About Plethodon kentucki Mittleman, 1951
Plethodon kentucki, commonly called the Cumberland Plateau salamander, is a medium to large-sized terrestrial plethodontid salamander. It shares similar appearance and life history with the Northern slimy salamander, and the two species are sympatric. However, the Cumberland Plateau salamander has a slimmer body shape, and it has a light-colored chin located above the gular fold, while local slimy salamanders have dark chins. This species was first formally described in 1951. Its status as a valid species was questioned in 1955, and it was not confirmed as a valid species until 1983. It likely hybridizes with Plethodon glutinosus, and hybridization is common between this species and other members of the slimy salamander complex. It is distributed across the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky, western West Virginia, northern Tennessee, and western Virginia, and does not occur east of the Kanawha and New rivers.
