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Allegheny dusky salamander

Desmognathus ochrophaeus · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

Allegheny dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus): Adults 7-10 cm with long slender body, tapered tail and moderately long, well-developed legs. Straight light dorsal stripe running onto the tail (yellow, orange, olive, gray, brown or red), flanked by darker mottled pigment. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander on a rock
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 536792468)
Scientific name
Desmognathus ochrophaeus
Family
Plethodontidae
In North America
Native
Range
Ridge and Valley ridges of southwestern Virginia, the Cumberland Mountains and Plateau, and the Allegheny Mountains and Plateau from West Virginia north through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, including the Adirondacks, to southern Quebec and southern Ontario.
Biology

How to identify it

Adults 7-10 cm with long slender body, tapered tail and moderately long, well-developed legs. [1][2]

Straight light dorsal stripe running onto the tail (yellow, orange, olive, gray, brown or red), flanked by darker mottled pigment. [1][2]

Dorsal stripe may carry dark chevron-like spots; sides of tail black. [1][2]

Light line from the eye to the bottom of the jaw in many individuals. [1][2]

Juveniles are dorsally spotted with a yellow dorsal band. [1][2]

Compared with the northern dusky salamander: Robust with no straight pale dorsal stripe; belly whitish with dark speckles. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a allegheny dusky salamander before you act. Compared with the northern dusky salamander: Robust with no straight pale dorsal stripe; belly whitish with dark speckles.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Near seepages, springs and small streams at lower elevations and in winter; more terrestrial at higher elevations, especially on the floor of spruce-fir forest. [1][2]

Often abundant on wet rock faces. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Active at all seasons in mild weather in the south; most active at night but diurnal activity is common. [1][2]

Climbs trees and shrubs while foraging and ambushes prey by sight; eats worms, beetles and fly larvae. [1][2]

Female stays with up to about 30 eggs laid in wet rock crevices or under rocks, logs or moss. [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Ridge and Valley ridges of southwestern Virginia, the Cumberland Mountains and Plateau, and the Allegheny Mountains and Plateau from West Virginia north through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, including the Adirondacks, to southern Quebec and southern Ontario.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology