Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (Green, 1827)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Plethodontidae > Subfamily: Hemidactyliinae > Genus: Gyrinophilus > Species: Gyrinophilus porphyriticus

Salamandra porphyritica Green, 1827, Contrib. Maclurian Lyc. Arts Sci., 1: 3. Syntypes: including USNM 3840 according to Pyron and Beamer, 2022, Zootaxa, 5134: 180, who designated it lectotype and rejected the neotype designaton of MCZ 35778 by Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 32. See comment by Tighe, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 654: 57. Type locality: "French Creek near Meadville, Crawford County, P[ennsylvani]a.", USA. Neotype from "a small spring-fed stream (flowing directly into French Creek) at Liberty and Linden streets, Meadville, Crawford Co[unty]., P[ennsylvani]a.", USA.

Triturus lutescens Rafinesque, 1832, Atlantic. J. and Friend of Knowledge, Philadelphia, 1: 121. Type(s): Not designated or known to exist. Type locality: "in West Kentucky in rocky limestone springs in the barrens or glades." Place on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Species Names in Zoology by Opinion 738, Anonymous, 1965, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 22: 167–168. Synonymy by Newcomer, 1961, Assoc. Southeast. Biol. Bull., 8: 21; Brandon, 1963, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 20: 210.

Salamandra salmonea Storer In Holbrook, 1838, N. Am. Herpetol., 3: 101. Holotype: Specimen figured in pl. 22. Type locality: "neighbourhood of Danvers, in Massachusetts, and . . . at the Green Mountains of Vermont", USA; corrected to "Vermont" by Storer, 1840, Boston J. Nat. Hist., 3: 58, who noted that the animal described was from Vermont, but implied that the animal illustrated by Holbrook could have come from "the neighbrohood of Danvers, Massachusetts"; restricted to "Vermont", USA by Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 45; this restriction rejected by Adler, 1976, Holbrook’s N. Am. Herpetol.: xli, who noted that the illustration is more likely based on specimens from Massachusetts, USA, and by Fouquette and Dubois, 2014, Checklist N.A. Amph. Rept.: 117, who rejected the restriction as invalid. (Note that Storer eplained the apparent conflict in 1840, which turns out to not be a conflict after all—DRF.) see discussion by Pyron and Beamer, 2022, Zootaxa, 5134: 157. Synonymy by Baird, 1850 "1849", J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 1: 287; Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 64.

Triton porphyriticus — Holbrook, 1842, N. Am. Herpetol., Ed. 2, 5: 83.

Pseudotriton salmoneus — Baird, 1850 "1849", J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 1: 287.

Spelerpes ? porphyritica — Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 46.

Spelerpes ? salmonea — Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 46.

Pseudotriton salmoneus — Baird, 1851, in Heck (ed.), Icon. Encycl. Sci. Lit. Art, 2: 287. 

Ambystoma salmoneum — Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854, Erp. Gen., 9: 110.

Amblystoma porphyriticum — Hallowell, 1856, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 8: 8. Based on specimens of Ambystoma texanum, according to Cope, 1868 "1867", Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 19: 206. Considered a synonym of Amblystoma microstomum by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 50.

Pseudotriton salmonea — Hallowell, 1858, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 3: 342.

Spelerpes salmoneus — Cope, 1866, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 6: 98.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus — Cope, 1869, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 21: 108.

Spelerpes porphyriticus — Smith, 1877, Tailed Amph.: 91; Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 64.

Geotriton porphyritica — Garman, 1884, Bull. Essex Inst., 16: 40.

Spelerpes danielsi Blatchley, 1901, Annu. Rep. Dept. Geol. Nat. Res. Indiana for 1900, 25: 760. Syntypes: MCZ 6638, 6639, according to Barbour and Loveridge, 1929, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 69: 339; MCZ 6638 designated lectotype by Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 56. Type locality: "Sevier County, Tennessee", USA; given as "side of Mt. Collins and at Indian Pass (Sevier County, Tennessee [USA]), at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 feet" by Brame and Gorham, 1972, Checklist Living & Fossil Salamand. World (Unpubl. MS): 181. Synonymy by Stejneger and Barbour, 1933, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 3: 15.

Gyrinophilus danielsi — Fowler and Dunn, 1917, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 69: 19; Conant, 1958, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. Cent. N. Am.: 242).

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus — Dunn, 1926, Salamanders Fam. Plethodontidae: 259.

Pseudotriton duryi Weller, 1930, Proc. Junior Soc. Nat. Hist. Cincinnati, 1: 29. Syntypes: MNHSC 499 a–g; USNM 84300 (formerly CSNM 499 d), designated lectotype by Walker and Weller, 1932, Copeia, 1932: 81–83. Type locality: "Cascade Caves, about ten miles from Grayson", Carter County, Kentucky, USA. Synonymy by Stejneger and Barbour, 1933, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 3: 15.

