Barton Springs salamander
Barton Springs salamander | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Family: | Plethodontidae |
Genus: | Eurycea |
Species: | E. sosorum
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Binomial name | |
Eurycea sosorum |
The Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum) is an
Habitat
The Barton Springs salamander prefers clear water and are typically found near openings of springs.[8] These salamanders can also be found under rocks or gravel, within aquatic vegetation, and algae.[4] Barton Springs salamanders can live in water depths ranging from 0.1 to 5 metres (0.33 to 16.40 ft).[4] The springs in which these salamanders inhabit flow year-round and retain a constant temperature of around 20 °C (68 °F).[1]
Description
Barton Springs salamanders grow to approximately 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) in total length and have mottled coloration varying from darkish purple to light yellow on their dorsal side.[4] The variation in coloring is largely due to the presence or lack of melanophores, iridophores, and pigment gaps.[4] The ventral side of the salamander is either a cream or translucent color which allows stomach contents and the presence of eggs to be visible.[4] The ventral side of the tail has a yellow-orange stripe that extends from the cloaca to the end of the tail.[4] They have a fairly small head with reduced eyes and a slender body with elongated limbs that indicate it occupies a semi-subterranean lifestyle.[4][9] On either side of the salamander are three red gills with four fingers on the forelimbs and five toes on the hindlimbs.[4][9] The Barton Springs salamander is an ectothermic species and displays bilateral symmetry.[4][9]
Reproduction
Barton Springs salamanders are dioecious, and females can hold up to 40 eggs at a time.[10][9] The eggs are about 1.5 mm in diameter, surrounded by a jelly-like layer, and are deposited in a cluster on various substrates year-round.[9][10][11] In captivity, Barton Springs salamanders display a tail-straddling walk during reproduction.[11] Spermatophores deposited by males on substrate are stored by the female in a spermatheca. The fertilization of their eggs is consistent with most salamanders, which utilize internal fertilization in which sperm are released onto the eggs as they pass through the female reproductive tract.[11]
Environmental impact
Oxygen absorption
Since this species is an obligate aquatic neotene that retains its gills through its adult life, it must absorb oxygen through its gills or skin. However, the method in which it performs this absorption has yet to be determined. One study found that when presented with a low DO level, this salamander increases its body movement. They theorized two explanations for this reaction:
- low and high DO levels may be found relatively close, therefore movement will allow this species to migrate to a higher DO environment,
- the physical movement causes a decrease between boundary layers adjacent to skin and gills, which allows for greater flow of oxygen.[13]
Diet and behavior
Much of the Barton Springs salamander's life history remains unknown at this time. These salamanders are neotenic and strictly an aquatic species.[4] This species of salamanders typically inhabits surface waters but are also suited to live in subterranean waters when conditions are not suitable at the surface.[4][11] Barton Springs salamanders utilize innate predator recognition and are opportunistic feeders.[11] It appears that they feed primarily on small aquatic crustaceans and planarian flatworms (Dugesia sp.), but can supplement their diet with other items, such as earthworms, snails, leeches, and insect larvae.[11][14]
Etymology
The
Conservation status
Despite inhabiting an urban area, E. sosorum was not described until 1993.
References
- ^ .
- ^ "Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ 62 FR 23377
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Chippindale, P.T.; A.H. Price & Hillis, D.M. (1993). "A new species of perennibranchiate salamander (Eurycea, Plethodontidae) from Austin, Texas" (PDF). Herpetologica. 49: 242–259.
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Eurycea sosorum Chippindale, Price, and Hillis, 1993". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History.
- .
- ^ PMID 33981501.
- ^ a b c d "Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum)". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ JSTOR 1447629.
- ^ ISBN 9781501721014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Eurycea sosorum | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ S2CID 23997421.
- ^ S2CID 86182120.
- ^ a b "Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum)". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Biodiversity". Sosalliance.org. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
Further reading
- Chippindale, P.T.; A.H. Price; Wiens, J.J.; Hillis, D.M. (2000). "Phylogenetic relationships of central Texas hemidactyliine plethodontid salamanders, genus Eurycea, and a taxonomic revision of the group". Herpetological Monographs. 14: 1–80. JSTOR 1467045.
- Hillis, D.M.; Chamberlain, D.A.; Wilcox, T.P.; Chippindale, P.T. (2001). "A new species of subterranean blind salamander (Plethodontidae: Hemidactyliini: Eurycea: Typhlomolge) from Austin, Texas, and a systematic revision of central Texas paedomorphic salamanders". Herpetologica. 57: 266–280.
External links
- Media related to Eurycea sosorum at Wikimedia Commons
- Salamanders B-Roll Video published by austintexasgov