| Dwarf Waterdog | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Proteidae |
| Genus: | Necturus |
| Species: | N. punctatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Necturus punctatus (Gibbes, 1850) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Menobranchus punctatus Gibbes, 1850 |
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The Dwarf Waterdog (Necturus punctatus) is the smallest member of the family Proteidae, and is endemic to the United States.
Contents |
This species is usually between 4½–7½" (11.4–18.9 cm), and has bushy, narrow gills and a compressed tail. All feet have four toes. The salamander is dark brown, slate-grey to black above, and has a grey belly with a bluish-white band along the midline. Unlike other members of the Proteidae family it is without any black spots.
Dwarf Waterdogs live in slow-moving muddy or sandy-bottomed streams and associated deep irrigation ditches.
Necturus punctatus is found on the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia to southcentral Georgia[1] (may extend westward along Gulf coastal plain).