Gyrinophilus duryi — Weller, 1931, Proc. Junior Soc. Nat. Hist. Cincinnati, 2: 8.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus — Stejneger and Barbour, 1933, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 3: 15.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi — Stejneger and Barbour, 1933, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 3: 15.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi — Stejneger and Barbour, 1933, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 3: 15; Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 44.

Gyrinophilus danielsi duryi — King, 1939, Am. Midl. Nat., 21: 556.

Gyrinophilus dunni Mittleman and Jopson, 1941, Smithson. Misc. Collect., 101: 2. Holotype: USNM 113230, by original designation. Type locality: "campus of Clemson College, Clemson, Pickens County, S.C. (South Carolina), 700 feet altitude", USA. Synonymy by Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 365.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus inagnoscus Mittleman, 1942, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 20: 27. Holotype: USNM 115520, by original designation. Type locality: "Salt Creek, four miles southwest of Bloomingville, Good Hope Township, Hocking County, Ohio", USA. Corrected to "Salt Creek, 4 miles southwest of South Bloomingville, Salt Creek Township, Hocking County, Ohio", USA, by Condit, 1958, Copeia, 1958: 46–47. Distinctiveness from Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus rejected by Brandon, 1963, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 20: 210–211; and Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 31.

Gyrinophilus lutescens — Mittleman, 1942, Proc. New England Zool. Club, 20: 33–35.

Gyrinophilus danielsi danielsi — Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 361.

Gyrinophilus danielsi dunni — Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 365.

Gyrinophilus danielsi polystictus Reese, 1950, Nat. Hist. Misc., 63: 2. Holotype: FMNH 91108, by original designation. Type locality: "Mt. Mitchell, Yancey County, North Carolina at 6000 feet". Synonymy (with Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi) by Brandon, 1963, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 20: 210–211; Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 56.

Gyrinophilus danielsi polystictus — Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 47.

Pseudotriton porphyriticus — Organ, 1961, Herpetologica, 17: 53.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus — Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 29.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi — Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 56.

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus dunni — Brandon, 1966, Illinois Biol. Monogr., 35: 50.

English Names

Salmon-colored Salamander (Salamandra salmonea [no longer recognized]: Storer, 1839, Rep. Ichthyol. Herpetol. Massachusetts: 248; Storer, 1840, Boston J. Nat. Hist., 3: 58; De Kay, 1842, Zool. New York, 1(3): 76).

Grey-spotted Triton (Triton porphyriticus: De Kay, 1842, Zool. New York, 1(3): 85).

Neotenic Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus lutescens [no longer recognized]: Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46),

Kentucky Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus lutescens [no longer recognized]: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174).

Salmon Triton (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus: Yarrow, 1882, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 24: 22).

Porphyritic Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus: Rhoads, 1895, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 47: 401; Fowler, 1907, Annu. Rep. N.J. State Mus. for 1906: 62).

Daniel's Salamander (Gyrinophilus danielsi [no longer recognized]: Brimley, 1907, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc., 23: 152).

Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus: Fowler, 1907, Annu. Rep. N.J. State Mus. for 1906: 62; Brimley, 1907, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc., 23: 152; Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46),

Purplish Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus: Brimley, 1915, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc., 30: 6).

Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174; Collins, Huheey, Knight, and Smith, 1978, Herpetol. Circ., 7: 6; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 31; Collins, 1997, Herpetol. Circ., 25: 7; Crother, Boundy, Campbell, de Queiroz, Frost, Highton, Iverson, Meylan, Reeder, Seidel, Sites, Taggart, Tilley, and Wake, 2001 "2000", Herpetol. Circ., 29: 24; Tilley, Highton, and Wake, 2012, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 39: 28; Powell, Conant, and Collins, 2016, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. North Am., 4th ed.: 69; Highton, Bonett, and Jockusch, 2017, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 43: 29).

Mountain Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi: Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 361; Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46).

Blue Ridge Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi: Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46).

Blue Ridge Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174; Collins, Huheey, Knight, and Smith, 1978, Herpetol. Circ., 7: 6; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 31; Collins, 1997, Herpetol. Circ., 25: 7; Crother, Boundy, Campbell, de Queiroz, Frost, Highton, Iverson, Meylan, Reeder, Seidel, Sites, Taggart, Tilley, and Wake, 2001 "2000", Herpetol. Circ., 29: 24; Tilley, Highton, and Wake, 2012, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 39: 28; Powell, Conant, and Collins, 2016, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. North Am., 4th ed.: 69; Highton, Bonett, and Jockusch, 2017, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 43: 29).

Mountain Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi: Conant, 1975, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. Cent. N. Am., Ed. 2: 285).

Carolina Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus dunni: Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 365; Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46).

