NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Peaks of Otter Salamander
Plethodon hubrichti Thurow, 1957
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 Peaks of Otter salamander (Plethodon hubrichti) is a species of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Peaks of Otter area in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It is a montane salamander found at elevations above
442 m (1,450 ft), but more commonly above 760 m (2,490 ft). It can be locally common, but its distribution is small and patchy. This makes it vulnerable to local threats such as timber harvesting, recreational development, defoliation by gypsy moths, and spraying to control the latter.
Wikipedia contributors, Peaks of Otter salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:42:57.445197+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Plethodon hubrichti Thurow, 1957
- Name authority
- Thurow, 1957
- Common name
- Peaks of Otter Salamander
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Plethodon
- 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
- genusPlethodon Tschudi, 1838
- speciesPlethodon hubrichti Thurow, 1957
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Plethodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Gray-cheeked SalamanderPlethodon montanus Highton & Peabody, 2000 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Shenandoah Mountain SalamanderPlethodon virginia Highton, 1999 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dunn's SalamanderPlethodon dunni Bishop, 1934 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plethodon jacksoni Newman, 1954 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Big Levels SalamanderPlethodon sherando Highton, 2004 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cheat Mountain SalamanderPlethodon nettingi Green, 1938 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Webster's SalamanderPlethodon websteri Highton, 1979 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mississippi Slimy SalamanderPlethodon mississippi Highton in Highton, Maha & Maxson, 1989 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Red-backed SalamanderPlethodon serratus Grobman, 1944 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Slimy SalamanderPlethodon glutinosus (Green, 1818) | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Siskiyou Mountains SalamanderPlethodon stormi Highton & Brame, 1965 | PlethodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wehrle's SalamanderPlethodon wehrlei Fowler & Dunn, 1917 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Plethodon nettingi hubrichti Thurow, 1957 Thurow, 1957 | synonym |
| Plethodon richmondi hubrichti Thurow, 1957 Thurow, 1957 | 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=173658 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:77Q85. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.