Wehrle's Salamander
Plethodon wehrlei

     Home     Back to the Salamanders
                            photos by Zach Felix   -typical adult     -yellow-spotted subadult
 
Species Description:  Wehrle's salamander attains a total length of about 5-6 inches (12.7-15.2 cm).  The sides have white or cream-colored flecks which often form a blotched appearance.  The belly is slate gray.  Young usually have red spots on the back and some adults maintain this red spotting pattern.  A population of yellow-spotted adults exists in the Bluestone National Scenic River in Summers County, West Virginia.  Yellow-spotted variants have also been noted in eastern Kentucky.  Wehrle's salamanders can also be distinguished from other similar looking "slimy" salamanders by the presence of partial webbing on the hind toes.  The webbing extends nearly to the tip of the first two toes on the hind foot.  The costal groove count on these salamanders is 17.  

This salamander may be confused with the Cow-Knob salamander (Plethodon punctatus), which occurs only on Shenandoah and North Mountains along the Virginia border.  In the Cow-Knob salamander there is usually more white sprinkled over the back and the costal groove count is 18.  Both species inhabit very high elevations (up to 4,800 ft.).

Habitat:  Werhle's salamander inhabits forests from the low elevations of the Allegheny Plateau to the highest elevations of the Allegheny Mountains (up to 4,800 ft).  This salamander can be found under logs, rocks, and leaves and emerges at dusk to forage during the warm months.  In the higher elevations, the Werhle's salamander lives in rotting spruce logs, deep rock crevices, and "ice caves."  This species is also a major part of the fauna of many caves in Greenbrier, Pocahontas, and Pendleton Counties!  Werhle's are also often associated with rock outcrops, being found with green salamanders, longtails, cave salamanders, Cumberland plateau salamanders, and redbacked salamanders.

Breeding Activity:  In West Virginia, this salamander deposits spermatophores in March and April and deposits eggs in May.  The nests are placed in underground burrows or crevices during late spring and summer at higher elevations also.  At Barton Knob in Randolph County (elevation 4,400 feet), red-backed salamanders and the Cheat Mountain salamander place their nests in rotting spruce logs, with the female guarding the eggs.  Werhle's have not been found using logs as nesting sites.  

Range:  Werhle's salamander ranges from the western edge of the ridge and valley province west across the mountains to the Allegheny Plateau, with the exception of the Cumberland portion of the plateau.  

Status:  Common.  Yellow-spotted variant is only known from one locality however.