Northern Pygmy Salamander
Desmognathus organi Crespi, Browne & Rissler, 2010
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 northern pygmy salamander (Desmognathus organi) is a terrestrial species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae and genus Desmognathus. Along with the southern pygmy (D. wrighti) and the seepage salamander (D. aeneus), these are some of the smallest salamander species in North America and can be found in higher elevations in the southern Appalachians.
Wikipedia contributors, Northern pygmy salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:26:43.322479+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Desmognathus organi Crespi, Browne & Rissler, 2010
- Name authority
- Crespi, Browne & Rissler, 2010
- Common name
- Northern Pygmy 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 organi Crespi, Browne & Rissler, 2010
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 |
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=1099695 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:353MV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.