Hillis's dwarf salamander

Last updated

Hillis's dwarf salamander
Eurycea hillisi 336046930.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Eurycea
Species:
E. hillisi
Binomial name
Eurycea hillisi
Wray, Means, and Steppan, 2017

Hillis's dwarf salamander (Eurycea hillisi) is a species of salamander endemic to the southern United States. [2] [1] [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

It was previously thought to be a population of the southeastern dwarf salamander (E. quadridigitata) but a 2017 study found it to be a distinct species based on genetic evidence, and described it as E. hillisi. It is named in honor of American evolutionary biologist David Hillis. It is unlikely that any previous studies had analyzed populations of this species. [4]

Distribution

It is found throughout the southern half of Alabama outside of the Mobile Bay region, and ranges east into mid-central Georgia and south to the central Florida Panhandle. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  2. "Eurycea hillisi Wray, Means, and Steppan, 2017 | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  3. 1 2 "AmphibiaWeb - Eurycea hillisi". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  4. Wray, Kenneth P.; Means, D. Bruce; Steppan, Scott J. (December 2017). "Revision of the Eurycea quadridigitata (Holbrook 1842) Complex of Dwarf Salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Hemidactyliinae) with a Description of Two New Species". Herpetological Monographs. 31 (1): 18–46. doi:10.1655/HERPMONOGRAPHS-D-16-00011. ISSN   0733-1347. S2CID   90138747.