Necturus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Waterdogs & Mudpuppies

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Lissamphibia
Order:	Caudata
Family:	Proteidae
Genus:	Necturus Rafinesque, 1818

Necturus is a genus of aquatic salamander only found in the eastern United States. They are commonly known as Waterdogs and Mudpuppies. The Common Mudpuppy, (Necturus maculosus) is probabaly the most well known species in this group.

[edit] Species

Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) (Rafinesque, 1818)
Red River Mudpuppy (Necturus louisianensis) (Viosca, 1938)
Alabama (Black Warrior) Waterdog (Necturus alabamensis) (Viosca, 1937)
Gulf Coast Waterdog (Necturus beyeri) (Viosca, 1937)
Neuse River Waterdog (Necturus lewisi) (Brimley, 1924)
Dwarf Waterdog (Necturus punctatus) (Gibbes, 1850)

[edit] Taxonomy

The genus Necturus is under scrutiny by herpetologists. The relationship between the species is still being studied, and more changes are sure to come. Most recently, the Red River Mudpuppy (N. louisianensis) was elevated to full species status, after being considered only a subspecies of the Common Mudpuppy (N. maculosus). However, not all herpetologists agree on this change.