Dixie Caverns Salamander
Plethodon dixi

Common Name:

Dixie Caverns Salamander

Scientific Name:

Plethodon dixi

Etymology:

Genus:

plethore is Greek meaning "fullness or full of",  odon is Greek for "teeth". Referring to  the number of paravomerine and vomerine teeth.

Species:

dixi is Refers to the Dixie Caverns, Salem, VA.

Average Length:

up to 6.5 in. (16.2 cm)

Virginia Record Length:

Record length:

6.5 in. (16.2 cm)

Physical Description - A slender body with a dark gray to black back heavily covered with gold to brassy flecks, often so dense as to create a broad irregular stripe. Numerous small white spots are found on the back and sides. Belly is gray. There is more webbing on the hind feet than typical in the genus.

References for Life History

  • Altig, Ronald & McDiarmid, Roy W. 2015. Handbook of Larval Amphibians of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 341 pages.
  • AmphibiaWeb. 2020. University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  • Burger, J.W., 1935, Plethodon cinereus (Green) in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Am. Nat., Vol. 69, Num. 725, pg. 578-586
  • Conant, R., 1975, A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 429 pgs., Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA
  • Fraser, D.F., 1976, Empirical evaluation of the hypothesis of food competition in salamanders of the genus Plethodon, Ecology, Vol. 57, pg. 459-471
  • Grizzell, R.A., 1949, The hibernation of three snakes and a salamander, Copeia, Vol. 1949, Num. 3, pg. 231-232
  • Heatwole, H., 1962, Environmental factors influencing local distribution and activity of the salamander Plethodon cinereus, Ecology, Vol. 43, pg. 460-472
  • Jaeger, R.G., 1972, Food as a limited resource between two species of salamanders, Ecology, Vol. 53, pg. 535-546
  • Jaeger, R.G., 1978, Plant climbing by salamanders: Periodic availability of plant-dwelling prey, Copeia, Vol. 1978, pg. 686-691
  • Jaeger, R.G., 1979, Seasonal spatial distributions of the terrestrial salamander Plethodon cinereus, Herpetologica, Vol. 35, pg. 90-93
  • Lotter, F., 1978, Reproductive ecology of the salamander Plethodon cinereus (Amphibia, Urodela, Plethodontidae) in Connecticut, J. Herpetol., Vol. 12, Num. 2, pg. 231-236
  • Minton, S.A., 1972, Amphibians and Reptiles of Indiana, Indiana Academy of Science Monograph, Vol. 3, 346 pgs., Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis
  • Robyn, S.D., Jaeger, R.G., 1981, Prey location through chemical cues by a terrestrial salamander, Copeia, Vol. 1981, pg. 435-440
  • Bishop, S.C., 1943, Handbook of Salamanders, 555 pgs., Comstock Publ. Co., New York, NY
  • Martof, B.S., Palmer, W.M., Bailey, J.R., Harrison, III J.R., 1980, Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia, 264 pgs., UNC Press, Chapel Hill, NC

Photos:

*Click on a thumbnail for a larger version.

Montgomery Co.

Verified County/City Occurrence

COUNTIES
Montgomery
Roanoke

CITIES

Verified in 2 counties and 0 cities.

Box Turtle Reporting

Spadefoot Reporting