salamander is lungless and respires through its skin and the lining of its mouth. They also have a naso-labial groove and a relatively immoveable lower jaw which allows them to force their way under objects. As with all species in Desmognathus, they have a pale line running diagonally from the eye to the angle of the jaw. This line may be hard to see in older, darker adults. Their hind legs are larger and stouter than the forelegs. Their body is short and stout and they are good jumpers, often used as an escape. According to the phylogenetic tree, the seepage salamander branched deep within the tree of the Desmognathus species. D. aeneus is a sister group to all species of Desmognathus except D. wrighti, which is an outgroup. D. aeneus and D. wrighti have distinct character differences from the rest of the Desmognathus species. They are the smallest species, direct-developers, and the most terrestrial, with all other species being semi-aquatic or aquatic. Since these two species branch the earliest, evolution has moved toward larger body size, lengthened larval periods, and more aquatic habitats within Desmognathus. Geographic distribution Seepage salamanders get their name from the seepages where they are often found. However, they are also found near streams and under leaf litter, leaf mold, and rotten logs. They are a terrestrial species. Seepage salamanders are distributed in southeast Tennessee, southwest North Carolina, northern Georgia, and central to northern Alabama. They are found in Monroe and Polk counties in Tennessee; Fannin, Pickens, Towns, and Union counties in Georgia; Oconee County in South Carolina; and Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon, and Swain counties in North Carolina. In Alabama, they can be found in Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Tallapoosa counties. They also might be found in Cherokee, Chilton, Etowah, Hale, and Tuscaloosa counties in Alabama, but may be extirpated from these locales. Populations have a disjunct distribution and are highly localized. There is an isolated colony in western Alabama, and one in northeastern Georgia. Populations are found at elevations ranging from . However, in the colony in northeastern Georgia they can be found as low as . Ecology The seepage salamander does not experience much competition from other species of salamanders due to its habitat. Because it is a terrestrial salamander, it is not disturbed by the semi-aquatic and aquatic salamanders. Almost all other Desmognathus species are found at closer distances to streams. The