Reticulated siren

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Reticulated siren
Siren reticulata.tif
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Sirenidae
Genus: Siren
Species:
S. reticulata
Binomial name
Siren reticulata
Distribution of Siren reticulata.tif

The reticulated siren (Siren reticulata), also known as the leopard siren or colloquially as the leopard eel, is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Sirenidae. The species, which is endemic to the southeastern United States, was first formally described in 2018. [1] [2] This cryptic salamander is known only from three localities in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle and is one of the largest animals in the United States to be newly described in the past 100 years. [1] [3]

Contents

Description

The reticulated siren is one of the largest species of extant (living) salamanders worldwide, reaching up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) in total length, which rivals the hellbender of the Appalachian Mountains as both the largest amphibian in North America and the fourth largest salamander in the world. [1] [3] [4] It has a greenish grey, eel-like body, large external gills, and two small front legs. [1] [5] The sides and belly are a lighter yellowish green. It has an average snout to vent length (SVL) of 33.4 cm (1.1 ft). [1] [5]

S. reticulata differs from other Siren species in its skin patterning: a patchwork of dark, leopard-like spots covering its back. [5] It also has a relatively smaller head and a longer tail. [1] Genetic analysis from mitochondrial and nuclear sequencing supported it as a separate species from S. intermedia and S. lacertina , and further suggested that additional species are yet to be discovered in this group. [1]

Biology

Almost nothing is known about the life history or ecology of S. reticulata. [1] [2]

Habitat

The habitat of S. reticulata includes wetlands within the longleaf pine ecosystem. [1] S. reticulata, along with other Siren species, exhibits habitat specialization. [6] S. reticulata inhabits shallow, seepage habitats (seeps) that are not commonly used by other species of the genus. [6] These habitats are typically nutrient-poor and host a variety of carnivorous plants such as drosera, pitcher plants, bladderworts, and pinguicula. [6] These unique ecological niches contribute to the diversity of Siren species and their adaptations. [6]

Discovery

The first known reticulated siren was collected in 1970, in Baldwin County, Alabama, described by herpetologist Robert Hughes Mount as not conforming to the typical physical description of S. lacertina. [1] [7] It was not formally named at that time and was treated as somewhat of a legend, colloquially referred to as the "leopard eel". [1] [2] Another sighting of numerous individuals was made in the 1990s by the herpetologist John Jensen, who reportedly sighted dozens of reticulated sirens and amphiumas moving across a road during a rainstorm near Florala, Alabama. [2]

In September 2009, American herpetologist David A. Steen was studying Nerodia (water snakes) and turtles at Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, Florida, when he captured a single specimen of S. reticulata in a crayfish trap. [1] [3] [2] Additional trapping efforts between 2009 and 2014 were unsuccessful until three more sirens were found in June 2014 near Lake Jackson in Walton County, Florida. [1] [2] The reticulated siren is one of the largest animals in the United States to be newly described in the past 100 years. [3]

Taxonomy

The leopard eel was formally described as Siren reticulata in December 2018. [1] The specific epithet reticulata refers to the reticulated (meaning network-like or patchwork) patterning typical of this species. [1] The authors of the 2018 paper coined the name reticulated siren as a "more appropriate formal common name", as it is neither a leopard nor an eel. [1] [3] It is one of three extant species in the genus Siren. [8]

The holotype is a female captured in Walton County, Florida, measuring 39.7 cm (1.3 ft) from snout to vent and weighing 221 g (0.5 lb). [1] The type locality habitat was a shallow marsh vegetated with floating and emergent plants. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellbender</span> Species of amphibian

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.

<i>Amphiuma</i> Genus of amphibians

Amphiuma is a genus of aquatic salamanders from the United States, the only extant genus within the family Amphiumidae. They are colloquially known as amphiumas. They are also known to fishermen as "conger eels" or "Congo snakes", which are zoologically incorrect designations or misnomers, since amphiumas are actually salamanders, and not fish, nor reptiles and are not from Congo. Amphiuma exhibits one of the largest complements of DNA in the living world, around 25 times more than a human.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sirenidae</span> Family of amphibians

Sirenidae, the sirens, are a family of neotenic aquatic salamanders. Family members have very small fore limbs and lack hind limbs altogether. In one species, the skeleton in their fore limbs is made of only cartilage. In contrast to most other salamanders, they have external gills bunched together on the neck in both larval and adult states. Sirens are found only in the Southeastern United States and northern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater siren</span> Species of amphibian

The greater siren is an eel-like amphibian and one of the three members of the genus Siren. The largest of the sirens and one of the largest amphibians in North America, the greater siren resides in the coastal plains of the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-toed amphiuma</span> Species of amphibian

The two-toed amphiuma is an aquatic salamander widely distributed in the southeastern United States. It is commonly, but incorrectly, called "congo snake", "conger eel" or the "blind eel".

