Data to support an updated range map for Plethodon shenandoah and evaluating support for multiple models of species occurrence (ver. 2.0, August 2025)

The Shenanadoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) is an endangered salamander found only in the mountains of Shenandoah National Park. Field surveys of the salamander were conducted from 2007-2022 using daytime cover object surveys. In order to capture the totality of P. shendandoah’s range we sampled from low to high elevation across a broad geographic range. We created a spatial generalized additive model with aspect, latitude, longitude, and elevation and heat load index (HLI) to predict salamander occupancy and create a new range map based on our extended surveys. All spatial covariates were extracted from a 15m digital elevation model layer of Shenandoah National Park. Temperature and precipitaiton data were extracted at sampling locations from PRISM Climate Group datasets. We also used these data to evaluate support for multiple hypotheses of species occurrence and evaluated the ability of models to predict field observations over time.

First release: 2024
Revised: August 2025 (ver. 2.0)