Dusky salamanders are widely spread across the eastern states of Canada and the USA. There are around ten species. The dusky salamander belongs to the desmognathus genus, which most commonly lives in and around streams, often living in wet rock crevices. Desmognathus wrighti, one of the smallest of this genus, primarily lives in leaf litter on woodland floors.

The desmognathus genus belongs to the plethodontidae family, which in turn is part of the salamandriodea superfamily which covers the salamanders that developed more recently than the initial salamander groupings. The more recently-evolved salamanders use internal fertilization, in which the male's spermataphore is taken into the female during the courtship ritual.

The dusky salamander is a lungless salamander, oxygen being absorbed through the skin and the lining of its mouth. For this purpose, the salamander needs to keep its skin moist to allow the oxygen to dissipate into the blood vessels near the skin surface. Though amphibious, lungless salamanders need to stay in moist areas or only emerge when the air is cool, often at night, or in wet weather. In captivity, temperatures for most salamanders are best maintained around or below the mid-60s Fahrenheit.

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