Necturus beyeri
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| Necturus beyeri Viosca, 1937 |
The Gulf Coast Waterdog, Speckled Waterdog or Beyer’s Waterdog (Necturus beyeri) is a species of aquatic salamander native to the United States, in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
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[edit] Description
Gulf coast waterdogs grow to lengths of 6-8.5 inches and are an overall brown in color, with lighter brown and black speckling. Due to their entirely aquatic nature, their legs are small in size, with four toes. They have external gills, which look like feathery appendages on either side of their heads. They have a paddle-shaped, flattened tail.
[edit] Behavior
They have lungs as well as gills and they are typically found hiding among rocks in clear, spring fed streams with sandy bottoms. They will consume most any small aquatic invertebrate they can catch.
[edit] Taxonomy
Some sources consider the gulf coast waterdog to be a subspecies of the common mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus.
[edit] References
- Hammerson (2004). Necturus beyeri. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
- IUCN RangeMap: Necturus beyeri
- Herps of Texas: Necturus beyeri
- Amphibian Species of the World: Necturus beyeri
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