About Eurycea hillisi Wray, Means & Steppan, 2017
Eurycea hillisi was first formally described by Wray, Means, and Steppan in a 2017 study. Prior to this formal description, it was considered a population of the southeastern dwarf salamander (E. quadridigitata). This species is distinct for having only 4 toes on each of its hindlimbs. Across 20 observed individuals, Eurycea hillisi shows more consistent coloration than other plethodontids, with a copper or orange-brown body. Although it was not fully described until 2017, it was likely first documented by Lamb and Beamer during their 2012 study of four-toed evolution within the Eurycea genus. The species is named to honor American evolutionary biologist David Hillis. Hillis' dwarf salamander occurs in southern Alabama, the central Florida panhandle, and mid-central Georgia. To date, it has not been recorded east of the Ogeechee River basin in Georgia, or the Chipola and Choctawhatchee rivers in Florida. This salamander inhabits bay swamps, the upper ends and periphery of beaver ponds, isolated wetlands, streams, and seepage ravines. Documented locations that support this species include the Apalachicola National Forest, the Mobile Bay River Delta area, and the river basins mentioned earlier. Eurycea hillisi is most often found in Sphagnum moss, which provides the moisture and shelter required for its habitat.
