Gulf Coast waterdog
Gulf Coast waterdog | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Caudata |
Family: | Proteidae |
Genus: | Necturus |
Species: | N. beyeri |
Binomial name | |
Necturus beyeri Viosca, 1937 | |
The Gulf Coast waterdog (Necturus beyeri) is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.[1] This may be a species complex that could be split into different taxa as research indicates.[2] It is closely related to Necturus alabamensis.[1]
Description
Adults are 6 to 8.5 inches (15 to 22 cm) in length. It is brown with light brown and black speckles. It exhibits neoteny, retaining its gills and larva-like tail into adulthood.[3]
Ecology
This species lives in streams with sandy bottoms. It remains on the substrate or burrows into it, sometimes hiding in debris.[1]
The female attaches its eggs to aquatic debris.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2014. Necturus beyeri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. Downloaded on 25 June 2016.
- ↑ NatureServe. 2015. Necturus beyeri. NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Accessed 25 June 2016.
- ↑ Gulf Coast Waterdog. Jacksonville Zoo.
- ↑ Necturus beyeri. AmphibiaWeb. 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Necturus beyeri. |
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.