Southern Redback Salamander

Plethodon serratus

Southern Redback Salamander

SRSA

Status

The Southern Redback Salamander is common throughout its range.

Description

Plethodon serratus is a small (8–12.5 cm), slender, dark gray to almost black salamander. It usually has a light reddish dorsal stripe which extends almost to the tip of the tail. Some individuals are unstriped—the so-called “leadback” phase. The lower sides and venter are mottled with light and dark pigments giving it a salt-and-pepper effect. This cryptic species was once classified as Plethodon cinereus polycentratus, a subspecies of the Redback Salamander.

Distribution

The Southern Redback Salamander has a patchy distribution. It occurs in the southern Appalachian Mountains along the Tennessee-North Carolina border and south in northwest Georgia and extreme east-central Alabama. There are also populations in central Louisiana, west-central Arkansas and extreme eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Missouri.

Habitat

This salamander inhabits mesic forests, where it seeks shelter under logs, rocks, and leaf litter (Mount 1975). It prefers cool temperatures, being active at the surface in winter and early spring then moving to deeper retreats during the hot summer months.

Special Requirements

This salamander requires moist forests with plenty of surface shelter in the form of logs, rocks and leaf litter.

Breeding Habits

The Southern Redback Salamander has direct development. The female deposits 8–10 eggs within a log, stump, or under rocks or in leaf litter during the summer months. The female will attend the nest until the eggs hatch.

Food Habits

The diet consists of small invertebrates, primarily insects, mites, and mollusks.

Management Suggestions

Since this salamander is active near the surface during winter and early spring, site preparation during this time would be detrimental. The Southern Redback Salamander requires a moist microhabitat. Forestry practices which open up the canopy or remove leaf litter and fallen logs would be detrimental to this salamander.

Additional References

Highton 1986; Martof and others 1980.