The southern and Blue Ridge two-lined salamanders typically live beneath rocks and logs along the edges of small, rocky streams and seeps, but some individuals may occur far from water on the forest floor. Both slender, delicate-looking species, the southern two-lined ranges from 6.4 – 11 cm in length; the Blue Ridge two-lined ranges from 7 to 12.1 cm long. The southern two-lined has a dingy yellow base color with two prominent black lines extending from the eye along the top of either side to the end of the tail. Black spots dot the dorsum between the two lines as well as along the sides. It occurs throughout the state except for the northwestern corner. The Blue Ridge two-lined is very similar in appearance but has a brighter yellow, green or orange base color and may have fewer or no black spots on the dorsum or sides. It occurs along the eastern border of our state.

Photo ©Brad Moon

THREE-LINED SALAMANDER

Eurycea guttolineata

 Family: Plethodontidae

The three-lined salamander is a long (10-18 cm) slender species. It has a yellowish-orange to orange dorsum with a black stripe along the spine and a dark brown or black stripe along either side of the body. The tail has vertical bands that often fuse to form a wavy stripe. Preferred habitat of the three-lined salamander in Tennessee is beneath logs or other cover objects nearby or in flooded forest habitats along the floodplain, shaded seeps, streams, bogs and vernal pools. They occur only in the West Tennessee region and in East Tennessee along the North Carolina border.

Photo ©Stephen G. Tilley

JUNALUSKA SALAMANDER

Eurycea junaluska

 Family: Plethodontidae

This small (7.5 – 10 cm), slender salamander resembles the southern two-lined salamander at first glance. But a shorter tail, longer forelimbs, and no distinct black stripes on the sides, distinguishes this from the southern-lined salamander. The yellowish-orange body is often covered with brown mottling and the sides may have dark blotches or wavy lines that may form a vague line. These salamanders live under large rocks and beneath logs in and around large creeks and streams. It has an extremely small range and is found only in the southern Appalachians along the southern counties bordering Tennessee and North Carolina. This salamander is listed in Tennessee as “In Need of Management.”

Photo ©Terry Hibbitts

LONG-TAILED SALAMANDER

Eurycea longicauda

 Family: Plethodontidae

Long-tailed salamanders are well named as the tail of this salamander makes up more than 60-65 percent of its total length (10-20 cm). Resembling the cave salamander, the long-tailed salamander has a yellowish-orange to yellowish-brown dorsum marked with numerous black spots. The spots sometimes fuse to form irregular lines or discontinuous lines, and often fuse on the tail to form a herringbone pattern. Long-tailed salamanders are primarily associated with limestone and often live beneath rocks and logs close to shaded seepages, springs or streams. It is found throughout the eastern two-thirds of the state.

Photo ©Lisa Powers, Froghaven Farm

CAVE SALAMANDER

Eurycea lucifuga

 Family: Plethodontidae

One of our more colorful salamanders, the cave salamander is found in karst habitat throughout the eastern two-thirds of the state. Bright orange to red, it has irregular black spots on the dorsum. The underside is white to yellowish with no markings. The body is elongated and slender with the prehensile tail making up more than 60 percent of the body length. The head is large and flattened and the eyes bulge out of the head. These salamanders range in size from 10 to 20 cm. Cave salamanders may produce a noxious secretion from the tail if bothered, and when attacked they will coil their body around and tuck their head underneath the base of the tail, then wriggle the tail to distract the predator. Using this common defensive strategy for many species, the cave salamander can regenerate the tail if part of it is broken off.

Photo ©Tom Barr

TENNESSEE CAVE SALAMANDER

Gyrinophilus palleucus

 Family: Plethodontidae

A long-bodied salamander (10 – 23 cm) with a flattened head, slightly upturned snout and 3 large red feathery gills, the Tennessee cave salamander is one of our most unique species. These salamanders spend their entire life in a “neotenic” or larval form and even reproduce in this form. In 1995, the Tennessee cave salamander, Gyrinophilus palleucus, was designated by the Tennessee legislature as our state amphibian. Living exclusively within a few cave systems, this unique salamander is listed in Tennessee as “Threatened.” The range for this salamander is very restricted; it is found only in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. The Tennessee cave salamander lives in limestone cave systems containing streams in central and eastern Tennessee.

Photo ©Brad Moon

SPRING SALAMANDER

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus

 Family: Plethodontidae

A large (11-21 cm), stout-bodied salamander, the body color ranges from salmon to pinkish-orange with small dark spots or flecks. A light line extends from the eye along a raised ridge to the snout and may be shadowed by a faint gray to black line beneath it. These salamanders are very predatory and often feed upon other salamanders, even their own kind; they also feed upon many invertebrates. Spring salamanders prefer seeps, springs, fish-less headwaters, caves and cave streams. They are found primarily in the eastern half of the state, although there has been one reported from West Tennessee.

