Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoides

Big Mouth Cave salamander

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Caudata
Family: Plethodontidae
Genus: Gyrinophilus
Species: G. palleucus
Subspecies: G. p. necturoides
Trinomial name
Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoides
Lazell and Brandon, 1962

The Big Mouth Cave salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoides), a lungless salamander, is a subspecies of the Tennessee cave salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus). The Big Mouth Cave salamander lives in Big Mouth Cave and other caves in the Elk River drainage basin in Grundy County and Coffee County, Tennessee. The salamander was first described by Lazell and Brandon in 1962.[1]

Conservation status

While the TNC rates the Big Mouth Cave salamander as "critically imperiled", IUCN claims it is only "vulnerable". A study in 2007 by Brian T. Miller and Matthew L. Niemiller investigated the actual population size of the subspecies. They determined that the subspecies was actually abundant in Big Mouth Cave and other caves, contrary to popular concern. [2]

References

  1. Lazell, J.D; R.A. Brandon (1962). "A new stygian salamander from the Southern Cumberland Plateau.". Copeia. No. 2: 300–306. doi:10.2307/1440894.
  2. Miller, Brian T.; Matthew L. Niemiller (December 2007). "DISTRIBUTION AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF TENNESSEE CAVE SALAMANDERS" (PDF). Herpetological Conservation and Biology.


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