Plethodon ainsworthi Lazell, 1998
Ainsworth’s salamander, Bay Springs salamander
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
This taxon may be invalid as morphological distortion may have taken place due to improper preservation of the types (Himes & Beckett, 2013; NatureServe, 2026).
"This species was considered a synonym of Plethodon mississippi by Himes and Beckett (2013). It was tentatively resurrected from this synonymy by Pierson et al. (2020). This species is currently recognized as valid, although further taxonomic work is recommended."
(NatureServe, 2026)
Conservation Status
Extinct (IUCN SSC ASG, 2023; NatureServe, 2026)
Last (and only) record: 12 June 1964 (Lazell, 1998)
IUCN RedList status: Extinct
Distribution & Habitat
"two miles south of Bay Springs, Jasper County, Mississippi, USA" (Hammerson, 2004)
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Only known from two specimens (Lazell, 1998; Hammerson, 2004)
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Lazell, J. (1998). New salamander of the genus Plethodon from Mississippi. Copeia 1998: 967-970.
Other references:
Blackburn, L., Nanjappa, P. and Lannoo, M. J. (2001). An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.
Hammerson, Geoffrey. (2004a). Plethodon ainsworthi. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 17 February 2013.
Hammerson, Geoffrey. (2004b). Plethodon ainsworthi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T29488A9501575. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T29488A9501575.en. Accessed on 02 July 2022.
Himes, John G. and Beckett, David C. (2013). The Status of Plethodon ainsworthi Lazell: Extinct, Extant, or Nonexistent? Southeastern Naturalist 12(4): 851-856. [Abstract]
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2023). Plethodon ainsworthi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T29488A197853547. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T29488A197853547.en. Accessed on 15 September 2026.
NatureServe. (2026). Plethodon ainsworthi: Bay Springs Salamander. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer [web application]. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available at: https://explorer.natureserve.org/ [Accessed on 15 September 2026]
Nicholson, K. E. (ed.). (2025). Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Ninth Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 87 pp.
Pierson, T. W., Kieran,T. J., Clause, A. G. and Castleberry, N. L. (2020). Preservation-induced morphological change in salamanders and failed DNA extraction from a decades-old museum specimen: Implications for Plethodon ainsworthi. Journal of Herpetology 54: 137-143.
Regalado, Pedro Galán. (2015). Los Anfibios y Reptiles Extinguidos: Herpetofauna Desaparecida Desde el Año 1500. Monografías de la Universidade da Coruña 155: 1-509.
https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/10341/plethodon-ainsworthi