Kingdom Animalia Class Amphibia Family Proteidae Rank Subspecies | Phylum Chordata Order Caudata Genus Necturus | |
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Scientific name Necturus maculosus louisianensis Similar Gulf Coast waterdog, Dwarf waterdog, Neuse River waterdog, Many‑ribbed salamander, Ouachita dusky salamander | ||
The Red River mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus louisianensis), also called Louisiana waterdog, is a subspecies of mudpuppy. Some herpetologists consider this salamander to be a full species (Necturus louisianensis).
Contents
Geographic range
It is found in southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, northeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and northcentral Louisiana. It lives only in the Red River and adjacent drainage systems.
Description
It is much different in appearance from the common mudpuppy which is gray to brown, with round blue-black spots. The Red River mudpuppy is light yellowish brown with a white stripe on either side of the middorsal area.
Diet and behavior
It eats mainly small underwater animals. Its feathery gills mean that it can only breathe underwater not on land. It and many other mudpuppies can still go on land, but not for a very long time. They only go on land if the water is too dirty so they can find cleaner water in another part of the river.
History
The Red River mudpuppy was proposed as a separate species from the common mudpuppy by Collins in 1991 and 1997, but supporting data was lacking. Petranka (1998) and Crother (2000) both treated this animal as a subspecies.