Their vision is also excellent. Whether they are actually feeding on the plant material or on microbes that live on the vegetation is not currently understood. The generic names comes from their climbing abilities although some species spend much of their life on the ground. Unfortunately Aneides are not regularly available in captivity due to their rather small or fragmented ranges and some species are becoming increasingly rare due to habitat loss, especially in central California. A wonderfully patterned species with a network of green and black markings which renders it almost invisible against lichen- encrusted rocks.
Juveniles are identical in coloration to adults although they appear more plump.
The toes are more squared than in other Aneides . Occurs in southern Ohio, southwest Pennsylvania, extreme west Maryland, West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern Kentucky, central eastern Tennessee, extreme northeast Mississippi, northern Alabama, extreme northwest Georgia, northwest South Carolina and southwest North Carolina. Within its range populations are rather scattered and disjunct due to fairly specific habitat preferences. However, even in seemingly suitable habitats it may be absent and therefore other factors may play a part in distribution. With the aid of a torch and long cocktail stick, Erik Keyster and myself were able to capture a number of these salamanders in a sandstone rock area at 3,000m elevation in southern Tennessee this year.