The black shovel-nosed salamander (''Desmognathus melanius'') is a
species of
salamander in the family
Plethodontidae. It is
endemic to the
United States.
It was described in 1956 but was later reclassified as synonymous with the
shovelnose salamander
The shovelnose salamander (''Desmognathus marmoratus'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States.
Taxonomy
The golden shovel-nosed salamander (''D. aureatus'') and black shovel-nosed salaman ...
(''D. marmoratus''). However, a 2009
mtDNA study found sufficient genetic divergence to again classify as its own species. It is not recognized by other taxonomic authorities due to it being distinguished by mtDNA studies and problems with mtDNA introgression in the genus ''
Desmognathus'', but it is still recognized by
Darrel Frost pending publication of counter-evidence.
It is found in the
Nantahala River basin of western
North Carolina and adjacent
Tennessee.
References
Desmognathus
Amphibians described in 1956
Endemic amphibians of the United States
{{Plethodontidae-stub