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Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe
AnimaliaChordataVertebrataAmphibiaCaudataPlethodontidaeGyrinophilus

Tennessee Cave Salamander
Gyrinophilus palleucus McCrady, 1954

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Amphibia
Order Caudata
Family Plethodontidae
Genus Gyrinophilus
Species Gyrinophilus palleucus McCrady, 1954

Synonyms

Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoides Lazell & Brandon, 1962
Gyrinophilus palleucus palleucus McCrady, 1954
Gyrinophilus porphyriticus necturoides Lazell & Brandon, 1962
Pseudotriton palleucus (McCrady, 1954)

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Stygobiont
Realm
Aquatic
Eyes
Reduced
Pigment
Normal
Troglomorphy
Troglomorphic
Maximum body length
20-260 mm
Morphological description
Body size
Type series
Similar species

Distribution

Type locality

Sinking Cove Cave, Franklin Co., TN

Range

Known from three states in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee

Counties

County-level records have not been compiled for this taxon. Distribution is recorded at state and karst-region level.

Karst regions

Interior Low Plateau

Ecology and life history

Reproduction
Development
Diet
Predators
Population ecology
Community associates
Diseases and parasites
Behavior

Genetics

Phylogenetics
Population genetics
Genetic resources

Molecular resources

MarkerMoleculeSequences LengthExemplar
cytb mitochondrial 24 674-791 bp KY073016.1
12S mitochondrial 21 225-852 bp KM282421.1
RAG1 nuclear 12 521-1260 bp KY073117.1
ND mitochondrial 6 633-1006 bp KY073082.1
16S mitochondrial 2 200-282 bp KM435024.1
mitogenome mitochondrial 2 16737-16737 bp NC_028297.1

67 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.

Download all 67 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.

Mitogenome
Available

Specimens

Type material

Holotype
A-34100 · Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
Paratype
121930 · Field Museum of Natural History
Paratype ×4
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
Topotype
7001 · Florida Museum of Natural History
Type
72585 · Field Museum of Natural History

Collections holding material

InstitutionLots
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 104
Florida Museum of Natural History 32
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 14
Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn 13
Carnegie Museum of Natural History 11
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology 7
and 11 other collections 25

206 cataloged lots in 17 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.

Download all 206 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

NT Near Threatened

EXEWCRENVUNT▲LC

Assessed in 2021.

NatureServe

G2G3 Imperiled to Vulnerable

G1G2▲G3▲G4G5

Global rank last reviewed 12 June 2019.

Subnational ranks

Alabama
S2 Imperiled
Georgia
S1 Critically Imperiled
Tennessee
S2 Imperiled

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Other resources

Catalogue of Life
3HYSV
GBIF
2431435
ITIS
173714
iNaturalist
27506
NCBI Taxonomy
505961
BOLD
BOLD:ADC7978

How to cite this account

Gyrinophilus palleucus McCrady, 1954. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-1373. https://cavebiology.org/species/gyrinophilus-palleucus/ (accessed 3 September 2026).

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

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