Dwarf waterdog
Scientific classification Edit this 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 punctatus Gibbes, 1850
Necturus punctatus – Garman, 1884

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]

Description

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]

Geographic range

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]

Habitat

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]

Conservation

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]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2014). "Necturus punctatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T59434A56453993. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T59434A56453993.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2021). "Necturus punctatus (Gibbes, 1850)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Necturus punctatus Dwarf waterdog". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
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