Description: The seepage salamander is a very small and slender salamander, ranging from 1.75 to 2.25 inches. The adults possess vomerine teeth. The tail is terete and rounded. The seepage salamander has a pale dorsal stripe, with a wide, wavy to almost straight shape, and ranging in color from yellow or tan to reddish brown. The stripe is sometimes flecked with a darker pigment. A mid-dorsal, dark line is also seen and is continuous with a Y-shaped mark on the head. There is a dark brown band on the sides, fading towards the belly. The underbelly is pale and is mottled with brown and white, but it may also be plain, with no other coloration.

The seepage salamander is easily confused with the Pygmy Salamander (Desmognathus wrighti). These two species overlap in a small area of southern North Carolina. D. wrighti and D. aeneus are the smallest species in the genus Desmognathus and are the only terrestrial direct-developers, lacking a free-swimming larval stage. They both have vomerine teeth, and similar tail length to total body length ratios; however, they have different patterns and coloration. Seepage salamanders have a smoother top of the head. The mental glands are also shaped differently in the males. The pygmy salamander has a large, U-shaped mental gland while the seepage salamander's is small and kidney shaped.

Habitat: Seepage salamanders get their name from the seepages where they are often found. However, they are also found near streams and under leaf litter, leaf mold, and rotten logs. They are a terrestrial species.

Range: Seepage salamanders are distributed in southeast Tennessee, southwest North Carolina, northern Georgia, and central to northern Alabama. They are found in Monroe and Polk counties in Tennessee; Fannin, Pickens, Towns, and Union counties in Georgia; Oconee County in South Carolina; and Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon, and Swain counties in North Carolina. In Alabama, they can be found in Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Tallapoosa counties. They also might be found in Cherokee, Chilton, Etowah, Hale, and Tuscaloosa counties in Alabama, but may be extirpated from these locales.

Populations have a disjunct distribution and are highly localized. There is an isolated colony in western Alabama, and one in northeastern Georgia. Populations are found at elevations ranging from 700–4,500 feet. However, in the colony in northeastern Georgia they can be found as low as 100 feet.

Found in these States: AL | GA | NC | TN

Diet: The food sources consists mainly of arthropods, especially insect larvae and springtails.[12] Mites, spiders, earthworms, crustaceans, nematodes, myriapods, and snails have also been found to be eaten by seepage salamanders.

Reproduction: The seepage salamander is terrestrial and develop directly into juveniles, skipping the aquatic, larval stage. The length of time between fertilization and hatching is 68 to 75 days. When eggs hatch, the juveniles clearly resemble the adults.

Oviposition occurs in April and May, with all eggs ready for deposition by the female being laid. The eggs hatch in the late spring and summer. There have been some discrepancies about how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. Both males and females reach sexual maturation after two years. Eggs hatch in 43 to 45 days, but may take up to 68 to 75 days. This may be due to different incubation temperatures, but the difference has not been fully explored.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large and relatively stable population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Taxonomy: