Family: Ambystomatidae

·  Spotted Salamander

·  Jefferson Salamander

·  Small-mouthed Salamander

·  Streamside Salamander

·  Marbled Salamander

Family: Cryptobranchidae

Eastern Hellbender  (Page under constuction)

 
Family: Proteidae

·  Common Mudpuppy

Family: Salamandridae

·  Eastern Red-spotted Newt

Family: Plethodontidae

·  Northern Dusky Salamander

·  Seal Salamander

·  Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

·  Black-bellied Salamander

·  Black Mountain Salamander

·  Northern Spring Salamander

·  Kentucky Spring Salamander

·  West Virginia Spring Salamander

·  Northern Red Salamander

·  Midland Mud Salamander

·  Northern Two-lined Salamander

·  Southern Two-lined Salamander

·  Long-tailed Salamander

·  Four-toed Salamander

·  Cave Salamander

·  Northern Slimy Salamander

·  Cumberland Plateau Salamander

·  White-Spotted Slimy Salamander

·  Cow Knob Salamander

·  Red-backed Salamander

·  Ravine Salamander

·  Northern Ravine Salamander

·  Valley and Ridge Salamander

·  Shenandoah Mountain Salamander

·  Cheat Mountain Salamander

·  Wehrle's Salamander

·  Green Salamander

     Salamanders are the most diverse group of amphibians in West Virginia, with 34 species in 5 families.  The family Plethodontidae, the lungless salamanders, contains the most species.  These salamanders breathe almost entirely through their skin.  Because of this, they require relatively cool, moist habitats.  The Appalachian Mountains are perfect for these creatures!  Since it is usually cooler and misty at night in the mountains, most of the Plethodontids are active after dark.  They can easily be found from spring through fall by going out to a forest or a stream at night with a flashlight.  They spend most of their evenings hunting for insects. 

     Some of the other salamanders are more difficult to find.  Ambystomatids, the mole salamanders, spend most of their lives underground.  If you catch the right night though, you can see thousands of these animals walking across the forest floor to their breeding pond! 

     The hellbender and the mudpuppy spend their entire lives underwater, usually in larger streams.  They are also very large compared with other salamanders.  Hellbenders can grow to over 2 feet long and mudpuppies reach about a foot in length. 

     There are 2 species of salamanders that are endemic to West Virginia - meaning they are only found here.  The West Virginia spring salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus) is found in only one cave in Greenbrier County.  The Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi) is only found on the high mountain peaks in northeastern West Virginia.  This species is usually found only where red spruce exists and it is listed as a federally Threatened Species because of its specific habitat requirements and limited range. 

Click on the names to the left to learn about each species.