THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Amphibia    Caudata    Plethodontidae  

Northern Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus fuscus (Green, 1818)

Current SSAR Comments:
Molecular data suggest deep differentiation among populations that morphologically resemble D. fuscus and may represent multiple additional new species (see Pyron et al., 2022, Ecology and Evolution 12: e8574). Pyron and Beamer (2020, Zootaxa 4838: 221–247) showed that Green (1818), rather than Rafinesque (1820), is the correct taxonomic authority for this name, altering long-standing interpretations from previous literature.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.08.31.17.08.34)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.65 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Brown Salamander (Salamandra fusca: Green, Jacob. 1818. Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1():348-359); Black Salamander (Salamandra nigra: Green, Jacob. 1818. Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1():348-359); White-nosed Salamander (Salamandra sinciput-albida: Green, Jacob. 1818. Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1():348-359); Black Ebbet (Triturus fuscus: Rafinesque, Constantine S. 1820. Annals of Nature or Annual Synopsis of New Genera and Species of Animals, Plants, and Discoveries in North America. First Annual Number, for 1820. Thomas Smith, Lexington, Kentucky. 16pp.); White Faced Salamander (Salamandra frontalis: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.); Brown Salamander (Salamandra fusca: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.); Black Salamander (Salamandra nigra: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.); Painted Salamander (Salamandra picta: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.); Painted Salamander (Salamandra picta: Storer, D. H. 1839. Reports on the Ichthyology and Herpetology of Massachusetts. Reports on the Fishes, Reptiles and Birds of Massachusetts. Published Agreeably to an Order of the Legislature, by the Commissioners on the Zoological and Botanical Survey of the State. Dutton and Wentworth, State Printers, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.); Dusky Triton (Triton niger: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Painted Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus: Allen, J. A. 1869. Catalogue of the reptiles and batrachians found in the vicinity of Springfield, Mass., with notices of all the other species known to inhabit the state. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural Hisotry 12(1868-1869):171-204); Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fusca: Jordan, David Starr. 1876. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Jansen, McClurg, and Company, Chicago, Illinois.. 342pp.); Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus: Jordan, David S. 1878. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago. pp.); Black Salamander (Desmognathus nigra: Jordan, David S. 1878. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago. pp.); Brown Triton (Desmognathus fusca fusca: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Black Triton (Desmognathus nigra: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fusca fusca: Davis, N. S., and Frank L. Rice. 1883. List of Batrachia and Reptilia of Illinois. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 1(3):25–32); Brown Triton (Desmognathus fusca: Hay, Oliver P. 1892. Batrachians and Reptiles of the State of Indiana. Pages 409-624 in 17th Annual Report of the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, William B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis, Indiana. pp.); Painted Salamander (Desmognathus fusca: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fusca: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Black Salamander (Desmognathus nigra: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Spring Newt (Desmognathus fusca: Drowne, Frederick P. 1905. The reptiles and batrachians of Rhode Island. Monograph of the Roger Williams Park Museum 15():1-24); Yellow Salamander (Desmognathus fusca: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Brown Newt (Desmognathus fusca: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Black Water Lizard (Desmognathus fusca: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Black Triton (Desmagnathus nigra: Brimley, Clement S. 1915. List of reptiles and amphibians of North Carolina. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 30(4):195-206); Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus fuscus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

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

Pertinent LIterature:
1818 Green, Jacob. Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1():348-359
1981 Karlin, Alvan A., and Sheldon I. Guttman. Hybridization between Desmognathus fuscus and Desmognathus ochrophaeus (Amphibia: Urodela: Plethodontidae) in Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania. Copeia 1981(2):371-377
2020 Pyron, R. Alexander and David A. Beamer. The herpetological legacy of Jacob Green and the nomenclature of some North American lizards and salamanders. Zootaxa 4838(2):221–247
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 01:55 CT