Imitator Salamander

About the Imitator Salamander

The imitator salamander (Desmognathus imitator) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. The imitator salamander is dark brown or blackish, sometimes with a pale intermittent stripe down its back and a pale line joining eye to jaw. It often has red or orange cheek patches and its hind legs are more stocky than its forelegs.

The imitator salamander is found in the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina at elevations more than 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. Its range extends from the Great Smoky Mountains in the north to the Plott Balsams and the Great Balsam Mountains in the south. Its habitat is the banks of streams, wet rocks, and the forest floor at higher altitudes. It shares its range with the Ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) but is usually found closer to water.

The imitator salamander is not toxic but is thought to be a Batesian mimic of the red-cheeked salamander (Plethodon jordani), a noxious species. Adult imitator salamanders hide during the day and emerge at night to forage for small invertebrates... Wikipedia →