Screening efforts at the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, have yielded a unique and diverse salamander fauna for the southern Appalachian Mio-Pliocene; including at least five taxa from three modern families (Ambystomatidae, Plethodontidae, and Salamandridae) supporting the woodland-pond interpretation of the site. All specimens represent the earliest record of their respective families in the Appalachian Mountains; with the Notophthalmus sp. vertebrae being the only Mio-Pliocene skeletal fossil known for the family Salamandridae in North America. Three types of plethodontid salamander are present, with one type representing the earliest known desmognathine. The desmognathine fossils lend credence to the 'Appalachian' origin of the clade in the Mio-Pliocene. The GFS salamander fauna is predominated by plethodontids; competition is inferred by the presence of several similarly large-sized taxa and is invoked to explain the presence of neotenic individuals in an otherwise amicable terrestrial environment.
","abstract_html":"<p>Screening efforts at the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, have yielded a unique and diverse salamander fauna for the southern Appalachian Mio-Pliocene; including at least five taxa from three modern families (Ambystomatidae, Plethodontidae, and Salamandridae) supporting the woodland-pond interpretation of the site. All specimens represent the earliest record of their respective families in the Appalachian Mountains; with the <em>Notophthalmus</em> sp. vertebrae being the only Mio-Pliocene skeletal fossil known for the family Salamandridae in North America. Three types of plethodontid salamander are present, with one type representing the earliest known desmognathine. The desmognathine fossils lend credence to the 'Appalachian' origin of the clade in the Mio-Pliocene. The GFS salamander fauna is predominated by plethodontids; competition is inferred by the presence of several similarly large-sized taxa and is invoked to explain the presence of neotenic individuals in an otherwise amicable terrestrial environment.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Boardman, Grant Stanley"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS (Master of Science)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-05-09T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-05-09T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:55Z","subjects":["Appalachian","Caudata","Mio-Pliocene","Salamander","Earth Sciences","Paleontology","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1790","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Boardman, Grant Stanley"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2009-05-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS (Master of Science)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Appalachian","Caudata","Mio-Pliocene","Salamander","Earth Sciences","Paleontology","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/3142/viewcontent/BoardmanG041309f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1790"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Screening efforts at the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, have yielded a unique and diverse salamander fauna for the southern Appalachian Mio-Pliocene; including at least five taxa from three modern families (Ambystomatidae, Plethodontidae, and Salamandridae) supporting the woodland-pond interpretation of the site. All specimens represent the earliest record of their respective families in the Appalachian Mountains; with the Notophthalmus sp. vertebrae being the only Mio-Pliocene skeletal fossil known for the family Salamandridae in North America. Three types of plethodontid salamander are present, with one type representing the earliest known desmognathine. The desmognathine fossils lend credence to the 'Appalachian' origin of the clade in the Mio-Pliocene. The GFS salamander fauna is predominated by plethodontids; competition is inferred by the presence of several similarly large-sized taxa and is invoked to explain the presence of neotenic individuals in an otherwise amicable terrestrial environment.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Salamanders of the Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Boardman, Grant Stanley"],"dc:date.issued":["2009-05-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Screening efforts at the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, have yielded a unique and diverse salamander fauna for the southern Appalachian Mio-Pliocene; including at least five taxa from three modern families (Ambystomatidae, Plethodontidae, and Salamandridae) supporting the woodland-pond interpretation of the site. All specimens represent the earliest record of their respective families in the Appalachian Mountains; with the Notophthalmus sp. vertebrae being the only Mio-Pliocene skeletal fossil known for the family Salamandridae in North America. Three types of plethodontid salamander are present, with one type representing the earliest known desmognathine. The desmognathine fossils lend credence to the 'Appalachian' origin of the clade in the Mio-Pliocene. The GFS salamander fauna is predominated by plethodontids; competition is inferred by the presence of several similarly large-sized taxa and is invoked to explain the presence of neotenic individuals in an otherwise amicable terrestrial environment.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/3142/viewcontent/BoardmanG041309f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1790"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["Appalachian","Caudata","Mio-Pliocene","Salamander","Earth Sciences","Paleontology","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"],"dc:title":["Salamanders of the Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS (Master of Science)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:55Z"}