Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Although red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) exhibit color polymorphism, the color variation that is most common in eastern Massachusetts is true to their name. Here you will likely find individuals with a red, or at least reddish, colored dorsal band running down their midline from the head to the tail (the alternative color variation is sometimes referred to as the “lead-backed” form and is darker in coloration, lacking most or all of the distinctive red pigmentation). The sides of their bodies…