Desmognathus welteri
Barbour, 1950
Powell Co., Kentucky. May 8, 2006
On one side of a clear, gravel-bottomed creek was a low seep, choked with mud and leaves. It looked like a good spot for a mud salamander, and when I poked through it, I came up with a Black Mountain salamander instead. They are one of the larger desmognathids, and sturdy, putting me in mind of the related Blackbellied Salamander (Desmognathus quadramaculata). Hard to catch, and a bit nippy too!
