''Pseudotriton'' is a genus of

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

s in the family

Plethodontidae Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia, Europe south of the Alps, and South Korea. In ...

. They are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to eastern and southern United States, from New York south to Florida and west to southern Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and eastern Louisiana. They are commonly known as red salamanders or mud salamanders.

Species

The number of species depends on the source. The Amphibian Species of the World lists the following three species: * '' Pseudotriton diastictus'' Bishop, 1941 — midland mud salamander * ''

Pseudotriton montanus The mud salamander (''Pseudotriton montanus'') is a bright red salamander of the family Plethodontidae. It is found in streams, seeps and swamps and underneath logs, rocks and leaves. It is endemic to the eastern half of the United States with one ...

'' Baird, 1850 —

mud salamander The mud salamander (''Pseudotriton montanus'') is a bright red salamander of the family Plethodontidae. It is found in streams, seeps and swamps and underneath logs, rocks and leaves. It is endemic to the eastern half of the United States with one ...

* ''

Pseudotriton ruber The red salamander (''Pseudotriton ruber'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae endemic to the eastern United States. Its skin is orange/red with random black spots. Its habitats are temperate forests, small creeks, ponds, fo ...

'' (Sonnini de Manoncourt and Latreille, 1801) —

red salamander The red salamander (''Pseudotriton ruber'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae endemic to the eastern United States. Its skin is orange/red with random black spots. Its habitats are temperate forests, small creeks, ponds, fo ...

However, AmphibiaWeb lists only two species as it treats ''Pseudotriton diastictus'' as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''Pseudotriton montanus'', as does the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

References

Amphibians of North America Endemic fauna of the United States Extant Pleistocene first appearances Amphibian genera Taxa named by Johann Jakob von Tschudi Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Plethodontidae-stub