Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

Desmognathus ochrophaeus

Reptiles & AmphibiansIn the app

Their size ranges from 7 to 10 cm. They have moderately long and well-developed legs. They also come in a variety of colours, marking and proportions. Also called salaman…

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander illustration

How to identify

Their size ranges from 7 to 10 cm. They have moderately long and well-developed legs. They also come in a variety of colours, marking and proportions. Also called salamanders, these species have a long slender body and tapered tails. Their eyelids fit under a fold of skin being the eyes. Most adults of this species are coloured while others are brightly coloured. Down the back and tail, the adults and juveniles have a straight light-coloured stripe. The stripe can be in many other colours like olive, grey, brown, yellow, red and orange. This is also flanked by darker pigmentation that is mottled and fades into the lightly pigmented belly. The males and females generally resemble each other. Although, males are 12% bigger than females, they also have a darker body and a more curved jaw.

Range

Clinton County, New York, south to Garrett County, Maryland, and west to Columbus, Ohio, through the Appalachian Plateau of Pennsylvania.

Habitat

The adult Desmognathus ochrophaeus tend to be rather stationary. It resides within a 1-meter radius in the temperate forest biome. You’re most likely to find this species near damp and wet areas like springs, wet rock faces and so on. They are nocturnal and eat forest floor invertebrates like earthworms, termites, centipedes etc. The females breed and deposit their eggs under moss, rocks, logs or near flowing water.

Similar species

Desmognathus fuscus (Northern dusky salamander) Its tail is laterally compressed. Also, hybridization is known to occur between the Desmognathus ochrophaeus and the Desmognathus fuscus. They also have a differentiating pale-coloured line that runs from behind their eyes to the rear of the jaw, and heavier set bodies with longer hind legs than front legs. The Desmognathus aeneus (seepage salamander) have dark bellies and chestnut to yellow dorsal stripe flanked by darker sides. Adults have 13-14 costal groves with a total length of 38-57 mm between the snout and tail tip The Desmognathus wrighti (pygmy salamander) is typically a light brown color with a dorsal pigmentation in darker brown. It ranges from 35 mm to 55 mm. The Desmognathus ocoee (Ocoee salamander) ranges from 2.5 to 4.5 inches. They also have a round tail and a light line from the eye to the angle of the jaw.