Blue Ridge Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus orestes
Tilley and Mahoney, 1996
DEZ-moh-NAY-thus — oh-RES-teez
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
This taxon consists of two genetically differentiated units that may represent cryptic species (Tilley and Mahoney, 1996, Herpetological Monographs 10: 1–42; Tilley, 1997, Journal of Heredity 88: 305–315; Highton, 2000, pages 215–241 in R. C. Bruce, B. G. Jaeger, and L. D. Houck [Editors], The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York).
(Pyron, R. Alexander, Christopher K. Beachy, David A. Beamer, and Kenneth M. Kozak. 2025. Caudata – Salamanders. Pages 10-21 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.08.20.40.10)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.11 MB
Taxonomic Etymology:
The name is derived from the Greek word ὀρέστης (orestēs), meaning “mountaineer” or “one who dwells in the mountains” and alludes to the species’ montane habitat in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina.
Desmognathus— From Greek desmos (δεσμός), meaning “ligament” or “bond,” and gnathos (γνάθος), meaning “jaw.” The name refers to the distinctive jaw articulation and musculature of these salamanders.
orestes — From Greek orestēs (ὀρέστης), “mountaineer” or “highlander.” The epithetdoes not have a direct intended tie to Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology — at least not according to the original description. Instead, the name was chosen for its literal Greek meaning
First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
Amphibian Species of the World
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1993
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Arnold, Steven J., Nancy L. Reagan, and Paul A. Verrell. Reproductive isolation and speciation in plethodontid salamanders. Herpetologica 49(2):216-228
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1996
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Tilley, S. G., and M. J. Mahoney. Patterns of genetic differentiation in salamanders of the Desmognathus ochrophaeus complex (Amphibia: Plethodontidae). Herpetological Monographs 10:1–42
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1996
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Titus, Tom A. and Allan Larson. Molecular phylogenetics of Desmognathine salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae): A reevaluation of evolution in ecology, life history, and morphology. Systematic Biology 45(4):451-472
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1997
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Tilley, S. G. Patterns of genetic differentiation in Appalachian desmognathine salamanders. Journal of Heredity 88:305–315
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2000
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Highton, Richard. Detecting cryptic species using allozyme data. Pages 215–260 in The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, New York. pp.
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2006
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Kozak, Kenneth H. and John J. Wiens. Does niche conservatism promote speciation? A case study in North American salamanders. Evolution 60(12):2604-2621
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2008
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Tilley, Stephen G., Renee L. Eriksen, and Laura A. Katz. Systematics of dusky salamanders, Desmognathus (Caudata: Plethodontidae), in the mountain and Piedmont regions of Virginia and North Carolina, USA. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 152:115-130
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2010
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Kozak, Kenneth H. and John J. Wiens. Accelerated rates of climatic-niche evolution underlie rapid species diversification. Ecology Letters 13:1378-1389
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