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Mississippi slimy salamander

Plethodon mississippi · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

Mississippi slimy salamander (Plethodon mississippi): Medium to large terrestrial salamander, about 4-6.5 in. Black to bluish-black with numerous white, yellow or brassy spots on back, tail and sides; heavy white lateral flecking in some; white spotting on chin and throat; plain belly. 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.

Scientific name
Plethodon mississippi
Family
Plethodontidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southwestern Kentucky, western Tennessee, western Alabama, most of Mississippi and a small part of southeastern Louisiana, west of the Tennessee River on the Coastal Plain. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Medium to large terrestrial salamander, about 4-6.5 in. [1][2]

Black to bluish-black with numerous white, yellow or brassy spots on back, tail and sides; heavy white lateral flecking in some; white spotting on chin and throat; plain belly. [1][2]

Cannot be told from other members of the slimy salamander complex by appearance alone. [1][2]

Compared with the other slimy salamanders (plethodon glutinosus complex): Identification based on appearance is impossible; range and genetics separate them. [1][2]

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a mississippi slimy salamander before you act. Compared with the other slimy salamanders (plethodon glutinosus complex): Identification based on appearance is impossible; range and genetics separate them.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Forested areas: maritime and river-bottom hardwoods and pine forests; under rotting logs, branches, rocks, leaf litter, in rock crevices, caves and rubbish piles. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Forages on the surface at night or in rain but typically stays near its burrow; adults defend small territories. [1][2]

Terrestrial breeder with no aquatic larval stage; females guard 1-33 eggs from a cavity roof through 2-3 months of development. [1][2]

Sticky tail secretion deters predators; goes underground in dry or freezing weather. [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

Southwestern Kentucky, western Tennessee, western Alabama, most of Mississippi and a small part of southeastern Louisiana, west of the Tennessee River on the Coastal Plain. Not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

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

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (Outdoor Alabama) · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (Outdoor Alabama)