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Cow Knob salamander
Species of amphibian / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Plethodon punctatus, commonly known as the Cow Knob salamander[3][4][5][6] or white-spotted salamander[7][8][9] (not to be confused with P. cylindraceus, the white-spotted slimy salamander), is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to high mountain forests on the border of Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. Nearly all occurrences are on Shenandoah Mountain, Nathaniel Mountain and Great North Mountain in George Washington National Forest. Cow Knob salamanders are a member of the P. wehrlei species complex, which includes many other Appalachian salamanders historically referred to Plethodon wehrlei (Wehrle's salamander).
Cow Knob salamander | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Family: | Plethodontidae |
Subfamily: | Plethodontinae |
Genus: | Plethodon |
Species: | P. punctatus |
Binomial name | |
Plethodon punctatus Highton, 1971 [1972] | |
Major threats to Plethodon punctatus include habitat loss and climate change,[10][11] and it is rated as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Although not protected by the Endangered Species Act, Cow Knob salamanders benefit from a 1994 conservation agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The species' threatened condition has helped to secure ecosystem conservation goals on Shenandoah Mountain and nearby ridges, such as redirecting the planned route of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Despite their restricted range, Cow Knob salamanders are abundant in localities with ideal environmental conditions, such as rocky old-growth hemlock forests.