Worth Hamilton Weller, an American herpetologist, discovered the new species during his sophomore/junior high school summer vacation in 1931.

[5] They have 17 trunk vertebrae, which makes them the shortest of the eastern small plethodontids, and two to seven vomerin teeth that are located in series.

[3] They are insectivores that feed on insects, including pseudoscorpions, orb-weaver spiders, ticks and mites, springtails, true bugs, butterflies and moths, flies, and beetles.

[7] Like other plethodontids, Weller's salamander produces a noxious skin secretion when threatened and sometimes goes immobile to convince a predator that the individual is already dead.

[8] Their range includes northwest North Carolina and portions of Tennessee and Virginia into which the mountains extend.

[10] These salamanders are generally found under logs, stones, and flat rocks in their preferred habitats.

The offspring show direct development with little to no evidence of gills being visible once the egg has hatched.

[12] Much of the salamander's range on Mount Rodgers is a national recreation area, and most of the land within the park is protected.

[13] The major threat to this species is habitat degradation and loss, mainly due to development and logging practices.