While out today I found a dusky not quite like the rest. Wondering if it is just a pretty northern or some other species. The range maps I've seen don't really show any other species of duskies in my immediate area (Lexington). So what do you guys think?
The pictures make it look a lot darker than it actually was. The pattern was a very light shade of red almost.
OMG ANOTHER DUSKY THREAD! (pretty northern?)
Moderator: Scott Waters
Re: OMG ANOTHER DUSKY THREAD! (pretty northern?)
I'm quoting my response to the photos on facebook here so non-elliot people can see:
me wrote:My SE Salamander guide gives conflicting accounts. In the entry for an irrelevant dusky species it says that species differs from northerns in that northerns have a "salt and pepper" belly. The actual entry for northerns says that they have a solid belly with no markings, which is what I've seen up north. The southern is described as having sometimes a gray belly with white flecks which is what you took a picture of.
I would not describe it as "salt and pepper" -- that is a term we usually use with red-backed salamanders that have no background color to the belly, it's an even mix if white, grey, and darker gray specks.