Southern Appalachian salamander
{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Plethodon teyahalee.jpg
| image_caption =
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Plethodon
| species = teyahalee
| authority = Highton, 1983
| synonyms = Plethodon oconaluftee Hairston, 1993
}}
The southern Appalachian salamander (Plethodon teyahalee) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. This species also belongs in the Plethodon Glutinosus complex, which is also known as the group of Lungless Slimy Salamanders in the Eastern United States.{{cite web |last1=Chatfield |first1=Matthew Williams Howard |title=Evolutionary Dynamics Among Salamanders in the Plethodon glutinosus Group, with an Emphasis on Three Species: P. jordani, P. metcalfi, and P. teyahalee (Caudata: Plethodontidae)." |url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=MwELqCcAAAAJ&authuser=2&citation_for_view=MwELqCcAAAAJ:eQOLeE2rZwMC |website=deepblue Library |publisher=University of Michigan}}
Description
The Southern Appalachian Salamander, P. teyahalee, is a large black salamander with very small dorsal white spots and larger lateral white spots. Females also tend to be larger than males, which assists them in carrying eggs. The belly of this species is usually a slate gray, and the chin is usually a lighter coloration than the belly. They can reach sizes between 7 to 17 cm (4.75 in to 6.75 in). They have about 16 costal grooves on their lateral side. {{cite web |last1=Highton |first1=Richard |title=Plethodon teyahalee |url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/c7a5ed2a-7b21-4b7a-a59f-e1f188f71635/content |website=Texas ScholarWorks |publisher=Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)}}
Distribution
P. teyahalee is endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States, where it is found in small portions of North Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, west of the French Broad River in western North Carolina, and smaller areas of eastern Tennessee, including parts of the Great Smoky Mountains.{{Cite web |title=Amphibian Checklist - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/amphibian-checklist.htm |website=National Park Service}}{{cite web |last1=Ricks |first1=Carter |title=The Roles of Aggression and Water Loss in the Elevational Distribution of Cheoah Bald Salamanders ( Plethodon cheoah ) and Southern Appalachian Salamanders ( Plethodon teyahalee ) - ProQuest |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3100429656?sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses |website=www.proquest.com |publisher=ProQuest |language=en}} The salamander's altitudinal range extends to 1,550 m. Its natural habitat is temperate Appalachian forests.File:Southern Appalachian salamander.jpg
Habitat Association
P. teyahalee is found at low elevations in moist deciduous forests and woodlands. They tend to stay at these elevations because species at higher elevations are more aggressive and push them down the mountains, preventing them from taking over.
As generalists, they can thrive in a variety of environments with differing moisture and temperature levels. This adaptability, along with their resilience to threats like logging and habitat disturbances, helps them survive in changing conditions. They forage and reproduce on the forest floor before seeking refuge in moist microhabitats, cover objects, or retreat holes once dehydration starts. Individuals in their endemic areas had multiple retreat holes, unlike other species.
This suggests that P. teyahalee may live in drier areas, requiring more frequent escapes to prevent drying out.{{cite web |last1=Nishikawa |first1=Kiisa C. |title=Intraspecific Spatial Relationships of Two Species of Terrestrial Salamanders |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1446347?seq=1 |website=JSTOR |publisher=Copeia |pages=418–426 |doi=10.2307/1446347 |date=1990}}
Reproduction
P. teyahalee repopulates with other individuals around their respective elevations. They also participate in hybridization at different elevations, a behavior studied in Plethodon species since Hairston and Highton’s work over 50 years ago. Hybridization occurs when two different species produce offspring with traits from both parents. P. teyahalee often hybridizes with high-elevation species like the Red-Legged Salamander, P. shermani, and Cheoah Bald Salamanders, P. cheoah. An example would be where the red legs from P. shermani pass over, as well as the white spots from P. teyahalee onto the offspring.{{cite web |last1=Weisrock |first1=D. W. |last2=Kozak |first2=K. H. |last3=Larson |first3=A. |title=Phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial gene flow and introgression in the salamander, Plethodon shermani |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02524.x?casa_token=MV6wrUW9roMAAAAA%3Ak_VhROyySm9Dt27RWwa_nRkdyou4DNSRjN_FthQEEU-KdmORux6mW92__qyNOBsqDmQhXjikEDgP-w |website=Molecular Ecology |publisher=Wiley |pages=1457–1472 |language=en |doi=10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02524.x |date=2005}}
References
{{Commons|position=left|Plethodon teyahalee}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1594282}}
Category:Ecology of the Appalachian Mountains
Category:Endemic amphibians of the United States
Salamander, Southern Appalachian
Category:Natural history of the Great Smoky Mountains
Category:Natural history of South Carolina
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Category:Amphibians described in 1983
{{Plethodontidae-stub}}