About Plethodon hoffmani Highton, 1972
The valley and ridge salamander (Plethodon hoffmani Highton, 1972) is a terrestrial salamander with a total length ranging from 80 to 137 millimetres (3.1 to 5.4 inches). This species has a slender build with short legs, a long tail, and 21 costal grooves. Its dorsum is dark brown to blackish with scattered whitish or brassy flecks, while its venter is dark with mottling, most noticeably on the chin.
The natural habitat of the valley and ridge salamander is the hardwood forests of the Valley and Ridge province of the Appalachian Mountains, found at elevations up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft). This species occurs in the Appalachians from the Susquehanna River Valley in central Pennsylvania, through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia, and south to the New River in southwestern Virginia.
This species lives in terrestrial valley and ridge physiography, generally in mature hardwood forests with well-drained soils. It lays eggs in moist cavities, and eggs develop directly without a larval stage. Individual valley and ridge salamanders can be found under logs and rocks, and tolerate cool weather well. In wet weather, they forage in leaf litter, and retreat to damp covered areas as the surface dries. They tend to occur on slightly drier slopes than their close relative, the red-backed salamander.
