Desmognathus wrighti
Pygmy Salamander

Pygmy salamanders can be found in mountainous areas ranging from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Great Smoky Mountains in the eastern United States. They are found most frequently in southwestern Virginia to the Georgia state line in southwestern North Carolina. (Mitchell and Reay, 1999; Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)

Pygmy salamanders are found in humid forested areas and can be found under mosses and rotten logs. Dense populations of pygmy salamanders occur most often in highly elevated spruce-fir forests, but also occur in hardwood forests in lower elevations. Elevations range from 800 m to 4500 m. (Martof, et al., 1980; Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)

Adult pygmy salamanders range in size from 30 to 51 mm. They can primarily be identified by their distinctive coppery red stripe that extends along the body to the rounded tail. The rounded tail is less than half of total body length. The eyelids are also a copper color, which is a trait that distinguishes pygmy salamanders from related species. At sexual maturity females tend to be larger than males. (Conant, 1958; Hining and Bruce, 2005; Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)

After hatching, pygmy salamanders resemble small adults. Gills that were used during the embryonic stage of development are reabsorbed immediately prior to hatching as well as caudal fins. Pygmy salamanders, which are commonly identified by their rounded tail end, are indistinguishable from other species of salamanders in the embryonic stage due to the compressed tail in the egg. (Martof, et al., 1980; Organ, 1961)

Mating occurs twice a year during the fall and spring months. Adult male pygmy salamanders produce courtship pheromones to a desired female. In order for a male to mate with a female, the male salamander must use his jaws to attach himself to a female’s tail. This ritual is primary done to restrain the female and keep her from finding another mate. (Organ, 1961; Petranka, 1998)

Male pygmy salamanders deposit a spermatophore (a gelatinous package including sperm) on the ground, after which the female will take it into her cloaca. Females typically deposit eggs in a cluster during the late summer. Ideally, females deposit their eggs close to a permanent body of water, either a lake or a stream, but at higher elevations where standing water is absent, female salamanders lay their eggs on moist ground. Females lay an average of 10 eggs. Hatching usually occurs in mid to late October. Once hatched, the young are immediately independent and reach sexual maturity at 3.5 years for females and 4.5 years for males. (Organ, 1961; Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)

Male pygmy salamanders do not play any role in helping with their young. However, females tend to eggs and to newly hatched salamanders. (Petranka, 1998)

Although there is not any data on longevity of pygmy salamanders, other salamanders in the Desmognathus range in longevity from 15 to 20 years in captivity. (de Magalhaes and Costa, 2009)

Pygmy salamanders are nocturnal and solitary. They are very sedentary, mainly moving between elevations during breeding season. During nights where the humidity is especially high, they perch on plants where they feed. Seasonally, these salamanders relocate underground to conserve moisture. (Petranka, 1998)

Pygmy salamanders are motile, there is no data referring to how much pygmy salamanders move throughout their terrestrial environment.

Adult male pygmy salamanders produce courtship pheromones only to a desired female. Courtship pheromones are produced in the mental gland of the salamander. Also used in courtship are nasolabial grooves that are located in the snout of the salamander. These nasolabial grooves contain water born chemicals that are sent through nasal passages to the sensory epithelium. (Brown, 1968; Houck, 2008)

Pygmy salamanders primarily feed at night on small arthropods in the soil and leaf litter. (Wilson, 1995)

Spring salamanders (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) and carabid beetles are major predators of pygmy salamander. Pygmy salamanders become immobile when threatened, becoming less appealing to predators. Pygmy salamanders are cryptically colored and tend to spend much of their time under cover to avoid detection. (Petranka, 1998; Petranka, 1998)

Pygmy salamanders are the most terrestrial species of salamander in the genus Desmognathus. All Desmognathus salamanders have different life cycles, body sizes, and behaviors, and are considered to inhabit different niches. All Desmognathus species are affected by a common leech parasite, Oligobdella biannulata. These leeches, when latched on to the body of a salamander, transfer trypanosome protozoans called trypanosome, which infect the blood stream of the salamander host. (Goater, 2000; Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)

Pygmy salamanders are often studied in the wild for their reproductive strategy and reproductive behavior. These salamanders are also researched from an evolutionary standpoint to understand how they live in higher elevations compared to other species of salamanders. (Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)

Unlike some other species of salamanders, pygmy salamanders do not survive well in captive situations. (Huheey and Stupka, 1960; Petranka, 1998)

Pygmy salamanders are fairly common in spruce-fir forests of the southern Appalachians. These salamander populations are well conserved in Virginia and are listed as a species of least concern. (Hammerson, 2009; Petranka, 1998; Wilson, 1995)