Eurycea
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 Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum)
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Spelerpes |
Eurycea is a genus of salamanders commonly referred to as Brook Salamanders, native to North America.
[edit] Taxonomy
The genus Eurycea was first described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz in 1822, with a specimen of 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 only found in very restricted ranges, or deep within subterranean caverns. Several species have even been described multiple times by different researchers, and several are often considered to be morphologically different enough to warrant being placed into their own genus. A recent taxonomic revision moved the Georgia Blind Salamander to this genus making 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.
[edit] Species
This genus is composed of the following 27 species:
| Binomial Name and Author | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Eurycea aquatica Rose & Bush, 1963 |
Brown-backed Salamander |
| Eurycea bislineata (Green, 1818) |
Northern Two-lined Salamander |
| Eurycea chamberlaini Harrison & Guttman, 2003 |
Chamberlain’s Dwarf Salamander |
| Eurycea chisholmensis Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 |
Salado Salamander |
| Eurycea cirrigera (Green, 1831) |
Southern Two-lined Salamander |
| Eurycea guttolineata (Holbrook, 1838) |
Three-lined Salamander |
| Eurycea junaluska Sever, Dundee & Sullivan, 1976 |
Junaluska Salamander |
| Eurycea latitans Smith & Potter, 1946 |
Cascade Caverns Salamander |
| Eurycea longicauda (Green, 1818) |
Long-tailed Salamander |
| Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822 |
Spotted-tail Salamander |
| Eurycea multiplicata (Cope, 1869) |
Many-ribbed Salamander |
| Eurycea nana Bishop, 1941 |
San Marcos Salamander |
| Eurycea naufragia Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 |
Georgetown Salamander |
| Eurycea neotenes Bishop & Wright, 1937 |
Texas Salamander |
| Eurycea pterophila Burger, Smith & Potter, 1950 |
Fern Bank Salamander |
| Eurycea quadridigitata (Holbrook, 1842) |
Dwarf Four-toed Salamander |
| Eurycea rathbuni (Stejneger, 1896) |
Texas Blind Salamander |
| Eurycea robusta (Longley, 1978) |
Blanco Blind Salamander |
| Eurycea sosorum Chippindale, Price & Hillis, 1993 |
Barton Springs Salamander |
| Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892) |
Grotto Salamander |
| Eurycea tonkawae Chippindale, Price, Wiens & Hillis, 2000 |
Jollyville Plateau Salamander |
| Eurycea tridentifera Mitchell & Reddell, 1965 |
Comal Blind Salamander |
| Eurycea troglodytes Baker, 1957 |
Valinda Farms Salamander |
| Eurycea tynerensis Moore & Hughes, 1939 |
Oklahoma Salamander |
| Eurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939) |
Georgia Blind Salamander |
| Eurycea waterlooensis Hillis, Chamberlain, Wilcox & Chippindale, 2001 |
Austin Blind Salamander |
| Eurycea wilderae Dunn, 1920 |
Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamander |
[edit] 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).
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