Gulf Coast waterdog

Gulf Coast waterdog
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Caudata
Family:	Proteidae
Genus:	Necturus
Species:	N. beyeri
Binomial name
Necturus beyeri Viosca, 1937

The Gulf Coast waterdog, speckled waterdog or Beyer’s waterdog (Necturus beyeri) is a species of aquatic salamanders native to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in the United States.

Description

Gulf Coast waterdogs grow to lengths of 6.0-8.5 in and are an overall brown in color, with lighter brown and black speckling. Due to their entirely aquatic nature, their legs are short, with four-toed feet. They have external gills, which look like feathery appendages on either side of their heads. They have paddle-shaped, flattened tails. Gulf Coast waterdogs have the largest known amphibian genome, with over 100 billion base pairs.

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 almost any small aquatic invertebrate they can catch.

Taxonomy

The controversy over the taxonomy of the genus Necturus has been significant, particularly in regard to N. alabamensis, N. beyeri, and N. maculosus. However, electrophoretic evidence suggests N. beyeri is a distinct species

References

• Hammerson (2004). 'Necturus beyeri'. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 9 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