Dixie Caverns Salamander (Plethodon dixi)
Description: Up to 6.5 inches. 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.
Habitat: This species inhabits caves in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of Virginia.
Range: Originally described from the Dixie Caverns system in Roanoke County, the only other confirmed locality is from Mason Creek, also in Roanoke County. In the caverns, they can be common on the walls and in crevasses. Additional surveys are warranted to delineate species range and habitat selection.
Found in these States:
VA
Reproduction: It is presumed to breed by direct development.
Status: Little is known of the behavior of this species because access to the caverns is limited, and no studies have been performed.
»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
»» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
»» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
»» Class: Amphibia - (Amphibians)
»» Order: Caudata - Salamanders
»» Family: Plethodontidae - Lungless Salamanders
»» Genus: Plethodon
»» Species: Plethodon dixi - Dixie Caverns Salamander
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dixie Cavern Salamander", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.
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