{{Short description|Species of amphibian}} {{Speciesbox |image=Plethodon jacksoni.jpg | status = DD | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group |year=2023 |title=''Plethodon jacksoni'' |article-number= e.T152360261A152360335 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T152360261A152360335.en |access-date=2 March 2024}}</ref> |taxon=Plethodon jacksoni |authority=Newman, 1954 |synonyms_ref=<ref name=camp2019/> |synonyms=*''Plethodon wehrlei jacksoni'' <small>Cochran, 1961</small> *''Plethodon wehrlei'' (in part) <small>Highton, 1962</small> }}
The '''Blacksburg salamander''' ('''''Plethodon jacksoni''''') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.<ref name=camp2019>{{Cite journal|last1=Camp|first1=Carlos D.|last2=Pierson|first2=Todd W.|last3=Wooten|first3=Jessica A.|last4=Felix|first4=Zachary I.|date=2019-05-24|title=Re-evaluation of the Wehrle's salamander (''Plethodon wehrlei'' Fowler and Dunn) species group (Caudata: Plethodontidae) using genomic data, with the description of a new species|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4609.3.2|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4609|issue=3|pages=429–448|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4609.3.2|pmid=31717092 |s2cid=181533495 |issn=1175-5334|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It is endemic to the Southeastern United States, where it is restricted to a portion of the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia (and possibly neighboring portions of North Carolina). Its common name refers the town of Blacksburg, Virginia, as many specimens were initially found in the vicinity of the town.
== Description == ''Plethodon jacksoni'' is very similar in appearance to the Wehrle's salamander (''P. wehrlei'') in both proportions and color. It is slender in build, with a rounded head, large eyes, and a short snout. Males can reach up to {{Convert|13.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in total length ({{Convert|11.6|cm|in|abbr=on}} on average), with females up to {{Convert|13.3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|12.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} on average. Broadly speaking, ''P. jacksoni'' are larger than ''P. dixi'' and smaller than ''P. wehrlei''. Mature males have a prominent mental gland on the chin and swellings above the base of the tail, while females have proportionally longer bodies.<ref name="newman1954" />
The background color is dark bluish gray, with the back as the darkest part of the body. The throat and belly are lighter, though there is little consistency between specimens regarding the distribution of light coloration on the underside. Distinctive white blotches typically occur on the sides and limbs and sometimes encroach onto the belly. Silvery mottling and tiny white flecks may be present on the back and tail. Some individuals, including the holotype, have sparse but distinctive reddish-orange spots on the back.<ref name="newman1954" />
==Taxonomy== ''Plethodon jacksoni'' was formally described in 1954 based on several specimens collected from Montgomery County, Virginia. The species was named in honor of Herbert Jackson, a biologist at Virginia Tech.<ref name=newman1954>{{Cite journal|last=Newman|first=Walter B.|date=1954 |title=A New Plethodontid Salamander from Southwestern Virginia |journal=Herpetologica|volume=10|issue=1|pages=9–14 |issn=0018-0831|jstor=20171296}}</ref> Shortly after its initial description, it was considered to be a southern population of ''Plethodon wehrlei''<ref name=cochran1961>Cochran, D.M. (1961) [https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.26967 Type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the US National Museum]. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 220, 1–291.</ref><ref name=highton1962>Highton, R. (1962) Revision of North American salamanders of the genus Plethodon. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, 6, 235–367.</ref> and was lumped into that species for many years. A 2019 study once again recovered ''Plethodon jacksoni'' as a valid species according to the distinctiveness of its mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. In conjunction, this analysis found ''P. wehrlei'' to be a paraphyletic taxon.<ref name="camp2019" /><ref name=awjack>{{cite web |title=AmphibiaWeb - ''Plethodon jacksoni'' |url=https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Plethodon&where-species=jacksoni |website=amphibiaweb.org |access-date=28 September 2019}}</ref><ref name=awwehr>{{Cite web|url=https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4160=|title=AmphibiaWeb - ''Plethodon wehrlei''|website=amphibiaweb.org|access-date=28 September 2019}}</ref> This conclusion supports earlier genomic studies published in 2012<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Highton |first1=Richard |last2=Hastings |first2=Amy Picard |last3=Palmer |first3=Catherine |last4=Watts |first4=Richard |last5=Hass |first5=Carla A. |last6=Culver |first6=Melanie |last7=Arnold |first7=Stevan J. |date=2012 |title=Concurrent speciation in the eastern woodland salamanders (Genus Plethodon): DNA sequences of the complete albumin nuclear and partial mitochondrial 12s genes |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1055790311005318 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |language=en |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=278–290 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.018|pmid=22230029 |bibcode=2012MolPE..63..278H |url-access=subscription }}</ref> and 2018.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Kuchta |first1=Shawn R. |last2=Brown |first2=Ashley D. |last3=Highton |first3=Richard |date=2018 |title=Disintegrating over space and time: Paraphyly and species delimitation in the Wehrle's Salamander complex |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zsc.12281 |journal=Zoologica Scripta |language=en |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=285–299 |doi=10.1111/zsc.12281 |issn=0300-3256|url-access=subscription }}</ref> ''Plethodon jacksoni'' diverged from its closest relatives around 4.6 million years ago according to a 2018 estimate.<ref name=":0" />
Not all taxonomic issues within ''P. jacksoni'' were solved during the 2019 study: several other salamander populations were found to lie close to the Montgomery County specimens of ''P. jacksoni'', indicating that its geographic range and genetic diversity may be higher than previously considered. These additional potential populations of ''Plethodon jacksoni'' include the "southern ''wehrlei''" clade (which extends as far south as North Carolina) and "population 29" (from Roanoke County, Virginia).<ref name="camp2019" /><ref name=":0" /> It remains to be seen whether this broader notion of the species is natural or paraphyletic.<ref name="camp2019" />
== Habitat and distribution == The natural habitat of ''Plethodon jacksoni'' is temperate forest.<ref name="camp2019" /> It can be found sheltering under rocks and logs on dry hillsides during the late winter and early spring. Some members of the species live in caves, even during parts of the year where they are not observed on the surface.<ref name="newman1954" /> ''Plethodon jacksoni'' is most frequently observed in Montgomery County, Virginia, though it has also been reported from Giles, Craig, and possibly Pittsylvania counties.<ref name="newman1954" /> The "southern ''wehrlei''" salamander population, which may be closely related or within ''P. jacksoni'',<ref name="camp2019" /> occurs as far south as northwestern North Carolina (Stokes and Alleghany counties).<ref name=":0" /><ref name="camp2019" />
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Plethodon Category:Endemic amphibians of the United States Category:Ecology of the Appalachian Mountains Category:Amphibians described in 1954