Photo ©Stephen G. Tilley

MUD SALAMANDER

Pseudotriton montanus

Family: Plethodontidae

A large (7.5-19.5 cm), stout-bodied species, the mud salamander has an orange-brown to bright crimson dorsum with brown or black spots that are often widely scattered. The tail is short and makes up less than 40 percent of the total length of the salamander. Mud salamanders inhabit muddy, mucky areas along swamps, seeps, bogs, springs, floodplain forests and headwater streams. They occur throughout middle and eastern Tennessee.

  Photo ©John White

RED SALAMANDER

Pseudotriton ruber

Family: Plethodontidae

A very beautiful, stout-bodied species, the red salamander ranges from 9.5 - 18 cm in length. It has a short tail and short legs. The dorsum may vary from purplish-brown to bright red and is heavily marked with irregular black spots. The belly is pinkish-red and has scattered black spots. These salamanders are found in a wide variety of habitats ranging from aquatic to terrestrial. It is not unusual to find red salamanders living in old springhouses or in-ground meter boxes. Headwater streams, seepages, and spring-fed bogs serve as breeding sites. This salamander is found throughout Tennessee, except for the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and portions of the Western Highland Rim.

 Photo ©Terry Hibbitts                                                                               Photo ©John White

FOUR-TOED SALAMANDER

Hemidactylium scutatum

 Family: Plethodontidae

This salamander is one of the easiest of species to identify. It is small (5 – 10 cm), has only four toes on the hind legs (most salamanders have 5) and has a distinct constriction at the base of the tail. The belly is stark white mottled with black spots or blotches. The dorsum is a rusty brown; the sides are grayish and often have dark flecks. State-listed as “In Need of Management,” the four-toed salamander lives in moist, wetland habitats. Females lay their eggs within damp moss (sphagnum is most favored), often in communal nests. This salamander is found sporadically throughout the eastern two-thirds of Tennessee.

Photo ©Suzanne Collins, Center for North American Herpetology

TELLICO SALAMANDER

Plethodon aureolus

 Family: Plethodontidae

Once considered sub-species of Plethodon glutinosus, the Tellico salamander is a small (10 - 15.1 cm), grayish-black to black species with numerous brassy flecks on the dorsum. The sides may have a greater concentration of white or yellow spotting, underneath the chin is lighter colored and the tail is round in cross-section. Little is known about the habitat of this species that inhabits both mountainous and lowland forests. This salamander is known only to occur in the southeastern corner of the state in Polk and Monroe counties. It is listed in Tennessee as “In Need of Management.”

Photo ©Suzanne Collins, Center for North American Herpetology

CUMBERLAND PLATEAU SALAMANDER

Plethodon kentucki

 Family: Plethodontidae

The Cumberland Plateau salamander closely resembles the northern slimy salamander, but is slightly smaller ranging from 9.5-17 cm in length, has a lighter chin and throat, and fewer and smaller dorsal spots. The dorsum is black and has small white spots that increase in size on the sides. This is a forest species that hides beneath rocks and logs during the day and comes out to forage among the leaf litter on wet or rainy nights. The Cumberland Plateau salamander is found only along the Tennessee-Kentucky border in the Cumberland Plateau Physiographic Province in Tennessee. It is listed in Tennessee as “In Need of Management.”

                                                                                          Photo ©Lisa Powers, Froghaven Farm                                                                                                          Photo ©Lisa Powers, Froghaven Farm

NORTHERN ZIGZAG SALAMANDER

Plethodon dorsalis

 Family: Plethodontidae

Not pictured

SOUTHERN ZIGZAG SALAMANDER

Plethodon ventralis

 Family: Plethodontidae

The northern zigzag salamander is one of our most abundant species and is found throughout the eastern two-thirds of the state. The similar looking, closely related southern zigzag salamander has a very small range along the eastern border of Tennessee. But as these two were just recently separated into two species, more research needs to be conducted to determine the true range of the southern zigzag salamander. Both of these salamanders are relatively small (6 – 11 cm) and exist in two color morphs (phases). They may be a uniform brownish-gray color (lead morph) or a dark base color with an orange or red zigzag pattern (striped morph) extending down the back that straightens out when it reaches the base of the tail. Both color morphs may have light metallic flecks on the back and sides; the belly is mottled with tiny black, white and orange speckles. These salamanders prefer moist forested slopes, caves and rocky hillsides. Females use underground retreats in which to lay and brood their eggs.

