The Courtship Behavior of the Santeetlah Dusky Salamander, Desmognathus santeetlah Tilley (Amphibia: Caudata: Plethodontidae)

We provide the first description of courtship behavior in the North American salamander Desmognathus santeetlah Tilley from the Great Smoky Mountains. As appears typical for the genus, the courtship of D. santeetlah is comprised of three phases: orientation of the male to the female, persuasion of the female by the male (especially through tactile and olfactory stimulation) and indirect sperm transfer by means of a spermatophore. The female is more likely to remain with the male during the last phase (tail‐straddle walk resulting in spermatophore deposition) if the preceding persuasion phase is long in duration. Behavioral elements in the courtship of D. santeetlah are broadly similar to those described in other congeneric species of medium body size.