The Tellico salamander (Plethodon aureolus) is a small woodland salamander resembling Plethodon glutinosus found in mountainous and lowland regions of southeastern Tennessee and extreme southwestern North Carolina.

The chin is light-coloured and the sides have more concentrated yellow or white spotting.

This brassy coloration is the source of the specific name aureolus, Latin for "gilded" or "ornamented".

It ends with the deposition of a spermatophore by the male which is picked up by the female's cloacal lips.

Chemical cues are important in species recognition and prevention of interbreeding with P. oconaluftee.