Kingdom Animalia Class Amphibia Family Proteidae Scientific name Necturus beyeri | Phylum Chordata Order Caudata Genus Necturus Rank Species | |
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Similar Alabama waterdog, Dwarf waterdog, Neuse River waterdog, Desmognathus auriculatus, Dwarf salamander | ||
Gulf coast waterdog necturus beyeri
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. This may be a species complex that could be split into different taxa as research indicates. It is closely related to Necturus alabamensis.
Contents
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.
Ecology
This species lives in streams with sandy bottoms. It remains on the substrate or burrows into it, sometimes hiding in debris.
The female attaches its eggs to aquatic debris.
References
Gulf Coast waterdog Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA