Dwarf Waterdog
| Dwarf Waterdog | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Proteidae |
| Genus: | Necturus |
| Species: | N. punctatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Necturus punctatus (Gibbes, 1850) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Menobranchus punctatus Gibbes, 1850 |
|
The Dwarf Waterdog (Necturus punctatus) is the smallest member of the family Proteidae, and is endemic to the United States.
Contents |
[edit] Description
This species is usually between 4½–7½" (11.4–18.9 cm), and has bushy, narrow gills and a compressed tail. All feet have four toes. The salamander is dark brown, slate-grey to black above, and has a grey belly with a bluish-white band along the midline. Unlike other members of the Proteidae family it is without any black spots.
[edit] Habitat
Dwarf Waterdogs live in slow-moving muddy or sandy-bottomed streams and associated deep irrigation ditches.
[edit] Geographic range
Necturus punctatus is found on the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia to southcentral Georgia[1] (may extend westward along Gulf coastal plain).
[edit] References
- ^ Conant, Roger. 1975. A field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 2nd edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston.
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians.
