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Desmognathus  Baird, 1850
Taxonomic Serial No.: 173632

(Download Help) Desmognathus TSN 173632

 Taxonomy and Nomenclature
       
  Kingdom: Animalia  
  Taxonomic Rank: Genus  
  Synonym(s): Leurognathus Moore, 1899
  
    Geognathus Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2012
  
    Hydrognathus Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2012
  
  Common Name(s): Dusky Salamanders [English]
  
    Seal Salamanders [English]
  
       
  Taxonomic Status:    
  Current Standing: valid  
       
  Data Quality Indicators:    
  Record Credibility Rating: verified - standards met  
  Global Species Completeness: complete   
  Latest Record Review: 2025   
       

 Taxonomic Hierarchy
       
 KingdomAnimalia  – Animal, animaux, animals  
    SubkingdomBilateria  – triploblasts  
       InfrakingdomDeuterostomia   
          PhylumChordata  – cordés, cordado, chordates  
             SubphylumVertebrata  – vertebrado, vertébrés, vertebrates  
                InfraphylumGnathostomata   
                   SuperclassTetrapoda   
                      ClassAmphibia  – amphibiens, anfíbio, Amphibians  
                         OrderCaudata  – salamandres, salamandra, Salamanders  
                            FamilyPlethodontidae Gray, 1850 – Lungless Salamanders  
                               SubfamilyPlethodontinae Gray, 1850 – Plethodontine Salamanders  
                                  GenusDesmognathus Baird, 1850 – Dusky Salamanders, Seal Salamanders  
    Direct Children:  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus abditus Anderson and Tilley, 2003 – Cumberland Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus adatsihi Pyron and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus aeneus Brown and Bishop, 1947 – Seepage Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus amphileucus Bishop, 1941  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus anicetus Pyron and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus apalachicolae Means and Karlin, 1989 – Apalachicola Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus aureatus (Martof, 1956)  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus auriculatus (Holbrook, 1838) – Southern Dusky Salamander, Holbrook's Southern Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus bairdi Pyron and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus balsameus Pyron and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus brimleyorum Stejneger, 1895 – Ouachita Salamander, Ouachita Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus campi Pyron and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus carolinensis Dunn, 1916 – Carolina Mountain Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus catahoula Pyron and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus cheaha Pyron, O'Connell, Duncan, Burbrink and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus conanti Rossman, 1958 – Spotted Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin and Marshall, 2002 – Dwarf Blackbellied Salamander, Dwarf Black-bellied Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus fuscus (Green, 1818) – Dusky Salamander, Northern Dusky Salamander, salamandre sombre du nord 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus gvnigeusgwotli Pyron and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus imitator Dunn, 1927 – Imitator Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus intermedius (Pope, 1928)  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus kanawha Pyron and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus lycos Pyron and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus marmoratus (Moore, 1899) – Shovel-nosed Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus mavrokoilius Pyron and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus monticola Dunn, 1916 – Seal Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus ochrophaeus Cope, 1859 – Mountain Dusky Salamander, salamandre des montagnes, Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus ocoee Nicholls, 1949 – Ocoee Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus orestes Tilley and Mahoney, 1996 – Blue Ridge Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus organi Crespi, Browne and Rissler, 2010 – Northern Pygmy Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus pascagoula Pyron, O'Connell, Lamb and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus perlapsus Neill, 1950  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus planiceps Newman, 1955 – Flat-headed Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus santeetlah Tilley, 1981 – Yellow Dusky Salamander, Santeetlah Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus tilleyi Pyron and Beamer, 2023  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus valentinei Means, Lamb and Bernardo, 2017 – Valentine's Southern Dusky Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus valtos Pyron and Beamer, 2022  
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus welteri Barbour, 1950 – Black Mountain Salamander 
                                     SpeciesDesmognathus wrighti King, 1936 – Pygmy Salamander 
       

 References
       
  Expert(s):    
  Expert: Roy W. McDiarmid   
  Notes: U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center   
  Reference for: Desmognathus    
       
  Other Source(s):    
  Source: Amphibian Species of the World 6.2 2025-09-15, database (version 6.2)  
  Acquired: 2025   
  Notes: Frost, Darrel R. 2025. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.2 (15 September, 2025). lectronic Database accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA   
  Reference for: Desmognathus   
       
  Source: Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference v6, database (version 6.0)  
  Acquired: 2019   
  Notes: Frost, Darrel R. 2019. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6 (12 September, 2019). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA   
  Reference for: Desmognathus   
       
  Source: NODC Taxonomic Code, database (version 8.0)  
  Acquired: 1996   
  Notes:    
  Reference for: Desmognathus   
       
  Publication(s):    
  Author(s)/Editor(s): Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner   
  Publication Date: 1987   
  Article/Chapter Title: Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada   
  Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.: Resource Publication, no. 166   
  Page(s): 79   
  Publisher: United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service   
  Publication Place: Washington, D.C., USA   
  ISBN/ISSN:    
  Notes:    
  Reference for: Desmognathus   
       
  Author(s)/Editor(s): Crother, Brian I., Jeff Boundy, Frank T. Burbrink, et al. / Moriarty, John J., ed.   
  Publication Date: 2008   
  Article/Chapter Title: Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, With Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Sixth Ed.   
  Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.: Herpetological Circular No. 37   
  Page(s): 1-84   
  Publisher: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles   
  Publication Place:    
  ISBN/ISSN: 0-916984-74-5   
  Notes: Available free as a PDF at http://ssarherps.org/pages/HerpCommNames.php   
  Reference for: Desmognathus, Dusky Salamanders [English]   
       
  Author(s)/Editor(s): Crother, Brian I., Ronald M. Bonett, Jeff Boundy, Frank T. Burbrink, et al. / Moriarty, John J., ed.   
  Publication Date: 2017   
  Article/Chapter Title: Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Ed.   
  Journal/Book Name, Vol. No.: Herpetological Circular, no. 43   
  Page(s): 102   
  Publisher:    
  Publication Place:    
  ISBN/ISSN: 978-1-946681-003   
  Notes: Available free as PDF, and as updated database, at https://ssarherps.org/publications/north-american-checklist/   
  Reference for: Dusky Salamanders[English]   
       

 Geographic Information
       
  Geographic Division:    
       
  Jurisdiction/Origin:    
 

 

    

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