- (a) The red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is a species of salamander in the class of amphibians found throughout the eastern and Appalachian regions of the United States, including in most wooded areas in the District of Columbia.
- (b) Red-backed salamanders eat insects, which helps control pests and maintain the balance of the ecosystem.
- (c) The red-backed salamander is increasingly recognized as a model organism for a variety of biological subdisciplines, including terrestrial ecology, amphibian ecology, evolutionary biology, regeneration, ecotoxicology, and animal behavior, in part due to its ubiquity and abundance throughout northeastern North America
- (d) The red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is hereby designated the official amphibian of the District of Columbia.
History
May 19, 2017, D.C. Law 21-282, § 103
Dec. 17, 2024, D.C. Law 25-251, § 2