TWO NEW SALAMANDERS OF THE GENUS DESMOGNATHUS.

y^X

7ol.

XXIX,

pp. 73-76 April4, 1916

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

TWO NEW SALAMANDERS OF THE GENUS DESMOGNATHUS.

BY

E. R.

DUNN.

HaverfordCollege.

The

following descriptions^of

one new

species

and one new

subspecies ^of

Desmognathns

^are

published

^{in the course of}

a

revision ofthe

genus now

in progress.

Desmognathus

^monticola 8p. nov.

Type from Elk

Lodge

Lake, near Brevard, North Carolina, altitude about 3000 feet; No. _38,313, adult male, U. S. National

Museum;

^col-

lectedJuly 13, 1908, by

Ronald and

Emeline_Tipping.

Diagnosis.

— Vomerine

teeth alwayspresent. Parasphenoidteeth usually confluentanteriorly. Legsstout, 3 intercostal spaces between_appressed toes of adult.

A

distinct color pattern. Belly uniform, usually light.

Transformed _specimens, total length, 30-135

mm.;

length ^of head

and

body, ^17-64

mm.

Description.

— _The

vomerines form two ^short _slightly arched series which approximate each ^{other in the}

median

line.

The

parasphenoids are usually confluent^{in front.}

They

are long

narrow

series

and

are well distantfrom eachothersave in front. Theirdistancefromthevomerines

is aboutequal^tothe length ^of oneof thevomerine series.

The

relative shape^ofthetailis aboutas infusca; the^relative length^is greater^{; it is} notflattened as inguadramaculata.

The

_legsarestout. In

young

speci-

mens

the appressed ^toesare separated by 2 costal interspaces, in adults by^3.

The

_length of the head is from

4-4^

ⁱⁿthe length^ofhead

and

body.

The head

width isfrom5-6inthe length^ofhead

and

_{body. This}

is the second _largest form of the genus with

medium

head

and

_body, long^tail

and medium

_legs.

The

skinof the headissometimes_rugoseas inguadramaculata.

The

costal grooves are ^13-14. There is always ^a tubercleinthe anterior angle^ofthe_eye.

The

color of this form is

much

^like thatoffusca, butshowscertain 15—Pkoc. Biol.Soc.Wash..Vol.

XXIX,

^1916. (73)

74

Proceedings^ofthe Biological Society of Washington.

differences.

The

_lightdorsal spots are smaller

and more

heavily outlined with dark.

They

^donotbreak

up

^{untiltheanimal is} practicallymature andthe dorsal colorisalmost _black, whereasinfusca ^{it is} seldom even inthe smallestspecimensthat theyhave not coalescedinto a_lightdorsal band.

When

these spotsdo coalesce in monticola portions ^of the dark outline are left as conspicuous dark spots on the generally pale dorsal band.

The

ventral coloration is practicallyuniform

and

lacksall trace of the mottling^soconspicuousⁱⁿfusca.

The

sides arenot mottled as in fusca, but thedark lateral

band

_merges gradually into the pale ventral surface. In the

young

the ventral surface is unpigmented.

A

uniform pigmentation graduallyencroaches on the _belly from the sides inwards

and

from behind_forwards,sothat thelastunpigmentedpart^of the ven- tralsurfaceis between ^tlie fore _legs. Eventually^thewhole _belly isuni- formly

and

_{lightlypigmented.} In

some

_specimens this pigmentation ^is fairly dark, neverhowever

becoming

^{asdark as in} quadramaculata. In comparing^{monticolawith thelatteritshould} be

remembered

thatmon- ticola usually retains traces ofthe dorsal pattern

and

never hasthe _light lateral

band

so characteristic of

young and medium

quadramaculata.

The

only sexual^differencediscerniblein this form is the veryslightly

more

flexuous outline ofthejaws^inthemale.

Remarks.

—

This animal is between fusca

and

quadramaculata, with which two_speciesit has been hitherto confused. Although veryclosely related tofusca, ^itdoesnotseem tointergradewith it in themountains of Virginia and

West

_Virginiawhere _{they occur} together. So far as

known

fusca does not occurinthemountains ^ofNorth Carolina.

Distribution.

— From

Clarke County, Virginia,

and

(Treenl)rier County,

West

Virginia, southⁱⁿ the Alleghanies^toBrevard, NorthCarolina,

and

probably^intoGeorgia. Zonalrange. Transitionand Canadian. Vertical range, 500-4500^feet.

Specimens examined.

