Salamandra, Garsault, 1764

Pyron, R. Alexander & Beamer, David A., 2022, A nomenclatural and taxonomic review of the salamanders (Urodela) from Holbrook’s North American Herpetology, Zootaxa 5134 (2), pp. 151-196 : 173-174

Salamandra “Haldemani” Holbrook, 1840:125, pl. 28

[= nomen dubium]

For the final salamander and last account of the initially overlooked fourth volume of the first edition, Holbrook (1840) gave an ambiguous description of a new species based on specimens he had received from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. One specimen in particular came from S. S. Haldeman, collected from “the borders” of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, for whom Holbrook named the species. There are thus numerous primary syntypes, one of which was illustrated by Thomas M. Logan, M.D. in modest detail. The description and illustration were reproduced essentially verbatim by Holbrook (1842e:58, pl. 18). Schmidt (1953) restricted the type locality to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, without further justification. None of the type series was ever noted to exist by later authors or encountered by us; Mittleman (1966) stated that the specimen figured may be fixed as the holotype, but Holbrook gave no indication of this.

This name is yet a nomen dubium; Cope (1889) reported that Baird considered it to be a synonym of Salamandra bislineata Green, 1818 . This was repeated by Dunn (1926), who stated that it was based on a transforming larva, which was accepted by Mittleman (1966). However, Fowler (1906) notes that the description of the pattern and length of the tail do not match the Northern Two-lined Salamander; furthermore, the total length is given as 4 inches, much larger than metamorphosing Eurycea . Instead, Fowler notes (and we agree) that the color pattern and size match S. fusca Green, 1818 more closely. Therefore, it is more likely that this taxon represents Northern Dusky Salamanders than Northern Two-lined Salamanders, or perhaps a mixture of the two, possibly including metamorphosing larvae of one or both species.

While the first edition was popular and well-received, Holbrook remained dissatisfied with its presentation and organization, and immediately commenced a second edition with many new illustrations (see Worthington and Worthington 1976). In it ( Holbrook 1842e), he reprinted all of the accounts from the first edition (often with changes or additions as noted above), and added 14 additional accounts and descriptions, two of them new. These are:

Salamandra “ Jeffersoniana ” Green, 1827

Holbrook (1842e:51, pl. 14) gave a brief account of the Jefferson Salamander ( Ambystoma jeffersonianum ), which he stated he had never seen. He also stated that the rough illustration by J. Queen was copied from T. R. Peale’s original drawing of the holotype figured in Green (1827). Recent evidence suggests that this specimen is extant, USNM 3968 (see Pyron and Beamer 2020: figs. 9, 10). Thus, Holbrook figured a specimen that is still extant but which he never saw, a condition that also potentially holds for USNM 3968, USNM 3981, USNM 3840, and MNHN-RA0.7871 (see accounts below).