Max Patch Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus tilleyi
D. tilleyi is a small, slender, high-elevation montane endemic salamander with a round tail. It typically has a brightly colored or bold dorsal pattern. The dorsal patt…
How to identify
D. tilleyi is a small, slender, high-elevation montane endemic salamander with a round tail. It typically has a brightly colored or bold dorsal pattern. The dorsal pattern often includes extensive iridophore clusters.
Range
D. tilleyi boasts a very restricted range, currently known only from the high-elevation grassy balds surrounding Max Patch Bald in the southern Appalachian Mountains, specifically on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.
Habitat
D. tilleyi is found only in or near mountain streams. This salamander can be found under rocks, logs, and moss patches on stream banks.
Similar species
Name and etymology
tilleyi: Honoring systematist Stephen G. Tilley of Smith College
At a glance
Range
D. tilleyi boasts a very restricted range, currently known only from the high-elevation grassy balds surrounding Max Patch Ba…
Habitat
D. tilleyi is found only in or near mountain streams. This salamander can be found under rocks, logs, and moss patches on str…
Guide
Reptiles and Amphibians of North America
Range map
Approximate range. © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap