Plethodon glutinosus complex in the eastern United States. Illinois Biological Monographs 57:1-153.
Taxonomic CommentsWiens et al. (2006) suggested the possibility that Plethodon chlorobryonis and P. variolatus are conspecific, but Highton et al. (2012) discussed the evidence for this and rejected the hypothesis. Formerly included in P. glutinosus and recognized as a distinct species by Highton et al. (1989).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2013-04-18
Change Date2013-04-18
Edition Date2013-04-18
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent CommentsCoastal Plain of southeastern Virginia, North Carolina, and northeastern South Carolina; Piedmont of southeastern Virginia and central and western South Carolina; Blue Ridge in northeastern Georgia (Highton et al. 1989).
Occurrences CommentsTobey (1985) mapped many collection/observation sites in southeastern Virginia. Martof (1980) described slimy salamanders as ubiquitous in wooded areas of most of the Carolinas and Virginia.
Threat Impact CommentsThese salamanders are relatively resilient to disturbances, such as those associated with timbering operations, and frequently are found in second-growth forests; they can persist in relatively small habitat patches (Beamer and Lannoo 2005).
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Wooded areas; generally under or in rotting logs, stumps, or leaf litter, or under rocks, during the day. Goes underground during dry or freezing weather. Eggs are laid in rotting logs, underground, or in rock crevices.
Terrestrial HabitatsForest - HardwoodForest - Mixed
Palustrine HabitatsRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|
| Virginia | SNR | Yes |
| South Carolina | S5 | Yes |
| North Carolina | S5 | Yes |
| Georgia | SNR | Yes |
References (15)
- Beamer, D. A., and M. J. Lannoo. 2005. <i>Plethodon chlorobryonis</i> Mittleman, 1951. Atlantic coast slimy salamander. Pages 795-796 in M. Lannoo, editor. Amphibian declines: the conservation status of United States species. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- Collins, J. T., and T. W. Taggart. 2002. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians, turtles, reptiles, & crocodilians. Fifth edition. Publication of The Center for North American Herpetology, Lawrence, Kansas. iv + 44 pp.
- 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]
- Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Queiroz, D. R. Frost, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., T. W. Taggart, S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2000 [2001]. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetological Circular No. 29. 82 pp.
- Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Quieroz, D. Frost, D. M. Green, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, R. W. McDiarmid, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2003. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico: update. Herpetological Review 34:198-203.
- 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
- Highton, R. 2005. Declines of eastern North American woodland salamanders (<i>Plethodon</i>). Pages 34-46 in M. Lannoo, editor. Amphibian declines: the conservation status of United States species. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- Highton, R., A. P. Hatings, C. Palmer, R. Watts, C. A. Hass, M. Culver, and S. J. Arnold. 2012. Concurrent speciation in the eastern woodland salamanders (genus <i>Plethodon</i>): DNA sequences of the complete albumin nuclear and partial mitochondrial 12s genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63:278–290.
- Highton, R., G.C. Maha, and L.R. Maxson. 1989. Biochemical evolution in the slimy salamanders of the <i>Plethodon glutinosus</I> complex in the eastern United States. Illinois Biological Monographs 57:1-153.
- Jensen, J. B., C. D. Camp, W. Gibbons, and M. J. Elliot, editors. 2008. Amphibians and reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens. xvii + 575 pp.
- 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.
- Nicholson, K. E. (ed.). 2025. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Ninth Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 87 pp. Online database available at: https://cnah.org/SSARnames.aspx
- Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
- Tobey, F. J. 1985. Virginia's amphibians and reptiles: a distributional survey. Virginia Herpetological Survey. vi + 114 pp.
- Wiens, J. J., T. N. Engstrom, and P. T. Chippindale. 2006. Rapid diversification, incomplete isolation, and the "speciation clock" in North American salamanders (genus <i>Plethodon</i>): testing the hybrid swarm hypothesis of rapid radiation. Evolution 60(12):2585-2603.