[1][2] It is named in honor of Richard White Wehrle (1852–1937), a jeweler, naturalist, and collector of the holotype.

[1][2][4] Populations in southwestern Virginia and northwestern North Carolina were reclassified as a distinct species, the Blacksburg salamander (P. jacksoni), which has been reaffirmed by a study published in 2019.

Its belly and the ventral surface of the tail are solid gray, and the throat and upper chest usually have white or yellowish blotches.

A large cluster of eggs is laid in early summer in damp logs, soils or moss, and in crevices in caves.

This species is found on forested hillsides in the Appalachian Plateau, where it hides by day beneath stones or rocks.