—

Sixty-three, from localities as follows: North Carolina: Brevard _(type locality), 21; Burnsville, 1; Spruce ^Pine-

Mica

ville, 1;

Cane

River,3;

B

Ian_{tyre, 2;} Sunburst, 3;

Joanna

_Bald, nearAndrews, ^1; Tatula _Mt., near Highlands, ^1. Virginia: Berry's Ferry, Clarke County, 1;

Hanging

Rock, Clarke County, 8; Clarke County, 1; Delaplane,2; Stony

Man,

^1; Augusta County,^{2. West Vir-} ginia: Greenbrier County, ^2; Baileysville, 2; Star Creek, 2;

Horsepen

Creek, ^1; Big StonyCreek, nearBarger's Spring, ^1.

Desmognathus ochrophsa

carolinensis subsp. nov.

Type from spring near _top of Mt. _Mitchell, North Carolina, altitude

"over

6500 feet"; No. _31,135,male _adult, U.S. National

Museum;

^col-

lectedOctober5, 1902, by Brimley

and

Sherman.

Diagnosis.

—

Similar to ochrophsea, but _larger, with dark _belly,

and

with a tubercle canthus oculi. Transformed specimens, 44-113 ^total length; length^ofhead

and

_body, 24-54

mm.

Dunn — _{Two New} Salamanders

of^the

Genus Desmognathus 75

Description.

— _The

vomerinesarealwayspresent ⁱⁿthe female. Males lose

them

atatotal length^of 65-75

mm. The

vomerines form a _short, scarcelyarched series, containing 5-6 ^teeth.

The

^series are separated from thenares

by

two-thirds the length^ofone^of them, from each ^other

by

one-fourth length,

and

from the parasphenoids

by

^one length.

The

parasphenoid^seriesare separate ^fortheirwhole_length.

The

mandibular dentitionis as inochrophsea.

The

teethinthe

male

_{lower jaw}are _large,

and

areconfinedto the part anterior^tothe_eye.

The

outlineof the jaw

isvery strongly flexuousⁱⁿthe male.

The

female has a

more

flexuous outlineofthejaw than ^thefemaleofochrophpca.

The

tailusuallyshows

no

trace ofa dorsal _keel, but is cylindrical throughout,

and marked

_by strong segmented grooves, ^asisthetail of Plethodon erythronatus.

The

tailis quite long proportionally, being frequently longer than the head

and

_body.

The

^tailofthefemaleis longerthan thatofthe male. Males reach a_largersize than do females.

The number

of costal interspaces between the appressed limbs ^{is four.}

The

head _lengthis from_4-43^ in the length^ofhead

and

_body.

The

head widthisfrom

5^-6

ⁱⁿthe length of head and body.

The

skin of the head is finelyrugose ^{as in}

many

specimens ^of quadramaculata

and

monticola from the North Carolina mountains.

The

tuberclecanthusoculi isuniformlypresent.

The

colorof this formisvariable. Old specimens^areuniformly^black.

As

^arulethe dorsal pattern ^is intermediate between that of ochrophxa

and

that offusca.

That

_is, there is a verydark lateral

band

but the backshowstraces of

an

original series ofdorsal _lightspots.

The

black- nessof thesides of the tail isas characteristic of this form as of ochro- phsea. Unlikeochrophs-a, thebelly ofcarolinensisbecomesblackwith_age.

Remarks.

—

_Althoughvery close to ochrophxa

and

_{probablyintergrad-} ingwithitinthemountainsof northern

West

Virginia, ^this form tends toward the other _{species of} the genus.

The

_presence of the tubercle canthusoculi

and

thedarknessofthe_bellyare both charactersin

which

itdiverges from _ochrophiea

and

towards the other_{species of}the genus.

The

color of the dorsal surface is usually

more

like that of the other forms,although

some

specimens from the type locality

show

a dorsal pattern exactly^likeoc/i?-op/ia;a from Pennsylvania.

Cope

⁽¹⁸⁸⁹⁾

men-

tions thisform asa variety^ofochrophiea

on

_page 194 of the "Batrachia of

North America."

Distribution.

— From

_Beverly,

West

Virginia, south in mountains to Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Canadian

zone. Vertical range, 2500-6500 feet.

Specimens examined.

—

_{Sixty-one, from} localities as follows: Georgia:

Gwinnett County, ^1. North Carolina: Mt. Mitchell (typelocality), 19;

Cane

_River,6;

Yancey

County,1;

Roan

_{Mt.,8; Blantyre,}2; Highlands, 2;

Wayah

Bald, 2; Tatula _Mt., 1 ; Andrews, 1;

Henderson

_County, 1;

Haywood

County, ^{11. Tennessee:}

Roan

_Mt., 7. West _Virginia: Big SpringRiver, 3; Rich_Mt., near_Beverly, 1.

76

Proceedings ^ofthe Biological Society of Washington.

Measurements.

(

Head

fromtip ofsnouttogular^{fold; tail} fromposterior angle^ofvent.) D. monticola (type^series).