Black Mountain Salamander

Desmognathus welteri

Black Mountain Salamander

BMSA

Status

Tennessee lists Desmognathus welteri as a species “in need of management”.

Reasons for Current Status

Few data exist on population levels or population trends. More information is needed on this salamander.

Description

Desmognathus welteri is a stout salamander (8–17 cm). It is pale to medium brown dorsally with a pattern consisting of small dark spots or streaks. The venter is usually stippled with gray or brownish pigment on a pale or white ground color. As with most desmognathine salamanders, the coloration varies greatly.

Distribution

The type locality is Big Black Mountain, Harlan County, Kentucky. The range extends through the southeastern two thirds of Kentucky and adjacent Virginia and Tennessee.

Habitat

The Black Mountain Salamander is found in and around mountain streams with moderate to weak current. Occasionally it is found associated with wet, rocky seeps.

Breeding Habits

This species has a long egg laying season, starting in early March and lasting into the Fall months. Females deposit 2–57 eggs per season and remain with the eggs until they hatch several weeks later.

Food Habits

Desmognathus welteri’s diet consists of worms, arthropods and crustaceans. This species is primarily a nocturnal feeder.

Special Requirements

The Black Mountain Salamander requires silt-free streams with rocky bottoms. They spend most of the daylight hours concealed under rocks.

Management Suggestions

This species requires unpolluted, silt-free streams of small to moderate size. Care should be taken to insure adequate buffers if cutting or road construction is in the vicinity of inhabited streams.

Additional References

Conant and Collins, 1991.