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Southern zigzag salamander

Plethodon ventralis · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

Southern zigzag salamander (Plethodon ventralis): Small, 2.5-3.5 in; sides brown to dark gray with a yellowish or orange stripe down the back that may be straight, wavy or lobed. Brownish-gray unstriped morph occurs; small white flecks on back and sides give a metallic look. 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 ventralis
Family
Plethodontidae
In North America
Native
Range
Illinois and Indiana south to north and central Alabama, mainly in the Southwestern Appalachians and Interior Plateau uplands. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Small, 2.5-3.5 in; sides brown to dark gray with a yellowish or orange stripe down the back that may be straight, wavy or lobed. [1][2]

Brownish-gray unstriped morph occurs; small white flecks on back and sides give a metallic look. [1][2]

Belly gray or black, mottled or speckled with orange or red; most Alabama specimens have 18 costal grooves. [1][2]

Compared with the webster's salamander: Basically identical in appearance; separated by geographic range and genetics, and in P. websteri the stripe tends to be wavy only on the front half of the body. [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 southern zigzag salamander before you act. Compared with the webster's salamander: Basically identical in appearance; separated by geographic range and genetics, and in P. websteri the stripe tends to be wavy only on the front half of the body.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Upland rocky hardwood woodlands, ravines, seepages, rubble and cave mouths; often under rotten logs and rocks. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Forages on the forest floor for small invertebrates. [1][2]

Completely terrestrial with no aquatic larval stage; nests presumably in subterranean cavities in summer. [1][2]

Found under rocks, logs or leaves by day. [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

Illinois and Indiana south to north and central Alabama, mainly in the Southwestern Appalachians and Interior Plateau uplands. 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)