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

Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus (Green, 1818)

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Amphibia
Order Caudata
Family Plethodontidae
Genus Plethodon
Species Plethodon cinereus (Green, 1818)

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Trogloxene
Realm
Terrestrial

Distribution

Range

Known from three counties across two states.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Indiana, Ohio

Counties

Indiana
Lawrence, Monroe
Ohio
Hocking

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

EXEWCRENVUNTLC▲

Assessed in 2022.

NatureServe

G5 Secure

G1G2G3G4G5▲

National ranks

Canada
N5 Secure
United States
N5 Secure

Subnational ranks

Quebec
S5 Secure
Prince Edward Island
S4 Apparently Secure
Ontario
S5 Secure
Nova Scotia
S5 Secure
New Brunswick
S5 Secure
New York
S5 Secure
Tennessee
S4 Apparently Secure
Pennsylvania
S5 Secure
Ohio
SNR Unranked
Illinois
S4 Apparently Secure
RI
S5 Secure
Virginia
S5 Secure
Vermont
S5 Secure
Wisconsin
S4 Apparently Secure
NJ
S5 Secure
ME
S5 Secure
NH
S5 Secure
West Virginia
S5 Secure
Kentucky
S2 Imperiled
DE
S5 Secure
Maryland
S5 Secure
District of Columbia
S5 Secure
Connecticut
S5 Secure
Michigan
S5 Secure
Massachusetts
S5 Secure
North Carolina
S5 Secure
Indiana
S4 Apparently Secure
Minnesota
S4 Apparently Secure

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

References

  • Banta, A.M. 1907. The fauna of Mayfield's Cave. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 67: 1–114. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/60987.
  • Seibert, H.C. & Brandon, R.A. 1960. The salamanders of southeastern Ohio. Ohio Journal of Science 60: 291–303. https://kb.osu.edu/bitstreams/1a8cbbb7–8184–5987–9c09-ac703d8485b9/download.

How to cite this account

Plethodon cinereus (Green, 1818). Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-1921. https://cavebiology.org/species/plethodon-cinereus/ (accessed 7 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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