However, a 2008 study found D. auriculatus as previously defined to be polyphyletic, with many populations being assigned to this species on the basis of similar morphology; for example, Texas populations were found to belong to the spotted dusky salamander (D. conanti).

[5] Desmognathus fuscus carri was a subspecies of the northern dusky salamander thought to have existed in peninsular Florida prior to its unexplained disappearance in the 1970s.

A 2021 phylogenetic analysis found it to belong to D. auriculatus sensu stricto, albeit being a distinct genetic lineage of it.

[5] Holbrook's southern dusky salamander prefers tannic, swampy areas near ponds or on the flood plain of streams and rivers.

Breeding takes place in the fall months, and females lay eggs in moist, sheltered areas of ground debris.