About Desmognathus marmoratus (Moore, 1899)
The shovelnose salamander, scientifically named Desmognathus marmoratus (Moore, 1899), is a robust, broad-bodied species with a relatively short tail. Adult individuals reach a total length between 3.5 and 5 inches, or 9 to 12.5 centimeters. It gets its common name from the shape of its snout, which has a more squared-off end than the snouts of other species in its genus. The species typically has a dusky brown, grey, or black base color, marked with two longitudinal rows of small pale patches and many additional smaller pale speckles. Its underside is usually grey in color. This salamander is distributed across the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States, at elevations ranging from 300 to 1,680 meters (980 to 5,510 feet) above sea level. Provisionally, its range is thought to extend from southern Virginia, through North Carolina, to South Carolina. Populations found in Tennessee and Georgia are currently considered to belong to the species Desmognathus aureatus and Desmognathus melanius, though this classification remains debated. It inhabits shallow flowing water, including rapids and riffles, over gravel and rocky substrates, and does not occur in streams that are silted.
