| Desmognathus | |
|---|---|
![]()  | |
| Ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) | |
| Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Kingdom: | Animalia | 
| Phylum: | Chordata | 
| Class: | Amphibia | 
| Order: | Urodela | 
| Family: | Plethodontidae | 
| Subfamily: | Plethodontinae | 
| Genus: | Desmognathus Baird, 1850  | 
| Species | |
| 
 See table.  | |
Desmognathus is a genus of lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae known as dusky salamanders.[1][2] They range throughout the eastern United States as far west as Texas, and north to southeastern Canada.[1]
Characteristics
Species of the genus Desmognathus have a unique jaw-opening mechanism where the lower jaw is stationary and the skull swings open.[3] There are additional stalked condyles, an atlanto-mandibular ligament, along with other skeletal and musculature features that have evolved to accompany this type of jaw-opening mechanism.[3] Additionally, they are known to exhibit maternal care by brooding over their eggs.[3]

An unidentified Desmognathus species as seen in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN.
Species
This genus includes the following 39-40 species:[1]
| Binomial Name and Author | Common Name | 
|---|---|
| Desmognathus abditus  Anderson & Tilley, 2003  | Cumberland dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus adatsihi Pyron and Beamer, 2022  | Cherokee mountain dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus aeneus  Brown & Bishop, 1947  | Seepage salamander | 
| Desmognathus amphileucus  Bishop, 1941  | Nantahala blackbelly salamander | 
| Desmognathus anicetus  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Foothills dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus apalachicolae  Means & Karlin, 1989  | Apalachicola dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus auriculatus  (Holbrook, 1838)  | Holbrook's southern dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus bairdi  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Piedmont dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus balsameus  Pyron and Beamer, 2022  | 
Great Balsams mountain dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus brimleyorum  Stejneger, 1895  | Ouachita dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus campi  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Savannah dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus carolinensis  Dunn, 1916  | Carolina mountain dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus catahoula  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Catahoula spotted dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus cheaha  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Talladega seal salamander | 
| Desmognathus conanti  Rossman, 1958  | Spotted dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus folkertsi  Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002  | Dwarf blackbelly salamander | 
| Desmognathus fuscus  (Rafinesque, 1820)  | Northern dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus gvnigeusgwotli   Pyron and Beamer, 2022  | Cherokee blackbelly salamander | 
| Desmognathus imitator  Dunn, 1927  | Imitator salamander | 
| Desmognathus kanawha  Pyron and Beamer, 2022  | Kanawha blackbelly salamander | 
| Desmognathus lycos  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Wolf dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus marmoratus  (Moore, 1899)  | Shovelnose salamander | 
| Desmognathus mavrokoilius  Pyron and Beamer, 2022  | Pisgah blackbelly salamander | 
| Desmognathus monticola  Dunn, 1916  | Seal salamander | 
| Desmognathus ochrophaeus  Cope, 1859  | Allegheny mountain dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus ocoee  Nicholls, 1949  | Ocoee dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus orestes  Tilley & Mahoney, 1996  | Blue Ridge dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus organi  Crespi & Browne, 2010  | Northern pygmy salamander | 
| Desmognathus pascagoula  Pyron, O'Connell, Lamb, and Beamer, 2022  | Pascagoula dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus planiceps  Newman, 1955  | Flat-headed salamander | 
| Desmognathus quadramaculatus  (Holbrook, 1840)  | Blackbelly salamander (defunct) | 
| Desmognathus santeetlah  Tilley, 1981  | Santeetlah dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus tilleyi  Pyron and Beamer, 2023  | 
Max Patch dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus valentinei  Means, Lamb, and Bernardo, 2017  | Valentine's southern dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus valtos  Pyron and Beamer, 2022  | Carolina swamp dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus welteri  Barbour, 1950  | Black Mountain dusky salamander | 
| Desmognathus wrighti  King, 1936  | Pygmy salamander | 
References
- 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Desmognathus Baird, 1850". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
 - ↑ "Plethodontidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
 - 1 2 3 Vitt, Laurie J.; Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-386919-7.
 
External links
- Tree of Life: Desmognathus
 - "Desmognathus ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 May 2006.
 
Further reading
- Baird SF. 1850. Revision of the North American Tailed-Batrachia, with descriptions of new genera and species. J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Series 2, 1: 281–294. (Desmognathus, new genus, p. 282).
 
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