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Home »» Salamanders & Newts »» Plethodontidae (Lungless Salamanders) »» Big Levels Salamander (Plethodon sherando)


Big Levels Salamander (Plethodon sherando)STATUS





Description: The Big Levels salamander is a small salamander of the genus Plethodon within the Plethodon cinereus group (the red-backed salamander and closely related species). Physically, it is most similar to P. cinereus and P. serratus, which have gray and white (sometimes yellow) coloring on the underside of the body. Plethodon sherando has a greater amount of white pigmentation than gray. The back is red and gray, sometimes with stripes or spots. The legs are longer and the head slightly wider in P. sherando compared to P. cinereus.

The holotype is an adult male which measured 3.7 inches in total length and 1.7 inches from snout to vent.


Habitat: Its habitats include temperate forests and rocky areas. At the edge of its range, it was found to co-occur with Plethodon cinereus at lower elevations, but was the only species of small Plethodon at higher elevations. In a study published in 2016, P. sherando and P. cinereus occupied significantly different microhabitats, with P. sherando in habitats with warmer air temperature but cooler substrate temperatures and P. cinereus in habitats with higher relative humidity and cooler air temperatures.


Range: Plethodon sherando has a very small range only within a tiny portion of the central Blue Ridge Mountains in Augusta County, Virginia.


Found in these States: VA


Diet: Small invertebrates are most likely its primary prey.


Reproduction: Mating occurs between November and March. Females lay 1 to 14 eggs in the late spring and remain with the clutch until they hatch in August or September


Status: Listed as Vulnerable because it is known from fewer than five locations.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Amphibia - (Amphibians)
         »» Order: Caudata - Salamanders
               »» Family: Plethodontidae - Lungless Salamanders
                 »» Subfamily: Plethodontinae
                   »» Genus: Plethodon
                     »» Species: Plethodon sherando - Big Levels Salamander

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Big Levels 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.

 

 

 

 


Recommended Books at Amazon.com


Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California     Peterson Field Guide To Western Reptiles & Amphibians     Amphibian     Salamanders of the United States and Canada



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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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