Red-backed salamander

Red-backed salamander
"Redback" phase
"Leadback" phase
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Plethodon
Species:
P. cinereus
Binomial name
Plethodon cinereus
(Green, 1818)
Range of P. cinereus
Synonyms[2]
  • Salamandra cinerea Green, 1818
  • Plethodon cinereus — Tschudi, 1838

The red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is a small, hardy woodland salamander species in the family Plethodontidae. It is also known as the redback salamander,[3] eastern red-backed salamander,[3] or the northern red-backed salamander to distinguish it from the southern red-backed salamander (Plethodon serratus). The species inhabits wooded slopes in eastern North America, west to Missouri, south to North Carolina, and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime provinces in Canada to Minnesota.[4] It is one of 56 species in the genus Plethodon. Red-backed salamanders are notable for their color polymorphism and primarily display two color morph varieties ("red-backed" and "lead-backed"), which differ in physiology and anti-predator behavior.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Plethodon cinereus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T59334A193391260. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T59334A193391260.en. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  2. ^ Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Plethodon cinereus, p. 15).
  3. ^ a b Integrated Taxonomic Information System [Internet] 2012. [updated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Nov 26] Available from: www.itis.gov
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ConantCollins1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lotter-1977 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gibbs-2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Venesky and Anthony 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).