Plethodon

Plethodon is part of the family Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders) and the subfamily Plethodontinae. The genus Plethodon can be divided into two subgenera: the nominal subgenus Plethodon, which includes up to 49 eastern species (the bulk of diversity in the genus), and the subgenus Hightonia, which includes 9 species native to the western part of North America. The eastern Plethodon subgenus can be further categorized into at least three major species groups which genetic analyses confirm to be clades: • The Plethodon cinereus group, • The '''Plethodon welleri group''' • One difficult-to-classify species is Webster's salamander, which may lie among the wehrlei-welleri group or the glutinosus group, or outside both groups, depending on the study. ==List of species==

As of 2024 there are up to 58 species in the genus Plethodon. Most are native to eastern and central North America, with the Appalachian Mountains having the highest diversity. Seven species live along the West Coast, one (P. idahoensis) in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, and one (P. neomexicanus) in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. All 58 Plethodon species listed in alphabetical order of specific name: Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Plethodon. ==Intrinsic Phylogeny==

Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus Plethodon. ==References==