NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cave Salamander
Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822
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.
Photograph of a Cave Salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) taken in a streamside environment in Eastern Kentucky. Cropped with GIMP 2.8.
Hargle on English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The cave salamander or spotted-tail salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) is a species of brook salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is well known for living in and around caves in the southeast United States. Adult cave salamanders are bright orange with black spots. This species is, somewhat vaguely, referred to by the common name of 'cave salamander'; however, it is not restricted to caves, but is known for inhabiting surface-level, terrestrial, woodland habitats, as well.
Wikipedia contributors, Cave salamander (spotted-tail); see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:52:29.074659+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822
- Name authority
- Rafinesque, 1822
- Common name
- Cave Salamander
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Eurycea
- 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
- subfamilyHemidactyliinae Hallowell, 1856
- genusEurycea Rafinesque, 1822
- speciesEurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Eurycea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Two-lined SalamanderEurycea bislineata (Green, 1818) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Three-lined SalamanderEurycea guttolineata (Holbrook, 1838) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hillis's Dwarf SalamanderEurycea hillisi Wray, Means & Steppan, 2017 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed SalamanderEurycea longicauda (Green, 1818) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurycea melanopleura (Cope, 1894) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| San Marcos SalamanderEurycea nana Bishop, 1941 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Texas SalamanderEurycea neotenes Bishop & Wright, 1937 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fern Bank SalamanderEurycea pterophila Burger, Smith & Potter, 1950 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dwarf SalamanderEurycea quadridigitata (Holbrook, 1842) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jollyville Plateau SalamanderEurycea tonkawae Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Oklahoma SalamanderEurycea tynerensis Moore & Hughes, 1939 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Georgia Blind SalamanderEurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Spelerpes maculicauda (Cope, 1890) (Cope, 1890) | synonym |
| Gyrinophilus maculicaudus Cope, 1890 Cope, 1890 | synonym |
| Eurycea longicauda lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822 Rafinesque, 1822 | synonym |
| Spelerpes lucifuga (Rafinesque, 1822) (Rafinesque, 1822) | synonym |
| Spelerpes maculicaudus (Cope, 1890) (Cope, 1890) | synonym |
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=173691 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:3D3H6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.