turtles lizards snakes
frogs
Reptiles of the United States  
  Home Email Site map
A Guide to the Reptiles &
Amphibians of the United States
Home snakes lizards Turtles turtles salamanders
Snakes of the U.S.
UDG-Banner (55K)
 



Fern Bank Salamander Range Map






Fern Bank Salamander Video

No Video Available




Fern Bank Salamander Juvenile

Want to Contribute a photo of a Juvenile Fern Bank Salamander?
Email Us
Home »» Salamanders & Newts »» Plethodontidae (Lungless Salamanders) »» Fern Bank Salamander (Eurycea pterophila)


Fern Bank Salamander (Eurycea pterophila)STATUS





Description: The fern bank salamander (Eurycea pterophila) is also known as the Blanco River Springs salamander. The Fern Bank salamander (Eurycea pterophila) was first described in 1950. This species looks similar to the Texas salamander (Eurycea neotenes) with a yellow, mottled coloration and bright red gill filaments, but can be differentiated from similar species because of a "Y" shaped area at the back of the head.


Habitat: Fern Bank salamanders range into both underground caves and surface water streams. This species is typically found underneath small rocks, vegetation, leaf packets near flowing springs, on bare rock or silt bottoms of cave systems.


Range: This species occurs in the Blanco River drainage in Blanco, Comal, Hays, and Kendall counties, Texas.


Found in these States: TX


Diet: The salamanders are known to eat various insects including dragonflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and small crustacea such as water scuds.


Reproduction: Little is known about the life history and reproduction of this species. Female Eurycea salamanders hatch eggs inside of their bodies after being fertilized by males. These aquatic salamanders do not develop substantially past the larval life stage and retain a fully developed set of gills throughout their lifespan.


Status: Listed as Endangered because its extent of occurrence (EOO) is 4,952 km2, it likely occurs in five or fewer threat-defined locations, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its aquatic habitat in Texas.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Amphibia - (Amphibians)
         »» Order: Caudata - Salamanders
               »» Family: Plethodontidae - Lungless Salamanders
                   »» Genus: Eurycea
                     »» Species: Eurycea pterophila - Fern Bank Salamander

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fern Bank Salamander", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


Recommended Books at Amazon.com


Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California     Peterson Field Guide To Western Reptiles & Amphibians     Amphibian     Salamanders of the United States and Canada



DISCLAIMER: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.

 

 
 

Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
Copyright © 2008 - Herpedia™.com