Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon kentucki)
Description: A medium to large sized terrestrial Plethodontid salamander which is similar in appearance and life history to the Northern slimy salamander, which it is sympatric with. The Cumberland plateau salamander was first described in 1951, but the validity of the species was questioned in 1955 until it was validated in 1983. A medium salamander (3.75 to 6.75 inches in length) has a black dorsum with small white spots that increase in size on the sides. The belly is uniformly slate gray transitioning into a lighter chin.
Habitat: Primarily occurs in steep-sloped mature hardwood forests with sandstone or shale underneath; yet can be found in a variety of woodland habitats such as moist ravines, rock crevices, and cave entrances.
Range: Found in the Cumberland plateau in eastern Kentucky, western West Virginia, northern Tennessee and western Virginia, the species is not found east of the Kanawha and New rivers.
Found in these States:
KY |
TN |
VA |
WV
Diet: Range of invertebrates such as mites, flies, spiders, snails, beetles, and ants.
Reproduction: Adults breed during late summer through fall. Females lay 9-12 eggs in underground cavities and remain with them until they hatch. Hatchlings emerge as miniature adults without going through the larval stage.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its relatively wide distribution and presumed large population.
»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
»» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
»» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
»» Class: Amphibia - (Amphibians)
»» Order: Caudata - Salamanders
»» Family: Plethodontidae - Lungless Salamanders
»» Genus: Plethodon
»» Species: Plethodon kentucki - Cumberland Plateau Salamander
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cumberland Plateau Salamander", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.
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