| Dwarf waterdog | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Proteidae |
| Genus: | Necturus |
| Species: | N. punctatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Necturus punctatus (Gibbes, 1850) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Menobranchus punctatusGibbes, 1850 Contents | |
The dwarf waterdog (Necturus punctatus) is an aquatic salamander endemic to the Eastern United States. [1] [2] [3] It is the smallest member of the family Proteidae. [3]
This species is usually between 11.5 and 19 cm (4.5 and 7.5 in) long. It has bushy, narrow gills and a compressed tail. All feet have four toes. The salamander is uniform slate gray to brown or dark olive dorsally and dirty white ventrally. Most individuals have no dorsal spots; when the dorsal spots are present, the venter is unspotted (unlike in Necturus lewisi , which is also a larger species). Juveniles are uniformly brown dorsally (as opposed to striped, as in other juvenile Necturus). [3]
Necturus punctatus is found on the Atlantic coastal plain and the Piedmont of the eastern United States, from southeastern Virginia to southcentral Georgia. [1] [2] Populations further west into Alabama and Florida represent another, undescribed species. [2]
Dwarf waterdogs live in slow, sand- or mud-bottomed streams and connected ditches, cypress swamps; also stream-fed rice fields and mill ponds. They prefer bottoms with leaf litter and other detritus. During winter juveniles burrow into bottom and adults in leaf beds. [1]
Necturus punctatus is not considered threatened—it has a relatively wide range, with viable populations through most of it. It is not facing major threats, and it is present in several protected areas. [1]
The hellbender, also known as the hellbender salamander, is a species of aquatic giant salamander endemic to the eastern and central United States. It is the largest salamander in North America. A member of the family Cryptobranchidae, the hellbender is the only extant member of the genus Cryptobranchus. Other closely related salamanders in the same family are in the genus Andrias, which contains the Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders. The hellbender, which is much larger than all other salamanders in its geographic range, employs an unusual means of respiration, and fills a particular niche—both as a predator and prey—in its ecosystem, which either it or its ancestors have occupied for around 65 million years. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to the impacts of disease and widespread habitat loss and degradation throughout much of its range.
The family Proteidae is a group of aquatic salamanders found today in the Balkan Peninsula and North America. The range of the genus Necturus runs from southern central Canada, through the midwestern United States, east to North Carolina and south to Georgia and Mississippi. The range of the olm, the only extant member of the genus Proteus, is limited to the Western Balkans. The fossil record of the family extends into the end of the Late Cretaceous, with Paranecturus being known from the Maastrichtian of North America.
The common mudpuppy is a species of salamander in the family Proteidae. It lives an entirely aquatic lifestyle in parts of North America in lakes, rivers, and ponds. It goes through paedomorphosis and retains it external gills. Because skin and lung respiration alone is not sufficient for gas exchange, the common mudpuppy must rely on external gills as its primary means of gas exchange. It is usually a rusty brown color and can grow to an average total length of 13 in (330 mm). It is a nocturnal creature, and is active during the day only if the water in which it lives is murky. Its diet consists of almost anything it can get into its mouth, including insects, mollusks, and earthworms. Once a female common mudpuppy reaches sexual maturity at six years of age, she can lay an average of 60 eggs. In the wild, the average lifespan of a common mudpuppy is 11 years.
Necturus is a genus of aquatic salamanders in the family Proteidae. Species of the genus are native to the eastern United States and Canada. They are commonly known as waterdogs and mudpuppies. The common mudpuppy (N. maculosus) is probably the best-known species – as an amphibian with gill slits, it is often dissected in comparative anatomy classes. The common mudpuppy has the largest distribution of any fully aquatic salamander in North America.
The western waterdog is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae. It is endemic to the deep South, where it occurs in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
The Alabama waterdog is a medium-sized perennibranch salamander inhabiting rivers and streams of Alabama. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Neuse River waterdog is a medium-sized waterdog of the family Proteidae found in streams and rivers in two watersheds of North Carolina.
Desmognathus fuscus is a species of amphibian in the family Plethodontidae. The species is commonly called the dusky salamander or northern dusky salamander to distinguish it from populations in the southern United States which form several distinct species, the southern dusky salamanders. The northern dusky salamander is the most widespread representative of its genus in Canada. It can be found in eastern North America from extreme eastern Canada in New Brunswick south to South Carolina. The size of the species' total population is unknown, but is assumed to easily exceed 100,000. The species' habitat differs somewhat geographically; dusky salamanders in the northern part of the range prefer rocky woodland streams, seepages, and springs, while those in the south favor floodplains, sloughs, and muddy places along upland streams. They are most common where water is running or trickling. They hide under various objects, such as leaves or rocks, either in or near water. Alternatively, they may enter burrows for protection. The dusky salamander lays its eggs close to water under moss or rocks, in logs, or in stream-bank cavities. The larval stage which follows is normally aquatic.
The blackbelly salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, and freshwater springs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Chamberlain's dwarf salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the United States. It is only found in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. It was previously thought to be a color morph of the southeastern dwarf salamander, but was described in 2003 as a distinct species based on distinct morphology and behavior. A 2017 study reaffirmed it as being a distinct species. It is estimated that E. chamberlaini diverged from E. quadridigitata anywhere from 27 to 15 million years ago.
The spring salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is found in Canada and the United States. The genus, Gyrinophilus, means "tadpole lover" and refers to the long period of time it spends as a gilled larva before maturing. The specific epithet, porphyriticus, is Latin from Greek, meaning the color of porphyry, a purple stone, and this salamander has also been called the purple salamander.
Ixalotriton parva, the dwarf false brook salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to a small mountainous area of Mexico where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. There is some doubt whether this species should be classified as Pseudoeurycea parva or Ixalotriton parva.
Dunn's salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae endemic to the western United States.
Plethodon punctatus, commonly known as the Cow Knob salamander or white-spotted salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to high mountain forests on the border of Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. Nearly all occurrences are on Shenandoah Mountain, Nathaniel Mountain and Great North Mountain in George Washington National Forest. Cow Knob salamanders are a member of the P. wehrlei species complex, which includes many other Appalachian salamanders historically referred to Plethodon wehrlei.
The ravine salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. The species is endemic to the United States, and it is threatened by habitat loss.
The Red River mudpuppy, also called Louisiana waterdog or Red River waterdog, is a subspecies of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae.
The Escambia waterdog is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States.
