Brook salamander
Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox
Brook salamanders are a genus, Eurycea, of salamanders native to North America.
Taxonomy
The genus Eurycea was first described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz in 1822, with a specimen of the spotted-tail salamander, Eurycea lucifuga, from Kentucky. The taxonomy of the genus is somewhat confusing, as many of the species within it are poorly studied and are found only in very restricted ranges, or deep within caverns. Several species have even been described several times by different researchers, and some are often considered to be morphologically different enough to warrant being placed into their own genera.
A recent taxonomic revision moved the Georgia blind salamander to this genus, which makes Haideotriton a synonym of Eurycea.[1]
Many sources also refer to several species of the genus as cave salamanders, due to their choice of habitat, or as blind salamanders, due to their reduced eyes, or the antiquated term for aquatic salamanders, Triton. Most species are from very isolated localities, so bear the name of the place the first specimen was found.
Diversificatuion
A 2006 analysis of salamanders of the genus Eurycea, in the Appalachians, found that the current taxonomy of the group greatly underestimated species level diversity. The authors found that patterns of phyleographic diversity were more associated with historical (rather than modern) drainage connections, indicating that major shifts in the drainage patterns of the region played an important role in the generation of diversity of these salamanders. A thorough understanding of phylogeographic structure will thus allow informed choices in prioritizing areas for conservation.[2]
Species
This genus is composed of these 33 species:
| Binomial name and author | Common name |
|---|---|
| Eurycea aquatica Rose & Bush, 1963Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Brown-backed salamander |
| Eurycea arenicola Stuart et al., 2020Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Carolina Sandhills salamander |
| Eurycea bislineata (Green, 1818)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Northern two-lined salamander |
| Eurycea braggi (Smith, 1968)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southern grotto salamander |
| Eurycea chamberlaini Harrison & Guttman, 2003Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Chamberlain's dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea chisholmensis Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Salado Springs salamander |
| Eurycea cirrigera (Green, 1831)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southern two-lined salamander |
| Eurycea guttolineata (Holbrook, 1838)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Three-lined salamander |
| Eurycea hillisi Wray, Means, and Steppan, 2017Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Hillis's dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea junaluska Sever, Dundee & Sullivan, 1976Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Junaluska salamander |
| Eurycea latitans Smith & Potter, 1946Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Cascade Caverns salamander |
| Eurycea longicauda (Green, 1818)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Long-tailed salamander |
| Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Spotted-tail salamander |
| Eurycea melanopleura (Cope, 1894 "1893") |
Dark-sided salamander |
| Eurycea multiplicata (Cope, 1869)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Many-ribbed salamander |
| Eurycea nana Bishop, 1941Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
San Marcos salamander |
| Eurycea naufragia Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Georgetown salamander |
| Eurycea neotenes Bishop & Wright, 1937Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Texas salamander |
| Eurycea nerea (Bishop, 1944)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Northern grotto salamander |
| Eurycea paludicola (Mittleman, 1947)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Western dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea pterophila Burger, Smith & Potter, 1950Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Fern bank salamander |
| Eurycea quadridigitata (Holbrook, 1842)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Southeastern dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea rathbuni (Stejneger, 1896)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Texas blind salamander |
| Eurycea robusta (Longley, 1978)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Blanco blind salamander |
| Eurycea sosorum Chippindale, Price & Hillis, 1993Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Barton Springs salamander |
| Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Western grotto salamander |
| Eurycea sphagnicola Wray, Means, and Steppan, 2017Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Bog dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea subfluvicola (Steffen, Irwin, Blair, and Bonett, 2014)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Ouachita streambed salamander |
| Eurycea tonkawae Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Jollyville Plateau salamander |
| Eurycea troglodytes Baker, 1957Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Valdina Farms salamander |
| Eurycea tynerensis Moore & Hughes, 1939Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Oklahoma salamander |
| Eurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Georgia blind salamander |
| Eurycea waterlooensis Hillis, Chamberlain, Wilcox & Chippindale, 2001Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Austin blind salamander |
| Eurycea wilderae Dunn, 1920Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Blue Ridge two-lined salamander |
Intrinsic Phylogeny
Script error: No such module "Clade". Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus Eurycea. [3]
Diet
Eurycea eat a variety of small arthropods such as spiders, Armadillidiidae, and insects.[4] The food of larvae is at the same trophic level as the adults. E. cirrega, for example, eat isopods, chironomids, and copepods.[5]
Reproduction
Mating can occur from fall to spring.[5][6] Males use their premaxillary teeth to scratch the female during reproduction, most likely to release various pheromones.
References
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External links
- <templatestyles src="smallcaps/styles.css"/>Frost, Darrel R. 2007. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.2 (15 July 2008). Eurycea. Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. (Accessed: July 31, 2008).
- <templatestyles src="smallcaps/styles.css"/>AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2008. Berkeley, California: Eurycea. AmphibiaWeb, available at http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: July 31, 2008).