[2] It is found in four widely disjunct populations: one in central Louisiana; one in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma; one in central Missouri; and one from southeastern Tennessee, to southwestern North Carolina, western Georgia, and eastern Alabama.

It was once considered a subspecies of the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus.

The southern red-backed salamander is typically gray or black in color, with a red-brown, fading stripe across the width of its back.

[3] Mostly nocturnal, it is often found under ground debris in moist, forested areas.

In dry seasons, it moves closer to permanent water sources.