New County Records and Other Data Since 1996

Plethodon dorsalis Cope - Zigzag 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 the Plethodon dorsalis complex follow:

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Changes

A major taxonomic revision of the  P. dorsalis complex by (Highton 1997) recognized each of the three most divergent groups as full species (one newly described).  These included P. dorsalis, P. angusticlavius, and P. ventralis sp. nov. (Southern Zigzag Salamander). Of the three, two (P. dorsalis and P. ventralis) occur in Tennessee, the former across central Tennessee and the latter in eastern Tennessee. Counties in eastern Tennessee listed for P. ventralis in the original description (Highton 1997) included Bledsoe, Blount, Hamblen, Moore, and Washington.

Literature Cited

Highton, R. 1997. Geographic protein variation and speciation in the Plethodon dorsalis complex. Herpetologica 53:345-356.

New County Records for Plethodon dorsalis

Fentress and Scott Counties

Campbell, T. S. 2002. New records for amphibians in the Big South Fork region of Tennessee. Herpetol. Rev. 33:230-231.

Hickman County

Serb, J. M. and J. E. Petzing. 1998. Geographic Distribution. Plethodon dorsalis. Herpetol. Rev. 29:48.

Maury County

Niemiller, M. L., and B. T. Miller.  2006.  Geographic distribution.  Plethodon dorsalis.  Herpetol. Rev. 37:484.

Trousdale County

Glorioso, B.M. and J. Pruett.  2007.  New records for amphibians and reptiles from Trousdale County, Tennessee.  Herpetol. Rev. 38: 247-248.

New County Records for Plethodon ventralis

Fentress County

Cobb, V. A. 2000. Geographic Distribution. Plethodon ventralis. Herpetol. Rev. 33:218.