Desmognathus
Desmognathus is a genus of lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae known as dusky salamanders. They range throughout the eastern United States as far west as Texas, and north to southeastern Canada.
Characteristics
Species of the genus Desmognathus have a unique jaw-opening mechanism where the lower jaw is stationary and the skull swings open. There are additional stalked condyles, an atlanto-mandibular ligament, along with other skeletal and musculature features that have evolved to accompany this type of jaw-opening mechanism. Additionally, they are known to exhibit maternal care by brooding over their eggs.Species
This genus includes the following 39-40 species:| Binomial Name and Author | Common name |
| Desmognathus abditus Anderson & Tilley, 2003 | Cumberland dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus adatsihi | Cherokee mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus aeneus Brown & Bishop, 1947 | Seepage salamander |
| Desmognathus amphileucus Bishop, 1941 | Nantahala blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus anicetus | Foothills dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus apalachicolae Means & Karlin, 1989 | Apalachicola dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus aureatus | Golden shovelnose salamander |
| Desmognathus auriculatus | Holbrook's southern dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus bairdi | Piedmont dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus balsameus | Great Balsams mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus brimleyorum Stejneger, 1895 | Ouachita dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus campi | Savannah dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus carolinensis Dunn, 1916 | Carolina mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus catahoula | Catahoula spotted dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus cheaha | Talladega seal salamander |
| Desmognathus conanti Rossman, 1958 | Spotted dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002 | Dwarf blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus fuscus | Northern dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus gvnigeusgwotli | Cherokee blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus imitator Dunn, 1927 | Imitator salamander |
| Desmognathus intermedius | Central shovelnose salamander |
| Desmognathus kanawha | Kanawha blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus lycos | Wolf dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus marmoratus | Shovelnose salamander |
| Desmognathus mavrokoilius | Pisgah blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus monticola Dunn, 1916 | Seal salamander |
| Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope, 1859 | Allegheny mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus ocoee Nicholls, 1949 | Ocoee dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus orestes Tilley & Mahoney, 1996 | Blue Ridge dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus organi Crespi & Browne, 2010 | Northern pygmy salamander |
| Desmognathus pascagoula | Pascagoula dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus perlapsus | Tallulah dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus planiceps Newman, 1955 | Flat-headed salamander |
| Desmognathus quadramaculatus | Blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus santeetlah Tilley, 1981 | Santeetlah dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus tilleyi | Max Patch dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus valentinei Means, Lamb, and Bernardo, 2017 | Valentine's southern dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus valtos | Carolina swamp dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus welteri Barbour, 1950 | Black Mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus wrighti King, 1936 | Pygmy salamander |