Amphibians
Caddo Mountain Salamander
Plethodon caddoensis · also called Caddo Mountain salamanders
Beneath a rotting log within a small cluster of Ouachita Mountains in western Arkansas, a Caddo Mountain salamander occupies essentially the entire known range of its species, a lungless amphibian found nowhere else in the world.
Overview
The Caddo Mountain salamander, Plethodon caddoensis, is a lungless amphibian endemic to forested mountain habitat within a small cluster of the Ouachita Mountains in western Arkansas. Its extremely narrow single-range endemism, complete dependence on skin-based breathing, and reliance on mature, undisturbed forest make it one of the more geographically confined salamanders in North America.
A species with almost nowhere else to be
Confined to a small cluster of Ouachita mountains found nowhere else, the Caddo Mountain salamander’s entire global population depends on the continued health of one narrowly defined stretch of Arkansas forest.
Status
Vulnerable, known only from a small cluster of mountains in western Arkansas, where logging or other significant forest disturbance poses a real risk to the entire species.
Caddo Mountain Salamander: common questions
Where is the Caddo Mountain salamander found?
This species is known only from a small cluster of mountains within the Ouachita Mountain range of western Arkansas, an extremely narrow natural range found nowhere else on Earth, making the health of that one small mountain cluster directly tied to the survival of the entire species.
Why does the Caddo Mountain salamander need mature, undisturbed forest?
This species relies on the shaded, consistently moist conditions provided by mature forest with abundant leaf litter and fallen logs, habitat that keeps its skin damp enough for the skin-based breathing it depends on as a lungless salamander, and logging or other significant disturbance that removes this cover can degrade the habitat past what the species can tolerate.
Why is the Caddo Mountain salamander considered vulnerable?
Because this species' entire known range is confined to a small cluster of Ouachita Mountains, logging or other significant forest disturbance within that specific area has the potential to significantly affect the species as a whole, since there is no other substantial population elsewhere to fall back on.
When is the best time to find a Caddo Mountain salamander?
This species is most active on the forest floor during damp nights, retreating underground or beneath cover during dry conditions or the heat of the day, making humid nighttime conditions the most reliable time to find one active on the surface.