Dunn's Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander

Two striped Plethodon salamanders that share streamsides and talus west of the Cascades; the young of both look much alike. A: An uneven stripe, its edges flecked with dark in the Dunn's Salamander; an even, straight-edged stripe in the Western Red-backed Salamander. B: The stripe fades out; the tail tip is dark in the Dunn's Salamander; the stripe runs right onto the tail in the Western Red-backed Salamander. C: Slate grey with fine pale and yellow flecks in the Dunn's Salamander; grey-blue, salt-and-pepper with white and yellow in the Western Red-backed Salamander. D: Yellowish flecks on dark sides in the Dunn's Salamander; fine pale flecks on the sides in the Western Red-backed Salamander. Dunn's is larger (to 6 in vs 4.5 in) and usually has 15 grooves along the side, the Western Red-backed 16. Grooves along the side (costal grooves) are counted in hand and described, not shown.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

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• Dunn's Salamander vs. Wandering Salamander
• Clouded Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• Cascade Torrent Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• Southern Torrent Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• Columbia Torrent Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• Del Norte Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• Larch Mountain Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• Oregon Slender Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
• California Slender Salamander vs. Western Red-backed Salamander
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