Salamanders in Stream Habitats

In the southern Appalachians, salamanders are found in small streams or in the banks of larger streams and rivers; predatory fish probably limit their distribution. Wallace and others (1992, p. 161) describe the salamanders of the southern Appalachians:

The most common stream salamanders belong to the genus Desmognathus (Plethodontidae), but shovel-nosed salamanders (Leurognathus marmoratus) and two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata) are not uncommon in some streams, and other species may occasionally be found especially in spring seeps. Members of the genus Desmognathus range from aquatic to terrestrial. From three to five species are found in most areas of the southern Appalachian Mountains (Hairston 1986). The most common species are D. quadramaculatus, the black-belly salamander; D. monticola, the seal salamander; and D. ochrophaeus, the mountain dusky salamander. Desmognathus quadramaculatus is the largest and the most aquatic of the three, D. ochrophaeus is the smallest and most terrestrial, and D. monticola is intermediate (Hairston 1986). Other species of Desmognathus may occur in streams in part of the area (e.g., Martof and others 1980).

Species descriptions are available for a number of salamanders. A number of salamander species are imperiled, and salamanders are of concern in conservation of aquatic diversity. The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), a very large salamander, is found in large clear streams of the Mississippi drainage (Martof and others 1980).