Brook salamander
| Brook salamanders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eurycea longicauda | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Hemidactyliinae |
| Genus: | EuryceaRafinesque, 1822 |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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 aquaticaRose & Bush, 1963 | Brown-backed salamander |
| Eurycea arenicolaStuart et al., 2020 | Carolina Sandhills salamander |
| Eurycea bislineata(Green, 1818) | Northern two-lined salamander |
| Eurycea braggi(Smith, 1968) | Southern grotto salamander |
| Eurycea chamberlainiHarrison & Guttman, 2003 | Chamberlain's dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea chisholmensisChippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | Salado Springs salamander |
| Eurycea cirrigera(Green, 1831) | Southern two-lined salamander |
| Eurycea guttolineata(Holbrook, 1838) | Three-lined salamander |
| Eurycea hillisiWray, Means, and Steppan, 2017 | Hillis's dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea junaluskaSever, Dundee & Sullivan, 1976 | Junaluska salamander |
| Eurycea latitansSmith & Potter, 1946 | Cascade Caverns salamander |
| Eurycea longicauda(Green, 1818) | Long-tailed salamander |
| Eurycea lucifugaRafinesque, 1822 | Spotted-tail salamander |
| Eurycea melanopleura(Cope, 1894 "1893") | Dark-sided salamander |
| Eurycea multiplicata(Cope, 1869) | Many-ribbed salamander |
| Eurycea nanaBishop, 1941 | San Marcos salamander |
| Eurycea naufragiaChippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | Georgetown salamander |
| Eurycea neotenesBishop & Wright, 1937 | Texas salamander |
| Eurycea nerea(Bishop, 1944) | Northern grotto salamander |
| Eurycea paludicola(Mittleman, 1947) | Western dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea pterophilaBurger, Smith & Potter, 1950 | Fern bank salamander |
| Eurycea quadridigitata(Holbrook, 1842) | Southeastern dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea rathbuni(Stejneger, 1896) | Texas blind salamander |
| Eurycea robusta(Longley, 1978) | Blanco blind salamander |
| Eurycea sosorumChippindale, Price & Hillis, 1993 | Barton Springs salamander |
| Eurycea spelaea(Stejneger, 1892) | Western grotto salamander |
| Eurycea sphagnicolaWray, Means, and Steppan, 2017 | Bog dwarf salamander |
| Eurycea subfluvicola(Steffen, Irwin, Blair, and Bonett, 2014) | Ouachita streambed salamander |
| Eurycea tonkawaeChippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 | Jollyville Plateau salamander |
| Eurycea troglodytesBaker, 1957 | Valdina Farms salamander |
| Eurycea tynerensisMoore & Hughes, 1939 | Oklahoma salamander |
| Eurycea wallacei(Carr, 1939) | Georgia blind salamander |
| Eurycea waterlooensisHillis, Chamberlain, Wilcox & Chippindale, 2001 | Austin blind salamander |
| Eurycea wilderaeDunn, 1920 | Blue Ridge two-lined salamander |
Intrinsic Phylogeny
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
- ^"THE AMPHIBIAN TREE OF LIFE"(PDF). Digitalspy.amnh.org. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^Kozak, K. H.; A. B. Russell; A. Larson (2006). "Gene lineages and eastern North American paleodrainage basins: phylogeography and speciation in salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata species complex". Molecular Ecology. 15 (1): 191–207. Bibcode:2006MolEc..15..191K. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02757.x. PMID 16367840. S2CID 22679793.
- ^Alexander Pyron, R.; J. Weins, John (12 June 2011). "A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of extant frogs, salamanders, and caecilians". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (2). Elsevier: 543–583. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.012. PMID 21723399. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^"Brook Salamander - Waterman and Hill-Traveller's Companion". Naturealmanac.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ ab"Eurycea cirrigera (Southern Two-lined Salamander)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
- ^"Eurycea wilderae (Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamander)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
External links
- 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).
- AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2008. Berkeley, California: Eurycea. AmphibiaWeb, available at http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: July 31, 2008).
