redbacked

Redbacked, often written red-backed, is a descriptive term used in the common names of several animal species to indicate a reddish coloration along the dorsal surface. The term is not a taxonomic grouping but a feature that appears across diverse lineages, including birds, mammals, and amphibians.

Common examples include the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), a small, lungless salamander native to eastern North America; the red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi), a medium-sized rodent found in boreal forests of North America; and the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio), a migratory songbird of Europe and Asia. These examples illustrate how the descriptor is used to highlight a distinctive back coloration rather than to denote a single evolutionary lineage.

Coloration can vary within populations, and the back may range from bright red to more muted, brownish-red tones; in some species certain sexes or life stages may display the red dorsal marking more prominently than others. The term redbacked is thus a descriptive label that helps with identification but does not imply a shared taxonomy among the species it accompanies.

In summary, redbacked is a nomenclatural descriptor applied to various taxa that exhibit a red or reddish back, reflecting appearance rather than a unified biological group.