Description: 3-5 in. (7-12.5 cm). A medium-sized salamander with a laterally compressed tail. Coloration is uniformly dark brown or black with two distinct rows of whitish or orange spots on sides.  Stomach is generally dark with whitish spots. Most easily distinguished from the Northern Dusky Salamander by range, habitat, and a darker underside.
Range and Habitat: The Southern Dusky Salamander is a Coastal Plain species in North Carolina. They are usually  found near cypress ponds, stagnant pools in flood plains and coastal swamps.  Commonly found in environments full of decomposing organic material that is acidic and mucky.
Breeding: Female Southern Dusky Salamanders lay 9 to 20 eggs in moss or rotting wood near water in summer. She guards the eggs until they hatch into aquatic larvae. Larvae transform the following spring.

Range of the Southern Dusky Salamander in the Carolinas and Virginia