Northern slimy salamander

Northern slimy salamander
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Plethodontidae
Subfamily:	Plethodontinae
Genus:	Plethodon
Species:	P. glutinosus
Binomial name
	Plethodon glutinosus; (Green, 1818)
Synonyms
	Salamandra glutinosa; Green, 1818; Cylindrosoma glutinosum; — A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & ; A.H.A. Duméril, 1854; Plethodon variolosum; A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & ; A.H.A. Duméril, 1854; Salamandra elongata; A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & ; A.H.A. Duméril, 1854; Salamandra melanoleuca; Wied-Neuwied, 1865; Amblystoma melanoleuca; — Boulenger, 1882;

The northern slimy salamander (Plethodon glutinosus) is a species of terrestrial plethodontid salamander found throughout much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States.

Geographic range[]

P. glutinosus is found from New York, west to Illinois, south to Mississippi, and east to Alabama, with isolated populations in southern New Hampshire and northwestern Connecticut.^[2]

Common names[]

The northern slimy salamander is called so due to the slimy texture of its skin. It is also sometimes referred to as the viscid salamander, grey-spotted salamander, slippery salamander, or sticky salamander, depending on which source is consulted.^[3]

Taxonomy[]

P. glutinosus is one of 57 species in the genus Plethodon and was one of the first of its cogeners to be described. Due to its large geographic range, some taxonomic researchers have suggested splitting P. glutinosus into several distinct species, but this is not widely accepted.^{[citation needed]}

Description[]

The northern slimy salamander is typically an overall black in color, with numerous silvery spots or gold spots across its back. It is usually 12–17 cm (4.7–6.7 in) in total length (including tail), but can grow to 20.6 cm (8.1 in).^[4] Males are not easily distinguished from females, though females tend to be slightly larger.^{[citation needed]} It has 15-17 costal grooves.^{[citation needed]}

A northern slimy salamander in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Behavior[]

All plethodontid salamanders are territorial, and fight aggressively for territory. Their preferred habitat is in moist soil or leaf litter beneath stones, rotting logs, or other debris near a permanent water source. They sometimes make use of other animals' burrows. Their diet consists primarily of ants, beetles, sow bugs, and earthworms, but they will consume most kinds of insect.^{[citation needed]}

Reproduction[]

Breeding of P. glutinosus takes place in the spring, and courtship consists of the males performing a sort of dance to attract the females' attention. Females lay clutches of four to 12 eggs in a moist area, which she guards, often neglecting food for the period until they hatch. Hatchlings emerge from the eggs in about three months, having no aquatic stage, like many other salamander species. They instead develop directly into their entirely terrestrial adult form. Maturity is not reached for two to three years.^{[citation needed]}

References[]

^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2014). "Plethodon glutinosus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T59340A56365349. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T59340A56365349.en.
^ Powell, Robert; Conant, Roger; Collins, Joseph T. (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 207 figures, 47 plates. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Plethodon glutinosus, pp. 82-84 + Plate 6).
^ "Amphibian Species of the World 6.0". AMNH. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
^ Conant, Roger (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Plethodon glutinosus, pp. 276-277 + Plate 41 + Map 230).