Plethodon shermani

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	CAUDATA	PLETHODONTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Plethodon shermani

Species Authority:

Stejneger, 1906

Common Name/s:

English

–

Red-legged Salamander

Taxonomic Notes:

This species was recently separated from Plethodon jordani (Highton and Peabody 2000).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Geoffrey Hammerson, David Beamer
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Vulnerable because it is known from fewer than five locations.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species can be found in Standing Indian, Wayah, Tusquitee, and Unicoi isolates of the Plethodon jordani complex, North Carolina and Tennessee, USA; it has an elevational range of at least 853-1,494m asl (Highton and Peabody 2000).
Countries:	Native: United States
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This species can be very common in portions of its range. It is probably stable at present.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It can be found in mesic forest, often under leaf-litter, logs, or mossy rocks. It is at least somewhat tolerant of disturbance, because it is common in second growth forests that were at one time uprooted by wild pigs (Bishop 1928). It is a terrestrial breeder with direct development.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Clear cutting strongly depletes local populations of other members of the Plethodon jordani complex (Petranka, Eldridge and Haley 1993); the time required for recovery is debatable, but is at least on the order of a few decades (Ash 1997, Petranka 1999, Ash and Pollock 1999).

Major Threat(s):

Clear cutting strongly depletes local populations of other members of the Plethodon jordani complex (Petranka, Eldridge and Haley 1993); the time required for recovery is debatable, but is at least on the order of a few decades (Ash 1997, Petranka 1999, Ash and Pollock 1999).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Much of the range occurs in the Nantahala National Forest, although some clear cutting occurs there. Conservation activities that promote mature closed-canopy forests should benefit this species. The species does not appear on any state or federal list of endangered species.

Conservation Actions:

Much of the range occurs in the Nantahala National Forest, although some clear cutting occurs there. Conservation activities that promote mature closed-canopy forests should benefit this species. The species does not appear on any state or federal list of endangered species.

Citation:	Geoffrey Hammerson, David Beamer 2004. Plethodon shermani. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 May 2013.
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