The western waterdog (''Necturus beyeri'')
is a
species of aquatic
salamander in the family
Proteidae. It is
endemic to the southeastern
United States, where it occurs in
Alabama,
Louisiana,
Mississippi, and
Texas.
Taxonomy
This may be a
species complex that could be split into different taxa as research indicates;
[NatureServe. 2015]
''Necturus beyeri''.
NatureServe Explorer Version 7.1. Retrieved 25 June 2016. the
Apalachicola (''N. moleri'') and
Escambia (''N. mounti'') waterdogs were split from this species in 2020; previously, they were all grouped together as the Gulf Coast waterdog.
It is closely related to ''
Necturus alabamensis
The Alabama waterdog (''Necturus alabamensis'') is a medium-sized perennibranch salamander inhabiting rivers and streams of Alabama. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Description
The Alabama ...
''.
[IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2014]
''Necturus beyeri''.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
Studies indicate that as currently defined, it comprises four lineages: the "Mobile" lineage (ranging from the
Mobile River
The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. Formed out of the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, the approximately river drains an area of of Alabama, with a watershed extending into Mississippi, Georg ...
to the
Biloxi River The Biloxi River is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi.
The Biloxi River is named for the Biloxi Indians
The Biloxi tribe are Native Americans of the Siouan language family. They call themselves by the autonym ''Tanêks(a)'' in Siouan Bil ...
), the "Pearl" lineage (ranging from the
Wolf River to the
Pearl River), the "Pontchartrain" lineage (ranging from the
Bayou Bonfouca
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
in
Louisiana to the
Blind River), and the "Western" lineage (ranging from the
Calcasieu River to the west fork of the
San Jacinto River).
Description
Adults are in length. It is brown with light brown and black speckles. It exhibits
neoteny, retaining its gills and larva-like tail into adulthood. It can be distinguished from ''N. moleri'' and ''N. mounti'' (formerly thought to be conspecific) by its comparatively larger size, heavier spotting, and the unstriped larvae with numerous white spots.
Ecology
This species lives in streams with sandy bottoms. It remains on the substrate or burrows into it, sometimes hiding in debris.
[
Individuals of both sexes move more during the colder months of the year and seem to use one site as a home area from which they occasionally exhibit long-distance movements.][Brenes, Roberto, and Neil B. Ford. "Seasonality and Movements of the Gulf Coast Waterdog (Necturus Beyeri) in Eastern Texas". The Southwestern Naturalist, vol. 51, no. 2, 2006, pp. 152–156. JSTOR]
The female attaches its eggs to aquatic debris.[''Necturus beyeri''.]
AmphibiaWeb. 2016.
References
Proteidae
Endemic fauna of the United States
Amphibians of the United States
Amphibians described in 1937
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