Carolina Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus dunni: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174; Collins, Huheey, Knight, and Smith, 1978, Herpetol. Circ., 7: 6; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 31; Collins, 1997, Herpetol. Circ., 25: 7; Crother, Boundy, Campbell, de Queiroz, Frost, Highton, Iverson, Meylan, Reeder, Seidel, Sites, Taggart, Tilley, and Wake, 2001 "2000", Herpetol. Circ., 29: 24; Powell, Conant, and Collins, 2016, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. North Am., 4th ed.: 69; Highton, Bonett, and Jockusch, 2017, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 43: 29).

Dunn's Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus dunni: Conant, 1975, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. Cent. N. Am., Ed. 2: 285).

Kentucky Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi: Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 370; Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46).

Kentucky Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174; Conant, 1975, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. Cent. N. Am., Ed. 2: 284; Collins, Huheey, Knight, and Smith, 1978, Herpetol. Circ., 7: 6; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 31; Collins, 1997, Herpetol. Circ., 25: 7; Crother, Boundy, Campbell, de Queiroz, Frost, Highton, Iverson, Meylan, Reeder, Seidel, Sites, Taggart, Tilley, and Wake, 2001 "2000", Herpetol. Circ., 29: 24; Powell, Conant, and Collins, 2016, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. North Am., 4th ed.: 69; Highton, Bonett, and Jockusch, 2017, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 43: 29).

Ohio Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus inagnoscus) [no longer recognized]: Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 373; Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46).

Ohio Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus inagnoscus) [no longer recognized]: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174).

Mount Mitchell Spring Salamander ( Gyrinophilus porphyriticus polystictus [no longer recognized]: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174).

Northeastern Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus: Bishop, 1943, Handb. Salamanders: 367).

Northern Purple Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus: Schmidt, 1953, Check List N. Am. Amph. Rept., Ed. 6: 46).

Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus: Conant, Cagle, Goin, Lowe, Neill, Netting, Schmidt, Shaw, Stebbins, and Bogert, 1956, Copeia, 1956: 174; Conant, 1975, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. Cent. N. Am., Ed. 2: 284; Collins, Huheey, Knight, and Smith, 1978, Herpetol. Circ., 7: 7; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 31; Collins, 1997, Herpetol. Circ., 25: 7; Crother, Boundy, Campbell, de Queiroz, Frost, Highton, Iverson, Meylan, Reeder, Seidel, Sites, Taggart, Tilley, and Wake, 2001 "2000", Herpetol. Circ., 29: 24; Powell, Conant, and Collins, 2016, Field Guide Rept. Amph. E. North Am., 4th ed.: 69; Highton, Bonett, and Jockusch, 2017, in Crother (ed.), Herpetol. Circ., 43: 29).

Distribution

Western Maine (USA) and adjacent Canada, south along the Appalachian uplift to northern Georgia, northern Alabama, and northeastern Mississippi (USA).

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Canada, United States of America, United States of America - Alabama, United States of America - Connecticut, United States of America - Georgia, United States of America - Kentucky, United States of America - Maine, United States of America - Maryland, United States of America - Massachusetts, United States of America - Mississippi, United States of America - New Hampshire, United States of America - New Jersey, United States of America - New York, United States of America - North Carolina, United States of America - Ohio, United States of America - Pennsylvania, United States of America - Rhode Island, United States of America - South Carolina, United States of America - Tennessee, United States of America - Vermont, United States of America - Virginia, United States of America - West Virginia

Comment

See detailed accounts by Brandon, 1967, Cat. Am. Amph. Rept., 33: 1–3, and Petranka, 1998, Salamand. U.S. Canada: 282–287. Adams and Beachy, 2001, Herpetologica, 57: 353–364, reported on morphometric variation and regarded this taxon as a species complex. Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 233–234, provided brief accounts by subspecies, photographs, and map. Weller and Cebek, 1991, Herpetol. Rev., 22: 24, provided records, including the most northerly in North America, for Quebec, Canada. Beachy, 2005, in Lannoo (ed.), Amph. Declines: 776–778, provided a detailed account that summarized the biology and conservation literature. Fouquette and Dubois, 2014, Checklist N.A. Amph. Rept.: 116, suggested that three tree shown in Bonett, Steffen, Lambert, Wiens, and Chippindale, 2014 "2013", Evolution, 68: 472, suggests that Gyrinophilus palleucus, Gyrinophilus gulolineatus, and Gyrinophilus porphyriticus are conspecific (apparently under the reproductive species concept), when the tree topology is also consistent with the Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (sensu lato) being a species complex. For this reason the taxonomic novelties of Fouquette and Dubois, 2014, Checklist N.A. Amph. Rept.: 116, are not followed. Altig and McDiarmid, 2015, Handb. Larval Amph. US and Canada: 121, provided an account of larval morphology and biology. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 513–519, provided subspecies account, summarizing systematics, life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map). Tighe, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 654: 34–35, noted the current location of paratypes of Gyrinophilus dunni, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus inagnoscus, and (p. 55) Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi. 

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