Southern red-backed salamander

Plethodon serratus

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 red-backed salamander, ''Plethodon cinereus''.
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. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/75041/southern_red-backed_salamander_plethodon_serratus.html Geotagged,Plethodon serratus,Southern red-backed salamander,United States,Winter

Appearance

The southern red-backed salamander is typically gray or black in color, with a red-brown, fading stripe across the width of its back. It grows from 8 to 11 cm in length.
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. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/75042/southern_red-backed_salamander_plethodon_serratus.html Geotagged,Plethodon serratus,Southern red-backed salamander,United States,Winter

Behavior

Mostly nocturnal, it is often found under ground debris in moist, forested areas. In dry seasons, it moves closer to permanent water sources. Its primary diet is small arthropods and mollusks.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilyPlethodontidae
GenusPlethodon
SpeciesP. serratus
Photographed in
United States of America