Family AmphiumidaeGray, 1825 Rank Genus Phylum Chordata Subclass Lissamphibia | Scientific name Amphiuma Higher classification Amphiumidae Order Salamander | |
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Lower classifications Two‑toed amphiuma, Amphiuma tridactylum | ||
Amphiuma is a genus of aquatic salamanders, the only extant genus within the family Amphiumidae /æmfᵻˈjuːmᵻdiː/. They are also known to fishermen as "conger eels" or "Congo snakes", which are zoologically incorrect designations, with amphiumas being salamanders, and not reptiles, nor fish. Amphiuma exhibits one of the largest compliments of DNA in the living world, around 25 times more than a human.
Contents
Mud snake eats amphiuma
Description
Amphiumas have an elongated body, generally grey-black in color. They do have legs, but they are merely vestigial and very small. While amphiumas can be up to 116 cm (46 in) long, their legs measure only up to about 2 cm (0.79 in). It is because of this that they are often mistaken for eels or snakes. They also lack eyelids and a tongue. Amphiumas also have a lateral line visible on the sides of their bodies, which are capable of detecting movement and are used in aid of hunting.
Female amphiumas lay their eggs in wet mud, and then remain coiled around them for about five months, until they hatch. The larvae have external gills, but after about four months these external gills disappear and the lungs begin to work. One pair of gill slits, with fully functioning internal gills, is retained and never disappears, so the metamorphosis remains incomplete.
Distribution
Amphiumas inhabit the southeastern part of the United States. They share much of the same distribution with the sirens, although they are not closely related.
In the past, amphiumas had a wider geographic range. Fossils from the Pleistocene epoch show that they once were found in Europe.
Behavior
During the day, amphiumas hide in vegetation, and at night they become active hunters. Their prey includes frogs, snakes, fish, crustaceans, insects and even other amphiumas. Hunting and eating habits have been observed to be very similar to that of the axolotl, including the sucking in of food by their stomachs with vacuum force. If provoked, they can become aggressive. They can be found in most wetlands in the coastal plain of the southeastern U.S., even ones which periodically dry out, as they are able to estivate in the moist mud below drained marshland and other ephemeral wetlands. Amphiumas are rarely encountered on land.
Species
There are three amphiuma species, distinguished by the number of toes: