Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Red Hills salamander (Phaeognathus hubrichti), recorded as Endangered
Red Hills salamander (Phaeognathus hubrichti). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Red Hills salamander

Phaeognathus hubrichti

The Red Hills salamander is a fairly large, terrestrial salamander growing to about 255 millimetres (10.0 in).

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Phaeognathus hubrichti
Recorded from
United States
Taxonomy
Amphibia · Caudata · Plethodontidae · Phaeognathus

Appearance

Its body color is gray to brownish without markings, and its limbs are relatively short.

Range and habitat

The range of the Red Hills salamander is restricted to a narrow belt of two geological formations, approximately 60 miles (97 km) long (east to west) and between 10 and 25 miles (40 km) wide (north to south), in southern Alabama. The range is limited on the east by the Conecuh River and on the west by the Alabama River (Jordan and Mount 1975). This species inhabits burrows located on the slopes of moist, cool mesic ravines shaded by an overstory of predominately hardwood trees.

NatureServe considers the species Imperiled.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Salamanders hide under logs, in seeps, or in caves. They do not commute across a dry valley.

Eggs and damp skin make amphibians quick to vanish from a drained wetland or a forest stripped of litter.

In crisis

P. Hubrichti is considered a threatened species. Primary threats to this species include its restricted range, loss of habitat, a low reproductive rate, and a limited capability of dispersal. Of the approximately 63,000 acres (250 km2) of remaining habitat, about 60 percent is currently owned or leased by paper companies that primarily use a clear-cut system of forest management.

The Red Hills salamander, a unique and critically endangered amphibian species, faces a myriad of challenges that endanger its habitat and future existence.

Salamanders disappear when seeps are capped, caves are disturbed, or a pathogen moves through a mountain range.

Red Hills salamander is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Red Hills salamander, Wikidata item Q2194652. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

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Axolotl

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Quick answers

What is Red Hills salamander?
The Red Hills salamander is a fairly large, terrestrial salamander growing to about 255 millimetres (10.0 in). It is the official state amphibian of Alabama, the state it is endemic to.
What is the conservation status of Red Hills salamander?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Phaeognathus hubrichti. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Red Hills salamander live?
The range is limited on the east by the Conecuh River and on the west by the Alabama River (Jordan and Mount 1975).
Why is Red Hills salamander in crisis?
Of the approximately 63,000 acres (250 km2) of remaining habitat, about 60 percent is currently owned or leased by paper companies that primarily use a clear-cut system of forest management.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Phaeognathus hubrichti?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Red Hills salamander a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.