Amphiuma tridactylum
{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}
{{Italic title}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Three-toed amphiuma
| image = Amphiuma tridactylum.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Amphiuma tridactylum
| authority = Cuvier, 1827
| synonyms = Syren quadrapeda Custis, 1807
Muraenopsis tridactyla (Cuvier, 1843)
}}
Amphiuma tridactylum, the three-toed amphiuma, is a species of aquatic salamander native to the Southeastern United States.
Description
File:Amphiuma tridactylum biofluorescence - 41598 2020 59528 Fig2-bottom (cropped).png in a three-toed amphiuma]]
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 {{convert|41.25|in|cm}}, but {{convert|18|-|30|in|cm}} is the typical size of an average adult.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}} 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. It is often found in bottomland marshes and lakes, seeps, bayous, cypress sloughs, and streams in areas with limestone bedrock. It frequently occupies crayfish burrows and may be found in manmade ditches.
Behavior
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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 may venture out of the water after heavy rain. Amphiumas feed on earthworms, fish, other amphibians, small reptiles, crustaceans (mainly crayfish), and other small invertebrates (such as insects and snails).{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Amphiuma_tridactylum/ | title=Amphiuma tridactylum (Three-toed Amphiuma) | website=Animal Diversity Web }} Their broad diet often results in amphiumas being caught as bycatch by fishermen. They mate from December to June and subsequently nest from April to October. Unlike other amphiumas, they fertilize internally. About 200 eggs are laid in a single strand in an underwater cavity. Males have five sets of cloacal glands, with the posterior set being different in its morphology and histology. Multiple cloacas may contribute to the ability of males to court and mate with many females in quick succession, as multiple spermatophores can be produced simultaneously. This allows males to avoid wasting extra energy producing another spermatophore after each mating session, and consequently creates a polygynous dynamic between the individuals.{{Cite web |title=Amphiuma tridactylum - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio |url=https://animalia.bio/amphiuma-tridactylum |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=animalia.bio}}
Biology
The three-toed amphiuma has the largest recorded red blood cells of any animal measuring 70x40 μm.{{Cite journal |last=Vernberg |first=J.F. |date=1955 |title=Hematological studies on salamanders in relation to their ecology |jstor=3889976 |journal=Herpetologica |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=129–133 }}
References
=General reference=
- {{cite book |year=1979 |title=National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians |publisher=National Audubon Society |isbn=9780394508245 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/audubonsocietyfi00behl }}
- Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. 4th Edition. Elsevier Inc. 2014. {{ISBN|9780123869197}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1258234}}
Category:Amphibians of the United States
Category:Fauna of the Southeastern United States
Category:Endemic amphibians of the United States