When Atlas of Amphibians in Tennessee (Redmond and Scott 1996) was published, P. jordani in Tennessee, and elsewhere, was considered a highly variable species whose morphological variants were best not recognized taxonomically (Highton 1962).  Subsequently, Highton and Peabody (2000) concluded that the complex includes seven species, three of which (P. jordani, P. montanus, and P. shermani) are known from Tennessee.  Based on distribution data given by Highton and Peaybody (2000) for each of these species, records for the complex plotted in the Atlas from Green, Unicoi, and Carter counties represent P. montanus; those from Monroe County represent P. shermani; and the remainder (from Blount, Sevier and Cocke counties) are for P. jordani.  Highton and Peabody (2000) also cite a record for P. montanus from the North Carolina-Tennessee border on the Watauga-Johnson county line. The most current distribution maps for the species of this complex in Tennessee are provided by Niemiller and Reynolds (2011).

 Literature Cited

Highton, R.  1962.  Revision of North American salamanders of the genus Plethodon.  Bulletin of the Florida State Museum 6:235-367.

Highton, R. and R. B. Peabody.  2000.  Geographic protein variation and speciation in salamanders of the Plethodon jordani and Plethodon glutinosus complexes in the southern Appalachian Mountains with the description of four new species.  Pp. 31-93 In R.C. Bruce, R.G. Jaeger, and L.D. Houck (Eds.), The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, NY.

Niemiller and R. G. Reynolds (eds.).  2011.  The amphibians of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. 369 pp.

Redmond, W. H. and A. F. Scott.  1996.  Atlas of amphibians in Tennessee.  Miscellaneous Publication No. 12, The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. 

Cocke County 

Reynolds R. G. 2011. Northern Gray-Cheeked Salamander. Pp. 235-238 In M. L. Niemiller and R. G. Reynolds (eds.), The amphibians of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. 369 pp.

Highton, R. and R. B. Peabody.  2000.  Geographic protein variation and speciation in salamanders of the Plethodon jordani and Plethodon glutinosus complexes in the southern Appalachian Mountains with the description of four new species.  Pp. 31-93 In R. C. Bruce, R. G. Jaeger, and L. D. Houck (Eds.), The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, NY.