New County Records and Other Data Since 1996

Desmognathus fuscus (Rafinesque) - Dusky Salamander

Since publication of Atlas of Amphibians in Tennessee (Redmond, W. H. and A. F. Scott. 1996. The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. 94 pp.), several applicable taxonomic and nomenclatural changes and numerous reports of new county records have appeared in the literature. Comments, accompanied by cited references, on the taxonomic and nomenclatural changes plus bibliographical information on new county records as they pertain to D. fuscus follow:

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Changes

The subspecies D. f. conanti, originally described from western Tennessee and western Kentucky by Rossman (1958), was elevated by Titus and Larson (1996) to full species status, while treating D. fuscus as a monotypic species.

 References Cited

Rossman, D. A. 1958.  A race of Desmognathus from the southcentral United States.  Herpetologica 14:158-160.

Titus, T. A. and A. Larson. 1996.  Molecular phylogenetics of desmognathine salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae): A reevaluation of evolution in ecology, life history, and morphology.  Syst. Biol. 45:451-472.

New County Records

Union County 

Thurman, W. M., J. R. Ennen, and J. M. Davenport.  2006.  Geographic distribution.  Desmognathus fuscus fuscus.  Herpetol. Rev. 37:482.

Warren County

Niemiller, M.L., B.M. Glorioso, G.R. Wyckoff, III, and J.K. Spiess.  2007.  New county records for amphibians in Middle Tennessee.  Herpetol. Rev. 38:234.