Neuse River waterdog

Necturus lewisi

TAXONOMY

Necturus maculosus lewisi Brimley, 1924, Neuse River, near Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Lewis' mudpuppy.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

This is a medium-size mudpuppy, 6–11 in (15.2–28 cm) in total length. It has a rusty, yellowish brown dorsum with large, dark spots scattered over the back and sides. The venter is paler, with fewer and smaller blotches.

DISTRIBUTION

The range is restricted to the Neuse and Tar river systems in North Carolina, United States.

HABITAT

This salamander prefers relatively wide, fast-flowing streams with a high oxygen content and a hard substrate.

BEHAVIOR

The Neuse River waterdog is active at night and retreats into burrows in the stream bank or under large rocks during the day. Activity decreases at high stream temperatures. The skin produces noxious secretions that may defend against predation.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

The diet consists of small invertebrates and vertebrates, including crustacea, mollusks, annelid worms, aquatic insect larvae, small fish, and other amphibians. Like other mudpuppies, Neuse River waterdogs are sit-and-wait predators that use "gape and suck" feeding mechanics.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

The breeding season is from December through March and possibly also in the spring. Eggs are deposited on the under-surface of large rocks in fast-flowing water. Hatching occurs in July.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Waterdogs are collected in great numbers by biological supply houses, probably with little regard to exact species or locality; they also are seen in the pet trade.