NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Dwarf Black-bellied Salamander
Desmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Adult from Georgia
Benjamin Genter · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The dwarf black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus folkertsi) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.
It is endemic to the United States, specifically found in the southern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains range, near the borders of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests and rivers.
The dwarf black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus folkertsi) was originally thought to be the blackbelly salamander (Desmognathus quadramaculatus) as they appear similar and are sympatric in the areas that the dwarf black-bellied salamander is found. They can be distinguished through genetically different loci or morphologically in that D. folkertsi are smaller, have different coloration and patterns, and different proportions in body.
Wikipedia contributors, Dwarf black-bellied salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:16:08.955755+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Desmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002
- Name authority
- Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002
- Common name
- Dwarf Black-bellied Salamander
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Desmognathus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familyPlethodontidae Gray, 1850
- subfamilyPlethodontinae Gray, 1850
- genusDesmognathus Baird, 1850
- speciesDesmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Desmognathus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Apalachicola Dusky SalamanderDesmognathus apalachicolae Means & Karlin, 1989 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Imitator SalamanderDesmognathus imitator Dunn, 1927 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Shovel-nosed SalamanderDesmognathus marmoratus (Moore, 1899) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Seal SalamanderDesmognathus monticola Dunn, 1916 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ocoee SalamanderDesmognathus ocoee Nicholls, 1949 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Flat-headed SalamanderDesmognathus planiceps Newman, 1955 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Valentine's Southern Dusky SalamanderDesmognathus valentinei Means, Lamb & Bernardo, 2017 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black Mountain SalamanderDesmognathus welteri Barbour, 1950 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Carolina Mountain Dusky SalamanderDesmognathus carolinensis Dunn, 1916 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Desmognathus aureatus (Martof, 1956) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Desmognathus intermedius (Pope, 1928) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Desmognathus valtos Pyron & Beamer, 2022 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=668241 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:353MH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.