Description: Desmognathus ochrophaeus is a medium-sized salamander that can grow to about 10 cm in length. Adults are brownish and can have a widely variable coloration pattern. Usually, it has a light stripe down the back, with a row of dark spots on the centre and flanked by dark pigments. As in all members of the genus, the hind legs are larger and stouter than the front legs. This species belongs to the "lungless salamander" family (Plethodontidae), whose adults must keep their skin moist to breathe. It is a somewhat terrestrial salamander that can be found under stones, logs, and bark near springs, streams, and other areas where the ground is saturated with water.

Habitat: Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater springs, and rocky areas.

Range: It is found in the eastern United States, as well as in the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve adjacent to the lower Niagara River in southern Ontario, and a single disjunct population in southern Quebec, Canada.

Found in these States: KY | MD | NC | NJ | NY | OH | PA | TN | VA | WV

Diet: Forest floor invertebrates make up this species' diet.

Reproduction: Females deposit their eggs under moss, rocks, or logs or under logs in or near flowing water. The female remains with her eggs until they hatch. Hatchling salamanders emerge from their eggs with external gills and spend up to 10 months as fully aquatic larvae before transforming into adults.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution and number of subpopulations, presumed large population size, and remaining suitable habitat across its range.

Taxonomy: