THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Amphibia    Caudata    Plethodontidae  

Spotted Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus conanti Rossman, 1958

Current SSAR Comments:
Populations in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province of eastern Tennessee have a complex history of hybridization with nearby species (see Tilley et al., 2013, Ecology and Evolution 3: 2547–2567; Pyron et al., 2022, Ecology and Evolution 12: e8574).

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.08.31.16.01.07)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.39 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Brown Triton (Desmognathus fusca: Beyer, George. 1900. Louisana herpetology. Proceedings of the Louisiana Society of Naturalists 1897-1899():24-46);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Pertinent LIterature:
1958 Rossman, Douglas A. A new race of Desmognathus fuscus from the South-central United States. Herpetologica 14():158-160
1979 Nickerson, Max A., Gary J. Jesmok, and Joseph G. Baier. A serological investigation of three western populations of Dusky Salamanders, genus Desmognathus, with comments on the establishment of the population on Crowley's Ridge. Contributions in Biology and Geology (24):7
2013 Tilley, Steven G., Joseph Bernardo, Laura. A. Katz, Lizmarie López, J. Devon Roll, Renee L. Eriksen, Justin D. Kratovil, Noelle K. J. Bittner, and Keith A. Crandall. Failed species, innominate forms, and the vain search for species limits: Cryptic diversity in dusky salamanders (Desmognathus) of eastern Tennessee. Ecology and Evolution 3(8):2547–2567
2022 Pyron, R. Alexander, K. A. O'Connell, Emily M. Lemmon, Alan R. Lemmon, and David A. Beamer. Candidate-species delimitation in Desmognathus salamanders reveals gene flow across lineage boundaries, confounding phylogenetic estimation and clarifying hybrid zones. Ecology and Evolution 12(2: e8574):1–38

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:19 CT