Description: The ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) is a small mountain dusky salamander that exhibits a wide range of colors and patterns. The species got its name from the Tennessee state wildflower and symbol Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), which is termed “ocoee” in the Cherokee tribe. The Ocoee River and the Ocoee salamander were thus named after the Cherokee word for passionflower. Some individuals have distinct red, yellow, or orange patches on their legs and cheeks. Populations in central Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeastern Alabama usually have a dark brown or black color, and faded larval spots. Compared to other Desmognathus species, Desmognathus ocoee have smaller bodies (around 7–11 cm), shorter and narrower heads, longer limbs, and no vomerine teeth in adult males. Juveniles have pairs of alternating pale spots on their middorsal line. As they move on to adulthood, these spots might fuse.
Habitat: It is found close to fast flowing mountain streams, in seepage areas, on moist forest floors and on wet rocks. In cove valleys in the Appalachian Mountains it prefers hardwood forests with trees that are more than eighty-five years old.
Range: The ocoee salamander is found in two separate populations. The more numerous is in the Blue Ridge Mountains and at lower levels in the gorges of the rivers Hiwassee, Ocoee, Tugaloo and Tallulah. The less numerous population is in the Appalachian Plateau in northeastern Alabama. It is found over a greater range of altitudes than other members of the genus Desmognathus. At lower levels it is an aquatic species but at higher altitudes it is mostly terrestrial.
Diet: The Ocoee salamanders feed on insects and other small invertebrates. Potential prey species include flies, ants, wasps, beetles, spiders, mites.
Reproduction: Oviposition occurs from June to September on land, after which the female tends her clutch of 9 to 32 eggs for 6 to 8 weeks. Clutch sizes can vary from female to female, and is closely related to the body size of the female. During oviposition, females tend to deposit their eggs in cavities under rocks, moss, decaying logs, leaf litter, springs, and behind vegetation or in other crevices. It is important to pick a spot with just enough moisture to avoid the desiccation and loss of eggs.
After oviposition, maternal care for the clutch lasts for about 3 months, and ends after the eggs hatch into larvae. Maternal care during brooding includes defense against predators, removal of dead eggs, reduction of egg desiccation and fungal infections, and helping the hatchlings with cracking open their shells. If left unguarded, the eggs are in danger of being eaten by surrounding salamanders. Males do not provide resources to either the female or the offspring.
Oophagy seems to be a normal behavior in brooding females, but is usually suppressed. In the case of limited foraging availability, disturbed or starved females may choose to eat their own eggs. This may also be done if the egg is dead—the female will eat the dead egg in order to remove it from the clutch before it infects other eggs around it. Fungal infections from dead eggs (if not removed in time) will usually lead to the embryos in viable eggs being smothered and killed.
Larvae are smaller than in other subspecies, reaching around 8–10 mm at hatching. Upon hatching, D. ocoee larvae have short and silvery external gills, and they often have distinctive larval spots that other species do not have. The tails of the larvae are keeled and they narrow to a knife edge along the dorsal surface. Once out of the egg, the larvae quickly disperse to a nearby water source. During their development, they are found in shallow waters or in thin films of water, they feed on small aquatic invertebrates. In captivity, they can also eat worms. Usually, the larvae metamorphose into their adult form in the following few weeks, the time depending on the availability of food, other resources in the environment, and the temperature.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution and presumed large population.
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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