The Berry Cave salamander (''Gyrinophilus gulolineatus'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of eastern Tennessee in the United States. Its natural habitat is inland

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

s where it lives underground. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

This salamander resembles the

Tennessee cave salamander The Tennessee cave salamander (''Gyrinophilus palleucus'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. Its natural habitats are streams in caves. It is threatened by habitat ...

(''Gyrinophilus palleucus'') but grows to a larger size, has a more spatulate snout, a broader head and more pigmentation. The premaxilla bones at the tip of the snout are completely divided in adults of this species while they are not in the Tennessee cave salamander. The larvae have small, functional eyes and they can detect vibrations in the water with the help of mechanoreceptors which are located on the head and sides. If they proceed to the full adult state, their eyes become functionless.

Distribution

This salamander is known from caves in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of eastern Tennessee; its range is smaller than that of the spring salamander (''Gyrinophilus porphyriticus'') and is completely inside it, and the two species sometimes inhabit the same cave systems.

Biology

Phylogenetic analysis using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA seems to indicate that the Berry Cave salamander and the

have diverged from the spring salamander only recently. The Berry Cave salamander is usually a paedomorphic species which does not undergo

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

to an adult stage, instead remaining and breeding in the larval state, retaining its juvenile traits for the rest of its life.

Status

''G. gulolineatus'' inhabits a limited number of caverns in the mountains of East Tennessee, and the total area it occupies is less than . In the Berry Cave for which it was named, the population seems to be declining, and its population overall is unknown. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as " endangered" and advocates protection of the watersheds that drain into the underground systems in which it lives.

References

External links

Distribution and relative abundance of Tennessee cave salamanders (''Gyrinophilus palleucus'' and ''Gyrinophilus gulolineatus'') with an emphasis on Tennessee populations
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1883471 Gyrinophilus Cave salamanders Amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1965