Three-lined salamander
{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Eurycea guttoli(1).jpg
| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
| status2 = G5
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref = {{cite NatureServe |id=2.102029 |title=Eurycea guttolineata |access-date=10 February 2025}}
| taxon = Eurycea guttolineata
| authority = (Holbrook, 1838)
| synonyms = * Salamandra gutto-lineata Holbrook, 1838
}}
The three-lined salamander (Eurycea guttolineata) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the south-eastern United States. This species was classified as a sub-species of long tailed salamanders until DNA sequencing revealed that there was no hybridization between the two species.{{Cite journal |last=Carlin |first=Joel L. |date=1997 |title=Genetic and Morphological Differentiation between Eurycea longicauda longicauda and E. guttolineata (Caudata: Plethodontidae) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3893330 |journal=Herpetologica |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=206–217 |jstor=3893330 |issn=0018-0831}} Like other Plethodontidae species, E. guttolineata captures prey via tongue projection.
Description
Eurycea guttolineata is a mid-sized, slender stream salamander which ranges from about 10-15.9 cm in its adult form. It is tan to light yellow with three black longitudinal stripes running from the eyes down the length of the body to the tail. They possess 13-14 costal grooves that aid in cutaneous respiration.{{Cite journal |last=Ireland |first=Patrick H. |date=1979 |title=Eurycea longicauda |url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/2b7a9509-8ef0-46b4-9307-6c8587a73a60/content |journal=Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles}} The tail is very long at approximately two-thirds its total body length. Additionally, the ventrum (belly) of the three-lined salamander is boldly marked with black and white marbling.{{Cite journal |last=Bruce |first=Richard C. |date=1970-12-12 |title=The Larval Life of the Three-Lined Salamander, Eurycea longicauda guttolineata |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1442330 |journal=Copeia |volume=1970 |issue=4 |pages=776–779 |doi=10.2307/1442330 |jstor=1442330 |issn=0045-8511}}
Reproduction
Breeding takes place in slow moving bogs and streams. Hatchlings are generally around 10-13 mm and undergo metamorphosis when they are 22-27 mm snout-to-vent length. Metamorphosis starts with the reduction of labial folds, formation of eyelids, and resorption of the tail-fin. Metamorphosis is then complete with loss of gills and gill slits, along with pigment changes.{{Cite journal |last=Bruce |first=Richard C. |date=1970 |title=The Larval Life of the Three-Lined Salamander, Eurycea longicauda guttolineata |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1442330 |journal=Copeia |volume=1970 |issue=4 |pages=776–779 |doi=10.2307/1442330 |jstor=1442330 |issn=0045-8511}} This is typically a 4-6 month larval stage. The effects that elevation has on larval stages have been studied extensively showing that at lower elevations larvae metamorphosized sooner than those at higher elevations which had delayed metamorphosis mostly due to overwintering. Due to this species being a semi-aquatic salamander in the Plethodontidae family, the females will enter cooler waters in late autumn and winter to drop eggs.{{Cite journal |last=Marvin |first=Glenn A |date=April 2003 |title=Effects of acute temperature and thermal acclimation on aquatic and terrestrial locomotor performance of the three-lined salamander, Eurycea guttolineata |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4565(02)00084-0 |journal=Journal of Thermal Biology |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=251–259 |doi=10.1016/s0306-4565(02)00084-0 |issn=0306-4565}} Females lay clutch sizes averaging 12-14 eggs.{{Cite book |last=Petranka |first=James W. |title=Salamanders of the United States and Canada |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |year=1998 |isbn=1560988282}}
Distribution
Habitat
Its natural habitats are forested floodplains, ditches, streamsides, and seepages. With wet weather, the species may enter wooded terrestrial habitats. It is not uncommon in suitable habitat. Some subpopulations have likely been extirpated by loss of bottomland hardwood forests. E. guttolineata can fill ecological niches and use areas closer to roads than other species of salamanders.{{Cite journal |last=Aldridge |first=Caleb A. |date=2020-06-25 |title=Road-effects on plethodontid counts in a Southeastern Plains forest |url=https://www.biotaxa.org/hn/article/view/57569 |journal=Herpetology Notes |language=en |volume=13 |pages=505–512 |issn=2071-5773}}
Feeding Behavior
Three-lined Salamanders feed on a variety of invertebrates including snails, snail eggs, arachnids, millipedes, annelids, nematodes, and many insects.Petranka, J.W., 1998, [https://archive.org/details/salamandersofuni00petr Salamanders of the United States and Canada], Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. pp. [https://archive.org/details/salamandersofuni00petr/page/249 249]-251 Larvae are thought to feed on small invertebrates, but there have not been any detailed studies on their stomach content or foraging behavior.Virginia Herpetological Society, https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/salamanders/three-lined-salamander/three-lined_salamander.php. A study researching the effects of temperature showed that elastically powered tongue-projection performance is maintained to a higher degree than muscle-powered tongue retraction performance across a wide temperature range.{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Christopher V. |last2=Larghi |first2=Nicholas P. |last3=Deban |first3=Stephen M. |title=Thermal effects on the performance, motor control and muscle dynamics of ballistic feeding in the salamander Eurycea guttolineata |url=https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/217/17/3146/12469/Thermal-effects-on-the-performance-motor-control |publisher=The Company of Biologists |journal=The Journal of Experimental Biology |access-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206191349/https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/217/17/3146/12469/Thermal-effects-on-the-performance-motor-control |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |doi=10.1242/jeb.105437 |date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=live |volume=217 |number=17|pages=3146–3158 |pmid=24948633 |s2cid=9580680 |doi-access=free }} Another study found that three-lined salamanders have slower burst speed in cold temperatures.{{Cite journal |last=Marvin |first=Glenn A |date=2003 |title=Effects of temperature on locomotor performance of a salamander |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/212040121 |journal=Herpetological Review |volume=34 |issue=3|id={{ProQuest|212040121}} }}
References
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q2212102}}
Category:Endemic amphibians of the United States
Category:Fauna of the Southeastern United States
Category:Ecology of the Appalachian Mountains
Category:Natural history of Alabama
Category:Natural history of Louisiana
Category:Natural history of South Carolina
Category:Taxa named by John Edwards Holbrook
Category:Amphibians described in 1838
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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