Amphiuma tridactylum

The three-toed amphiuma, Amphiuma tridactylum, is a species of aquatic salamander native to the Southeastern United States.[1][2]

Three-toed amphiuma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Amphiumidae
Genus: Amphiuma
Species:
A. tridactylum
Binomial name
Amphiuma tridactylum
Cuvier, 1827
Synonyms[2]

Syren quadrapeda Custis, 1807
Muraenopsis tridactyla (Cuvier, 1843)

Description

The three-toed amphiuma looks rather eel-like, with an elongate, dark gray-black, or brown colored body, and tiny vestigial legs. A large salamander, one record sized individual was recorded at 41.25 inches [106 cm.], but 18-30 inches [45.7-76 cm.] is the typical size of an average adult. [3] They have small, lidless eyes, and gill slits. They have four tiny legs each with three toes and an average of 62 costal grooves.

Distribution

The three-toed amphiuma is found in the United States, along the Gulf of Mexico states, from Alabama to Texas, and north to Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.[1] Often is found in bottomland marshes and lakes, bayous, cypress sloughs, and streams in hilly regions. Frequently occupies crayfish burrows.

Behavior

Amphiumas are nocturnal carnivores. They spend most of the time hiding in heavily vegetated areas of permanent bodies of slow moving water, such as swamps, ponds and lakes. They feed on earthworms, fish, crustaceans, and other small invertebrates. Like other amphiumas they are often caught by fishermen who detest them as a nuisance because of their diet that includes just about everything that swims. They mate from December to June then nest from April to October. Unlike other amphiumas, they fertilize internally. About 200 eggs are laid in a single strand that becomes tangled in cavity. They rarely leave the water except after a heavy rainstorm. Males have five sets of cloacal glands, the posterior most set being different in its morphology and histology, that may contribute an ability of the males to court and mate with multiple females in quick succession. This is due to the fact that multiple spermatophores would be produced at the same time, so males wouldn't have to waste extra energy producing another spermatophore after each mating session and consequently create a polygynous dynamic between the individuals.

Biology

The three-toed amphiuma has the largest recorded erythrocytes of any animal measuring 70x40 μm.[4]

References
  1. Hammerson, G. (2004). "Amphiuma tridactylum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59076A11879742. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Amphiuma tridactylum Cuvier, 1827". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  3. Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, & Joseph T. Collins (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co. , Boston. 494 pp. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9
  4. Vernberg, J.F. (1955). "Hematological studies on salamanders in relation to their ecology". Herpetologica. 11: 129–133. JSTOR 3889976.

General reference
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