| Urspelerpes | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Spelerpinae |
| Genus: | Urspelerpes Camp et al., 2009[1] |
| Species: | U. brucei |
| Binomial name | |
| Urspelerpes brucei Camp et al., 2009 |
|
Urspelerpes brucei, the Patch-nosed salamander, is a lungless miniature salamander found in streams of South Carolina and Georgia, United States. The species is the sole member of the genus Urspelerpes within the family Plethodontidae (the lungless salamanders). It marks the first discovery of an endemic amphibian genus from the United States since Phaeognathus in 1961.[2]
Contents |
This genus is believed to be closely related to brook salamanders (genus Eurycea) but have five toes on the feet. A distinctive characteristic is a yellowish patch on the snout. Urspelerpes are tiny, and adults are about 5 cm (2 in) long. Males and females have different coloration, with males having a pair of dark stripes running down their body with yellow backs, and females being more muted in color (a trait that is more common in birds). Similar to other salamander species this genus is believed to eat small terrestrial prey using its projectile tongue.[3]
The description of the species, published online in June 2009, for the Journal of Zoology, was based on specimens collected at Stephens County, Georgia, (near Toccoa[4]) in 2007, and several other sites in a region rich in salamander species. U. brucei is endemic to the United States and is its second smallest salamander.[5]
The name Urspelerpes means "archaic" (ur) "cave creeper" (spelerpes) in Greek. The specific epithet brucei honors a professor at Western Carolina University, Richard Bruce.[5]