Southern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon serratus)
I spotted this cutie's tail under the bark of a rotting oak (infected by Xanthoporia andersonii). I tried not to bother it too much and returned it to a good location after a few shots.
This species can be differentiated from Plethodon cinereus by the presence of serrations/teeth along the dorsal stripe.
The southern red-backed salamander is a species of salamander native to the United States. It is found in four widely disjunct populations: one in central Louisiana; one in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma; one in central Missouri; and one from southeastern Tennessee, to southwestern North Carolina, western Georgia, and eastern Alabama. It is sometimes referred to as the Georgia red-backed salamander or the Ouachita red-backed salamander. It was once considered a subspecies of the.. more
