In May 2023, herpetologists from six countries converged at the 8th Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders in Hammond, Louisiana to share their latest cutting-edge research. The conference was hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University. Dr. Richard Bruce was the honoree. The presentations covered a diverse array of topics from gene expression to behavior to speciation, illustrating the value of plethodontid salamander biology to a range of disciplines. This special issue of Herpetologica includes 16 papers highlighting a range of research on plethodontids and encouraging new approaches to tackle old and new questions.