The bog dwarf salamander (''Eurycea sphagnicola'') is a
species of
salamander endemic to the southern
United States.
Taxonomy
It was previously thought to be a population of the
southeastern dwarf salamander (''E. quadridigitata'') but a 2017 study found it to be a distinct species based on genetic evidence, and described it as ''E. sphagnicola''. It is unlikely that any previous studies had analyzed populations of this species.
It is the most divergent of the eastern species in the dwarf salamander complex, having diverged from the clade containing ''
E. quadridigitata'', ''
E. hillisi'', and ''
E. chamberlaini'' during the late
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
to mid-
Miocene, about 23-15 million years ago.
Distribution
It is found only in a small portion of the
Gulf Coast of the
United States, being found in the western
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...
and southern
Alabama and
Mississippi. It is likely the most geographically restricted of all species in the dwarf salamander complex.
Habitat
It is notable for its breeding habitats being restricted to mats of ''
Sphagnum'' moss on acidic hillside seepage
bogs
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main Wetland#Types, types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, ...
. It breeds in sluggish but flowing water.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q47972427
Sphagnicola
Endemic amphibians of the United States
Amphibians described in 2017