A High-Frequency Erythristic Population of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in Kennebec County, Maine

Gregory D. LeClair^1,* and Matthew W.H. Chatfield¹

¹School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, 5751 Murray Hall, Orono, ME 04469. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 1 (2024): N1–N3

First published early online: 12 March 2024

Abstract
Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamander) exhibit multiple color morphs. An uncommon morph of ecological interest is the erythristic morph, where individuals are mostly or entirely red. Populations occasionally obtain high frequencies of erythrism, which may be indicative of an adaptive benefit. Only 5 populations containing erythristic individuals have previously been documented in Maine, and those have occurred in low numbers; denser populations have been mostly limited to southern New England. Here, we report a sixth population; we found 3 erythristic individuals during a survey of a woodlot in Kennebec County, ME, after adjacent landowners submitted photos documenting several erythristic morphs. The sightings indicate a relatively dense population of erythristic morphs for Maine. Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt), a suspected model for Batesian mimicry by erythristic Red-backed Salamanders, have not yet been documented at this site.

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