Red River mudpuppy
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).
| Red River mudpuppy | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Proteidae |
| Genus: | Necturus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | N. m. louisianensis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Necturus maculosus louisianensis Viosca, 1938 | |
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.[1]
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.[1]
Diet and behavior
It eats mainly small underwater animals. Its feathery gills mean that it can breathe only underwater not on land. It and many other mudpuppies can still go on land, but not for a very long time. They go on land only if the water is too dirty so they can find cleaner water in another part of the river.
Taxonomy
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)[2] and Crother (2000) both treated this animal as a subspecies.[3]
References
- Conant, Roger (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 2nd edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston.
- Petranka, J.W. (1998). Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN 1588343081.
- Geoffrey Hammerson (2004) Necturus maculosus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2.