Mudpuppy
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The Mudpuppies or Waterdogs are a family of aquatic salamanders.
Taxonomy
The mudpuppy family, proteidae, is divided into two genera - Necturus with six North American species, and Proteus with one European species. Taxonomically, they are an ancient species, dating from the time of the dinosaurs.
Life history
Mudpuppies are unique among amphibians in that they spend their entire lives underwater, never developing air-breathing lungs. They develop external gills for respiration. The gills resemble fish gills in many ways, but differ from fish gills in that they are external and lack any form or operculum or covering. The bright red exposed gills can be 'flapped' to increase water circulation during low oxygen tension conditions.
Mudpuppies prefer shallow lakes and streams but have been found in hundreds of feet of water. The mudpuppy's diet consists of crayfish, snails, insect larvae, worms and small fish. Mudpuppies mature at 4 to 6 years and can live to be more than 20 years old. Progenesis is common for mudpuppies, enabling them to reach sexual maturity in their larval state.
Even though they will eat fish eggs, negative effects on fish populations have not been documented. Because mudpuppies eat off the bottom, fishermen will occasionally catch a mudpuppy if they are fishing off the bottom.
To distinguish between a mudpuppy and an immature salamander, note that mudpuppies only have four toes.
- Necturus
- *Alabama Waterdog (Necturus alabamensis)
- *Gulf Coast Waterdog (Necturus beyeri)
- *Neuse River Waterdog (Necturus lewisi)
- *Red River Mudpuppy (Necturus louisianensis)
- *Common Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus)
- *Dwarf Waterdog (Necturus punctatus)
- Proteus
- *Olm (Proteus anguinus)
External references
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