The eastern and southern red-backed salamanders are two closely related, similar looking salamander species. Once considered the same species, they were recently separated into two species based upon biochemical analysis. They are both small, slender salamanders; the eastern red-backed salamander ranges from 6.5 – 12.5 cm, while the southern red-backed salamander is slightly smaller ranging from 6.5 – 10.5 cm. Both species occur in two color morphs (phases), striped and lead-backed. The striped morph, has an orangish-red, red or more rarely tan, broad stripe that begins at the head and extends onto the tail. The body color is brown to dark brown and the underside is mottled with black and white. The lead-backed morph has no stripe on the back and is uniform in color. These salamanders live in the leaf litter of deciduous, northern conifer and mixed deciduous-conifer forests. The eastern red-backed salamander is restricted to the northeastern corner of the state; the southern red-backed salamander is found only in the southeastern corner of the state along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

These salamanders are well named, for the defensive skin secretions of the tail can be quite slimy, sticky and difficult to remove. These large salamanders (11.5 – 20.5 cm) are dark-bodied with varying degrees of white, gold or yellow spots. These woodland salamanders are often found beneath logs and rocks. Male slimy salamanders are very territorial and will aggressively defend their territory from other male slimy salamanders as well as competing species. These salamanders were considered one species until recently and may best be told apart by the geographical range or biochemical analysis. The white-spotted slimy salamander is found only in the northeastern corner of Tennessee; the northern slimy salamander is found throughout the eastern two-thirds of the state; and the Mississippi slimy salamander is found in the western part of the state, west of the Tennessee River.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        
For many years these three species were considered different races of the same species. But recent biochemical analysis has shown that they are closely related but separate species. All three species are found along the eastern border of Tennessee within the southern Appalachians. Jordan’s salamander is found exclusively within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; the red-legged salamander is found in the very southeastern corner of the state; and the northern gray-cheeked is found in a few counties in northeastern Tennessee. All three are slate gray to purplish-black in color and long-bodied (9 - 18 cm long). The northern gray-cheeked salamander has no distinguishing colors; Jordan’s salamander has yellow to red cheek patches; the red-legged salamander has a splash of bright orange to red on the upper side of the legs; however, Tennessee populations lack the orange or red on the legs. This species prefers elevations above 600 meters in cool, moist, forested, mountainous habitats; in the southernmost portion of their range, they may also be found within deep, moist gorges. They may be found beneath logs, rocks and debris during the day and come out at night to forage on the forest floor.

Photo ©John White

SOUTHERN RAVINE SALAMANDER

Plethodon richmondi

 Family: Plethodontidae

A long-bodied salamander (7.5-14.5 cm), the southern ravine salamander has very short legs and a tail that makes up over 50% of its body length. The dorsum is dark brown to black above with a fine mottling of silvery-white to brassy flecks. The underbelly is plain and dark, however there is often light flecking beneath the throat. This salamander lives in ravines and on rocky hillsides. The southern ravine salamander is found in the northeastern corner of Tennessee along the Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina borders.

not pictured

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN SALAMANDER

Plethodon teyahalee

 Family: Plethodontidae

Closely related to Plethodon glutinosus, the Southern Appalachian salamander ranges from 12 to 20 cm in length. It has a black to dark bluish-black dorsum with very small white spotting on the dorsum that decreases greatly in occurrence on the sides. The preferred habitat for this species is forested mountain valleys. The Southern Appalachian salamander is found in Tennessee along the eastern border of North Carolina.

Photo ©Henk Wallays

WEHRLE’S SALAMANDER

Plethodon wehrlei

 Family: Plethodontidae

Wehrle’s salamanders are a large (10-17 cm) species of Plethodontid salamander. They have a dorsum of dark brown to black and the sides have a heavy mottling of bluish-white to yellow spots that may fuse to form larger splotches or bands. The toes on the hind-feet of Wehrle’s salamanders are strongly webbed. This salamander occurs only on hilly forested slopes and mountainous terrain and is strongly associated with spruce-yellow birch and mixed deciduous forested habitats. Wehrle’s salamander is on the Tennessee “In need of Management” list and is found only in the northeastern corner of the state near the Kentucky border.

Photo ©Terry Hibbitts

WELLER’S SALAMANDER

Plethodon welleri

 Family: Plethodontidae

Plethodon welleri, Weller’s salamander, is a small species (6.4-9.2 cm) that is found only in the high elevations of northeastern Tennessee. It has a black dorsum with large brassy to coppery striations or blotches that give it a metallic-look. The underbelly is dark with fine light mottling. This salamander has a strong association with the spruce-fir forests of the southern Appalachians. It is currently listed in Tennessee as “In Need of Management.”

Photo ©Terry Hibbitts

YONAHLOSSEE SALAMANDER

Plethodon yonahlossee

 Family: Plethodontidae

A strikingly handsome and majestic salamander, the Yonahlossee salamander ranges from 11.5-18 cm in length. The dorsum is black and covered with large patches of chestnut pigment, in mature animals the patches may fuse into a single large blanket that covers from the neck to the base of the tail. The sides of the body, head and tail have gray to silvery-white blotches that often fuse to form a line from the head to the end of the tail. The top of the head, legs and tail are black with small amounts of white to gray flecking. Yonahlossee salamanders produce a slimy secretion from the tail to help discourage predators. This salamander lives in deciduous forests on rocky, moist slopes that are often carpeted with ferns and mosses. They emerge from their burrows at night to actively search for invertebrate prey. The Yonahlossee salamander occurs in the northeastern corner of the state along the Virginia and North Carolina borders.