Imitator Salamander
(Desmognathus
imitator) |
 |
DESCRIPTION: 2 3/4-4" (7-10.2 cm).
Pale line from eye to angle of jaw. Highly variable in
coloration; usually has dark, rippling back stripes, rarely a
single wide back stripe. Older individuals often become dark and
patternless. Yellow to red cheek patches common.
STATUS:
RANGE: Restricted to Great Smoky Mountains,
North Carolina - Tennessee border; nearby Balsam Mountain, North
Carolina
HABITAT: Cool, moist red spruce - Fraser
fir and hardwood forests; chiefly between 4,000-5,500'
(1,219-1,676 m).
SPECIAL HABITAT: Seen under rocks and
rotting logs on forest floor, or amid wet gravel and leaf litter
along edge of seepages, springs, or intermittent brooks. |
