| Brook salamanders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eurycea longicauda | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Hemidactyliinae |
| Genus: | Eurycea Rafinesque, 1822 |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Brook salamanders are a genus, Eurycea, of salamanders native to North America.
The genus Eurycea was first described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz in 1822, with a specimen of the spotted-tail salamander, Eurycea lucifuga , from Kentucky. The taxonomy of the genus is somewhat confusing, as many of the species within it are poorly studied and are found only in very restricted ranges, or deep within caverns. Several species have even been described several times by different researchers, and some are often considered to be morphologically different enough to warrant being placed into their own genera.
A recent taxonomic revision moved the Georgia blind salamander to this genus, which makes Haideotriton a synonym of Eurycea. [1]
Many sources also refer to several species of the genus as cave salamanders, due to their choice of habitat, or as blind salamanders, due to their reduced eyes, or the antiquated term for aquatic salamanders, Triton. Most species are from very isolated localities, so bear the name of the place the first specimen was found.
A 2006 analysis of salamanders of the genus Eurycea , in the Appalachians, found that the current taxonomy of the group greatly underestimated species level diversity. The authors found that patterns of phyleographic diversity were more associated with historical (rather than modern) drainage connections, indicating that major shifts in the drainage patterns of the region played an important role in the generation of diversity of these salamanders. A thorough understanding of phylogeographic structure will thus allow informed choices in prioritizing areas for conservation. [2]
This genus is composed of these 33 species:
| Binomial name and author | Common name |
|---|---|
| Eurycea aquatica Rose & Bush, 1963 | Brown-backed salamander |
| Eurycea arenicola Stuart et al., 2020 | Carolina Sandhills salamander |
| Eurycea bislineata (Green, 1818) | Northern two-lined salamander |
| Eurycea braggi (Smith, 1968) | Southern grotto salamander |
| Eurycea chamberlaini Harrison & Guttman, 2003 | Chamberlain's dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea chisholmensis Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | Salado Springs salamander |
| Eurycea cirrigera (Green, 1831) | Southern two-lined salamander |
| Eurycea guttolineata (Holbrook, 1838) | Three-lined salamander |
| Eurycea hillisi Wray, Means, and Steppan, 2017 | Hillis's dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea junaluska Sever, Dundee & Sullivan, 1976 | Junaluska salamander |
| Eurycea latitans Smith & Potter, 1946 | Cascade Caverns salamander |
| Eurycea longicauda (Green, 1818) | Long-tailed salamander |
| Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822 | Spotted-tail salamander |
| Eurycea melanopleura (Cope, 1894 "1893") | Dark-sided salamander |
| Eurycea multiplicata (Cope, 1869) | Many-ribbed salamander |
| Eurycea nana Bishop, 1941 | San Marcos salamander |
| Eurycea naufragia Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | Georgetown salamander |
| Eurycea neotenes Bishop & Wright, 1937 | Texas salamander |
| Eurycea nerea (Bishop, 1944) | Northern grotto salamander |
| Eurycea paludicola (Mittleman, 1947) | Western dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea pterophila Burger, Smith & Potter, 1950 | Fern bank salamander |
| Eurycea quadridigitata (Holbrook, 1842) | Southeastern dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea rathbuni (Stejneger, 1896) | Texas blind salamander |
| Eurycea robusta (Longley, 1978) | Blanco blind salamander |
| Eurycea sosorum Chippindale, Price & Hillis, 1993 | Barton Springs salamander |
| Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892) | Western grotto salamander |
| Eurycea sphagnicola Wray, Means, and Steppan, 2017 | Bog dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea subfluvicola (Steffen, Irwin, Blair, and Bonett, 2014) | Ouachita streambed salamander |
| Eurycea tonkawae Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | Jollyville Plateau salamander |
| Eurycea troglodytes Baker, 1957 | Valdina Farms salamander |
| Eurycea tynerensis Moore & Hughes, 1939 | Oklahoma salamander |
| Eurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939) | Georgia blind salamander |
| Eurycea waterlooensis Hillis, Chamberlain, Wilcox & Chippindale, 2001 | Austin blind salamander |
| Eurycea wilderae Dunn, 1920 | Blue Ridge two-lined salamander |
Eurycea eat a variety of small arthropods such as spiders, Armadillidiidae, and insects. [3] The food of larvae is at the same trophic level as the adults. E. cirrega, for example, eat isopods, chironomids, and copepods. [4]
Mating can occur from fall to spring. [4] [5] Males use their premaxillary teeth to scratch the female during reproduction, most likely to release various pheromones.
