Cave salamanders are moderately small, thin-bodied salamanders with broad heads, large eyes, and relatively long legs. The background color is red, orange, or orange-yellow, and the body, tail, and legs are spotted with black. Additionally, the relatively large head is flattened and the eyes protrude well above the head. The underside of the body is lighter in color, often a pale red or orange, but occasionally nearly white with no markings The thin tail is 60-70 percent as long as the body and round in cross section. Cave salamanders have 13 – 14 costal grooves. One salamander that may be easily confused for the cave salamander is the dark-sided salamander, which has a longer tail and a series of black markings extending down the lateral surfaces.
Cave salamanders are restricted to the Ozark Plateau and Ozark foothills in Oklahoma reaching the Arkansas River at Camp Gruber. Their west to east distribution extends from northeastern Oklahoma almost to south-central Pennsylvania and north to south from southern Indiana to central Alabama. In general, the distribution follows a band of fractured limestone outcrops and limestone caves across the central-eastern United States.
Although cave salamanders can be found in the twilight regions of limestone caves, they are by no means restricted to those areas. They are common in limestone outcrops and on hillsides below limestone outcrops. During the day they seek refuge under rocks and in crevices in fractured limestone. At night they are active on the surface, but usually remain close to crevices. Breeding occurs during summer and eggs are deposited from September through October and possibly later. Females deposit clutches of 50 – 120 tiny eggs in pools of water in limestone caves and deep crevices containing water. The aquatic larvae grow and develop slowly, largely because breeding pools contain very little food and the water temperatures are relatively low. These pools also contain few predators. Larvae metamorphose when they reach a little more than one inch in length. Larvae feed on tiny invertebrates in the pools in which they live while adults feed on small insects and other arthropods.
Cave salamanders are medium-sized salamanders. Individuals can reach up to seven inches in total length but most are between four and six inches.
This species has a closed season and cannot be removed from the wild.