Brook salamanders are a genus, Eurycea, of native to North America.
Taxonomy
The genus
Eurycea was first described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz in 1822, with a specimen of the spotted-tail salamander,
Eurycea lucifuga, from Kentucky. The taxonomy of the genus is somewhat confusing, as many of the
species within it are poorly studied and are found only in very restricted ranges, or deep within caverns. Several species have even been described several times by different researchers, and some are often considered to be morphologically different enough to warrant being placed into their own genera.
A recent taxonomic revision moved the Georgia blind salamander to this genus, which makes Haideotriton a synonym of Eurycea.
Many sources also refer to several species of the genus as cave salamanders, due to their choice of habitat, or as blind salamanders, due to their reduced eyes, or the antiquated term for aquatic salamanders, Triton. Most species are from very isolated localities, so bear the name of the place the first specimen was found.
Diversificatuion
A 2006 analysis of
salamanders of the genus
Eurycea, in the Appalachians, found that the current taxonomy of the group greatly underestimated species level diversity. The authors found that patterns of
phylogeography diversity were more associated with historical (rather than modern) drainage connections, indicating that major shifts in the drainage patterns of the region played an important role in the generation of diversity of these salamanders. A thorough understanding of phylogeographic structure will thus allow informed choices in prioritizing areas for conservation.
Species
This genus is composed of these 33 species:
|
|
|
| Brown-backed salamander |
| Carolina Sandhills salamander |
| Northern two-lined salamander |
| Southern grotto salamander |
| Chamberlain's dwarf salamander |
| Salado Springs salamander |
| Southern two-lined salamander |
| Three-lined salamander |
| Hillis's dwarf salamander |
| Junaluska salamander |
| Cascade Caverns salamander |
| Long-tailed salamander |
| Spotted-tail salamander |
| Dark-sided salamander |
| Many-ribbed salamander |
| San Marcos salamander |
| Georgetown salamander |
| Texas salamander |
| Northern grotto salamander |
| Western dwarf salamander |
| Fern bank salamander |
| Southeastern dwarf salamander |
| Texas blind salamander |
| Blanco blind salamander |
| Barton Springs salamander |
| Western grotto salamander |
| Bog dwarf salamander |
| Ouachita streambed salamander |
| Valdina Farms salamander |
| Oklahoma salamander |
| Georgia blind salamander |
| Austin blind salamander |
| Blue Ridge two-lined salamander |
|
Intrinsic Phylogeny
Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus
Eurycea.
Diet
Eurycea eat a variety of small
such as spiders,
Armadillidiidae, and insects.
The food of larvae is at the same
trophic level as the adults.
E. cirrega, for example, eat
Isopoda,
Chironomidae, and
.
Reproduction
Mating can occur from fall to spring.
Males use their premaxillary teeth to scratch the female during reproduction, most likely to release various
pheromones.
External links
-
. 2007. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.2 (15 July 2008). Eurycea. Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. (Accessed: July 31, 2008).
-
web. 2008. Berkeley, California: Eurycea. AmphibiaWeb, available at http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: July 31, 2008).