Ambystomatidae is a family of salamanders belonging to the Suborder Salamandroidea in the class Amphibia. It contains two genera, Ambystoma and Dicamptodon. Ambystoma contains 32 species and are distributed widely across North America, while Dicamptodon contains four species restricted to the Pacific Northwest. These salamanders are mostly terrestrial and eat invertebrates, although some species are known to eat smaller salamanders. They can be found throughout the US and some areas of Canada in damp forests or plains. This family contains some of the largest terrestrial salamanders in the world, the tiger salamander and the coastal giant salamander. Some species are toxic and can secrete poison from their bodies as protection against predators or infraspecific competition. Neoteny has been observed in several species in Ambystomatidae, and some of them like the axolotl live all of their lives under water in their larval stage.
The fire salamander is a common species of salamander found in Europe.
The Texas blind salamander is a rare and endangered cave-dwelling troglobite amphibian native to San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, specifically the San Marcos Pool of the Edwards Aquifer. This species resembles the olm, another stygofaunal salamander from Europe. Unlike the olm, this amphibian's body is not as elongated, and also has less reduced digits on its limbs.
Batrachoseps is a genus of lungless salamanders (plethodontids) often called slender salamanders. They can be distinguished from other lungless salamanders by the four toes they have on each foot.
The Mexican burrowing tree frog (Smilisca), also known as the cross-banded tree frog, is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae found in Mexico, southern Texas and Arizona, Central America, and northwestern South America. In a recent revision of the Hylidae, the two species of the previous genus Pternohyla were included in this genus. Its name is from the Ancient Greek smiliskos, referring to the pointed frontoparietal processes.
Scinax is a genus of frogs, commonly known as snouted treefrogs, in the family Hylidae. The genus is found from eastern and southern Mexico to Argentina and Uruguay, and in Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Lucia. Member species are small to moderate-sized tree frogs, drably colored. Duellman and Wiens resurrected this genus in 1992. The name originates from the Greek word skinos, meaning quick or nimble.
Pseudacris is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae found in North America ranging from the Pacific coastline to the Atlantic.
The Valdina Farms salamander is a species of aquatic salamander described from Valdina Farms Sinkhole in Medina County, Texas, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the Valdina blind salamander or sinkhole salamander. As some other species of Eurycea found in Texas, it was once classified as a subspecies of the Texas salamander, Eurycea neotenes, and believed to possibly be the result of hybridization with another species of subterranean salamander, but was granted full species status in 2000. Research is ongoing, and some sources suggest the current species may actually be multiple distinct species.
The Blanco blind salamander is a species of aquatic, lungless salamander native to the United States. It is endemic to a small region of the Blanco River near San Marcos in Hays County, Texas. Its habitat, deep in limestone karst, makes collecting specimens for research particularly problematic. It is known from only a single specimen, collected in the 1950s.
Cryptotriton is the genus of hidden salamanders in the family Plethodontidae, native to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. Most species in this genus are endangered or critically endangered with Cryptotriton sierraminensis being data deficient according to the IUCN.
The Georgia blind salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the south-eastern United States where its natural habitats are inland karsts, caves and subterranean habitats. It is listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN and is threatened by habitat loss.
Hydromantes, commonly referred to as web-toed salamanders, is a genus of the lungless salamander family, Plethodontidae; they achieve respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth. They are endemic to mountains of California in the United States. Salamanders of this genus are distinguished in having extremely long tongues that they can project to 80% of their body length. Similar species endemic to southern France and Italy are now classified in a distinct genus, Speleomantes.
Nototriton, commonly referred to as moss salamanders is a genus in the salamander family Plethodontidae, which is characterized by their absence of lungs; they instead achieve respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth. They range from Central Costa Rica to north-central and western Honduras reaching also to eastern Guatemala.
Nyctanolis is a monotypic genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. It is represented by the species Nyctanolis pernix, also commonly referred to as nimble long-limbed salamander, which is characterized by its absence of lungs; it instead achieves respiration through its skin and the tissues lining the mouth. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The western grotto salamander, also called the Ozark blind salamander and previously known as just the grotto salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are freshwater springs, inland karsts, and caves. It is not currently threatened, but vulnerable to changes in groundwater quality and reduction in bat population.
The Carolina Sandhills salamander, is a species of lungless salamander endemic to the state of North Carolina in the United States, where it is only found in the Sandhills region. These species are known for their coloration and ecology. Researchers decades ago separated the species into northern and southern groups and found that the southern and northern Sandhill salamanders differ in coloration, size, and natural history.
Hillis's dwarf salamander is a species of salamander endemic to the southern United States.
The southern grotto salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to northern Arkansas in the United States.
The northern grotto salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the south-central United States.
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