<i>Siren</i> (genus) Genus of amphibians

Siren is a genus of aquatic salamanders of the family Sirenidae. The genus consists of five living species, along with one extinct species from the Eocene Epoch and three from the Miocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser siren</span> Species of amphibian

The lesser siren is a species of aquatic salamander native to the eastern United States and northern Mexico. They are referred to by numerous common names, including two-legged eel, dwarf siren, and mud eel. The specific epithet intermedia denotes their intermediate size, between the greater siren, Siren lacertina, and the dwarf sirens, Pseudobranchus species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf siren</span> Genus of amphibians

Dwarf sirens are eel-like salamanders of the genus Pseudobranchus. Dwarf sirens possess external gills throughout adulthood and lack hind legs. Dwarf sirens can be distinguished from members of the genus Siren in that dwarf sirens have three toes on each foot rather than four. Like sirens, dwarf sirens are restricted to the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern dwarf siren</span> Species of amphibian

The northern dwarf siren is a perennibranch salamander lacking hind legs. Found in the Southeastern United States, it one of two currently recognized species of dwarf sirens. Three subspecies are currently recognized; P. s. striatus, the broad-striped dwarf siren, P. s. lustricolus, the Gulf Hammock dwarf siren, and P. s. spheniscus, the slender dwarf siren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seepage salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The seepage salamander is a small, terrestrial species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. They are found in small areas of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, intermittent rivers, and freshwater springs. It gets its name from the seepages around which it lives. It is very similar in its appearance and life history to the pygmy salamander. These two species differ greatly from the other Desmognathus species. They are the smallest salamanders in the genus, measuring only 3–5 cm (1–2 in) in length. They are also the only two terrestrial, direct-developing Desmognathus species. However, the two species are not often seen to coexist, differing in distribution by elevation; although there are exceptions. The seepage salamander is currently listed as Near Threatened, with its numbers declining in most of states in which it is found. It is threatened by habitat loss, with logging having a major effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal salamander</span> Species of amphibian endemic to the Eastern United States

The seal salamander is a species of lungless salamander that is endemic to the Eastern United States.

The reticulated flatwoods salamander is a species of mole salamander, an amphibian in the family Ambystomatidae. The species is native to a small portion of the southeastern coastal plain of the United States in the western panhandle of Florida and extreme southwestern Georgia. The species once occurred in portions of southern Alabama but is now considered extirpated there. Its ecology and life history are nearly identical to its sister species, the frosted flatwoods salamander. A. bishopi inhabits seasonally wet pine flatwoods and pine savannas west of the Apalachicola River-Flint River system. The fire ecology of longleaf pine savannas is well-known, but there is less information on natural fire frequencies of wetland habitats in this region. Like the frosted flatwoods salamander, the reticulated flatwoods salamander breeds in ephemeral wetlands with extensive emergent vegetation, probably maintained by summer fires. Wetlands overgrown with woody shrubs are less likely to support breeding populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Florida</span> Fauna of the US state of Florida

Florida hosts many types of fauna. From coral reefs of the Florida Keys to the cypress swamps of the Panhandle, the state's diverse habitats are home to a variety of wildlife. Florida is among the top five states in terms of endemic species. There are over 700 terrestrial animals, 200 freshwater fish species, 1,000 marine fish and thousands of terrestrial insects and other invertebrates that inhabit the state. Florida's peninsular geography spans from subtropical to tropical zones, which, combined with its distinctive geology and climate, contribute to habitat diversity and an array of species. The native wildlife that exists in the state are of temperate and tropical origin.

David A. Steen is an American herpetologist and conservation biologist. He is Reptile and Amphibian Research Leader of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and was previously a research professor at Auburn University, where he completed his Ph.D. Steen runs a popular Twitter account where he offers reptile and amphibian identification and dispels myths about oft-maligned snakes such as copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bog dwarf salamander</span> Species of salamander

The bog dwarf salamander is a species of salamander endemic to the southern United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Graham, Sean P.; Kline, Richard; Steen, David A.; Kelehear, Crystal; Cimmaruta, Roberta (5 December 2018). "Description of an extant salamander from the Gulf Coastal Plain of North America: The Reticulated Siren, Siren reticulata". PLOS ONE. 13 (12): e0207460. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1307460G. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207460 . PMC   6281224 . PMID   30517124.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Graham, S.P.; Steen, D. "Song of the Siren -- The Story Behind How We Found and Described a Two-foot Long Amphibian New to Science". livingalongsidewild.com. Living Alongside Wild. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bittel, Jason (5 December 2018). "New species of giant salamander discovered in Florida". nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  4. Platt, John R. "Swampy Thing: The Giant New Salamander Species Discovered in Florida and Alabama". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  5. 1 2 3 Starr, Michelle (6 December 2018). "Scientists Have Captured a Giant, 'Mythical' Siren Species in Florida". sciencealert.com. Science Alert. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Fedler, Matthew T.; Enge, Kevin M.; Moler, Paul E. (30 March 2023). "Unraveling Siren (Caudata: Sirenidae) systematics and description of a small, seepage specialist". Zootaxa. 5258 (4): 351–378. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5258.4.1 .
  7. Mount, R.H. (1975). The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn University, Agricultural Experiment Station. 360 pp.
  8. "Siren Österdam, 1766". research.amnh.org. Amphibian Species of the World. Retrieved 6 December 2018.