mudpuppy

1. Any of several large North American salamanders of the genus Necturus, especially N. maculosus, that live in damp regions and have conspicuous clusters of dark red external gills. Also called water dog.
2. See hellbender.

Necturus maculosus

TAXONOMY

Sirena maculosa Rafinesque, 1818, Ohio River, United States (state not recorded). Two subspecies are recognized.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Common mudpuppy, waterdog; French: Necture tacheté; German: Gefleckter Furchenmolch.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

This is the largest member of the genus, reaching 8–19 in (20.3–48.3 cm) in total length. Coloration varies from deep rusty brown to gray or even black, with scattered black or bluish black spots and blotches. The spots sometimes may form two fairly regular rows along the back. As with other mudpuppies and waterdogs, a dark bar extends through the eye to the gills. The venter is paler, with or without dark spots. The margins of the tail commonly are tinged with reddish orange.

DISTRIBUTION

This species has by far the widest distribution in the genus, encompassing essentially the entire Mississippi River drainage system, from southern Manitoba and Quebec, Canada, in the north to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, United States, in the south.

HABITAT

These salamanders inhabit a wide variety of permanently aquatic habitats, including rivers, streams, canals, and lakes.

BEHAVIOR

Mudpuppies are active all year round and have been seen moving around beneath the ice in mid-winter. Adults are mostly active at night, when they forage, and they hide under rocks and other objects or in burrows during the day.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Mudpuppies feed on a variety of small aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, including crayfish and other crustaceans, mollusks, worms, insect larvae, fish, and amphibians.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

As with all mudpuppies and waterdogs, the sex of adults can be determined by examining the morphologic characteristics of the vent, especially during the breeding season, when the male's vent is swollen. The male's vent also is equipped with two nipple-like papillae that project posteriorly. The vent of the female is a simple slit. The mating season is in the autumn or winter, possibly extending into spring, depending on the locality. In May or June the eggs are attached to the undersurfaces of large rocks, where they are attended by the female, who apparently defends them against predators. Hatching takes place in one or two months, depending on the temperature of the water. The newly hatched larvae are approximately 1 in (25.4 mm) in length and have two lateral yellow stripes on a dark ground color.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Mudpuppies are collected in great numbers by biological supply companies for use in classrooms and laboratories around the world; they are seen often in the pet trade as well.

The noun has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: aquatic North American salamander with red feathery external gills
  Synonym: Necturus maculosus

Meaning #2: large salamander of North American rivers and streams
  Synonyms: hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

Meaning #3: larval salamander of mountain lakes of Mexico that usually lives without metamorphosing
  Synonyms: axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum

Mudpuppy
Necturus maculosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Subclass:	Lissamphibia
Order:	Caudata
Family:	Proteidae
Genera
Necturus Proteus

Mudpuppies or waterdogs are aquatic salamanders of the family Proteidae. Their name originates from the misconception that they make a dog-like barking sound.^[1][2] Their range runs from southern central Canada, through the midwestern United States, east to North Carolina and south to Georgia and Mississippi. ^[3]

Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Life history 3 See also 4 Notes 5 External links

Taxonomy

Proteidae, is divided into two genera, Necturus with five North American species, and Proteus with one European species. They represent an ancient group, dating from the Pleistocene.^[4]

Family Proteidae

• Genus Necturus
  • Alabama Waterdog (Necturus alabamensis)
  • Gulf Coast Waterdog (Necturus beyeri)
  • Neuse River Waterdog (Necturus lewisi)
  • Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus)
  • Dwarf Waterdog (Necturus punctatus)
• Genus Proteus
  • Olm (Proteus anguinus)

Life history

In contrast to many salamanders, mudpuppies never lose their gills during maturation from larvae. This aspect of their physiology is known as pedomorphosis. Despite having lungs, which appear to provide little use in respiration^[5], mudpuppies spend their entire lives underwater. The adult gills resemble fish gills in many ways, but differ from fish gills in that they are external and lack any form or operculum or covering. The bright red exposed gills are often found closed against the body in cool, highly oxygenated water. In warmer, poorly oxygenated water, the gills expand to increase water circulation and provide greater surface area for oxygen in-take. Mudpuppies also absorb oxygen through their skin and by occasionally breathing air at the surface^[6].

Other distinguishing features of mudpuppies, as compared with other salamanders, are the absence of eyelids and of an upper jaw. They show a degree of parental care, tending to the eggs after attaching them to submerged stones and logs. Mudpuppies range in size from 28 centimetres (11 in) to 40 centimetres (16 in) in length.^[2]

Mudpuppies prefer shallow lakes and streams that have slow moving water and rocks to hide under, but have been found in up to 90 feet of water^[7]. The mudpuppy diet consists of small fish and many invertebrates, including crayfish, snails, and worms. Mudpuppies mature at four to six years and can live to be more than twenty years old. Progenesis is common for mudpuppies, enabling them to reach sexual maturity in their larval stage.

Even though they eat fish eggs, negative effects on fish populations have not been documented. Fishermen have been known to catch mudpuppies, sometimes in large numbers, but most often when ice fishing^[8].

To distinguish between a larval mudpuppy and other larval salamanders, note that larval mudpuppies have distinct longitudinal banding and four toes on their hind legs, the combination of which is not found in most larval salamanders within the same range^[9]. The main difference between a mudpuppy and a siren is that, whereas mudpuppies have both front and hind legs, a siren will only have one pair of very small front legs.

See also

• Common Mudpuppy
• Axolotl
• Olm

Notes

1. ^ Trivial Pursuit Genus IV
2. ^ ^{a b} Lanza, B., Vanni, S., & Nistri, A. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.. ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 70–71. ISBN 0-12-178560-2. 
3. ^ http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/mudpuppy.html
4. ^ Duellman, W.E. and L. Trueb. 1986. Biology of Amphibians. McGraw Hill, New York, NY. 670pp.
5. ^ Harris, J.P., Jr. 1959. The natural history of Necturus: II. Field and Laboratory 27(2):71-77.
6. ^ Harris, J.P., Jr. 1959. The natural history of Necturus: II. Field and Laboratory 27(2):71-77.
7. ^ Reigle, R.J., Jr. 1967. The occurrence of Necturus in the deeper waters of Green Bay. Herpetologica 23(3):232-233.
8. ^ Eycleshymer, A.C. 1906. The habits of Necturus maculosus. The American Naturalist 40(470):123-136.
9. ^ Petranka, J.W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 587pp.

External links

• Information related to Proteidae from Wikispecies.

• Media related to Proteidae at Wikimedia Commons
• Tree of Life: Proteidae

v • d • e Caudate families by suborder Kingdom Animalia · Phylum Chordata · Subphylum Craniata · Superclass Tetrapoda · Class Amphibia Cryptobranchoidea Cryptobranchidae · Hynobiidae Salamandroidea Ambystomatidae · Amphiumidae · Dicamptodontidae · Plethodontidae · Proteidae · Rhyacotritonidae · Salamandridae Sirenoidea Sirenidae

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