District of Columbia Code Division I. Government of District. § 1-166. Official amphibian of the District of Columbia.

(a) The red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is a species of salamander in the class of amphibians found throughout the eastern and Appalachian regions of the United States, including in most wooded areas in the District of Columbia.

(b) Red-backed salamanders eat insects, which helps control pests and maintain the balance of the ecosystem.

(c) The red-backed salamander is increasingly recognized as a model organism for a variety of biological subdisciplines, including terrestrial ecology, amphibian ecology, evolutionary biology, regeneration, ecotoxicology, and animal behavior, in part due to its ubiquity and abundance throughout northeastern North America

(d) The red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is hereby designated the official amphibian of the District of Columbia.