NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ocoee Salamander
Desmognathus ocoee Nicholls, 1949
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. This salamander has a variety of colors and patterns, and got its name from Tennessee state wildflower. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater springs and wet rocks in mountainous areas of the Southeastern United States. It was first described by Nicholls in 1949. They are territorial and feed on small invertebrates. It is widely distributed in the southeastern United States and is listed as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Wikipedia contributors, Ocoee salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:59:11.206829+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Desmognathus ocoee Nicholls, 1949
- Name authority
- Nicholls, 1949
- Common name
- Ocoee 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 ocoee Nicholls, 1949
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 |
| 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 |
| Desmognathus tilleyi Pyron & Beamer, 2023 | 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=550243 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:353MT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.