The Alabama waterdog (''Necturus alabamensis'') is a medium-sized perennibranch

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

inhabiting rivers and streams of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. It is listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

by the IUCN and the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

Description

The Alabama waterdog is medium-sized at , with four toes and a laterally compressed tail. Its

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

s are permanent, bushy, and red. Typical adults exhibit a brown or black dorsum with minimal or no spotting, and the ventral side is white and often not spotted.

Distribution and habitat

The Alabama waterdog is found in the Appalachian headwaters of the

Black Warrior River The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west-central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles (286 km) to the Tombigbee River, of which the Bl ...

drainage basin in

. Its range includes the Sipsey Fork and Brushy Creek in Winston County, the Mulberry Fork, Blackwater Creek, and Lost Creek in Walker County, the North River and Yellow Creek in Tuscaloosa County, and the Locust Fork and Blackburn Fork in Blount County. It is found in unsilted small and medium-sized streams in clay areas. It is more likely to be present when the larvae of the

northern dusky salamander ''Desmognathus fuscus'' is a species of amphibian in the family Plethodontidae ( lungless salamanders). The species is commonly called the dusky salamander or northern dusky salamander to distinguish it from populations in the southern United St ...

(''Desmognathus fuscus'') are present and less likely in streams where Asiatic mussels are abundant. The areas of dead leaves and detritus sometimes found in backwaters are important for this species.

Diet

''N. alabamensis'' typically consumes invertebrates such as

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

amphipod Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descr ...

s, and insect larvae, as well as

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...

s such as small fish.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of ''N. alabamensis'' is poorly understood. It is believed to be related to '' N. maculosus'' and '' N. beyeri''. It is known to hybridize with ''N. beyeri'', though electrophoretical evidence suggests they are separate species.

Status

The survival of ''N. alabamensis'' is threatened by

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...

and

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has listed it as "

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

". The quality of the water has deteriorated due to industrial, mining, agricultural, and urban pollution, and various impoundments have been made inhibiting its free movement. Even within the best habitats in their range, they are uncommon and their abundance may fluctuate. On 2 January 2018, the Alabama waterdog gained federal protection under the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

. Along with its listing, 420

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle road ...

s of

critical habitat Critical habitat is a habitat area essential to the conservation of a listed species, though the area need not actually be occupied by the species at the time it is designated. This is a specific term and designation within the U.S. Endangered Spec ...

gained protection from activities that could be injurious to the salamander. Parties wishing to undertake actions that may damage the salamander's critical habitat must now apply for a federal permit to do so.

References

General references

*Petranka, James W. (1998) Salamanders of the United States and Canada, Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2702209 Proteidae Endemic fauna of Alabama Amphibians of the United States Ecology of the Appalachian Mountains Amphibians described in 1937 Endangered fauna of the United States ESA endangered species Species endangered by habitat fragmentation