Spotted furrowed newt

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Spotted furrowed newt
Spotted Newt (Necturus maculosus)

Spotted Newt ( Necturus maculosus )

Systematics
without rank: Amphibians (Lissamphibia)
Order : Tail amphibian (caudata)
Superfamily : Salamander relatives (Salamandroidea)
Family : Olme (Proteidae)
Genre : Furrowed Newts ( Necturus )
Type : Spotted furrowed newt
Scientific name
Necturus maculosus
( Rafinesque , 1818)

The spotted newt ( Necturus maculosus ) is the largest and most common type of newt from the Olme family (Proteidae) in the fresh waters of the eastern United States .

Research history

Probably the oldest scientific description of the spotted newt comes from Bernard Germain Lacépède in 1807 under the French name Protée tétradactyle . The Latinized form of this name ( Proteus tetradactylus ) was first used in 1818 in a work by Jacob Green . However, Green gives no reference to an author or a source for the origin of the name and although it is clear from the context what was meant by it, his designation as Proteus tetradactylus has no official validity.

In the same year, 1818, Constantine S. Rafinesque-Schmaltz published a brief description of the spotted furrowed newt under the name Sirena maculosa, and a year later he added the species as Necturus maculatus to the new genus Necturus . In 1820 Rafinesque first used the designation as Necturus maculosus , which has established itself as a valid scientific species name. The designation as Proteus tetradactylus , on the other hand, is today, in accordance with the regulations of the ICZN (Article 23.9.1.1), as a “ noun oblitum ” (“forgotten name”).

features

The teeth of a spotted newt. Pacific Lutheran University Natural History collection

Like all representatives of the Olme, the spotted newt retains features of the larval stage ( neoteny ) throughout its life . The animals have both a primitive lung and two larval gill slits and three pairs of red, tufted outer gills. The tail is flattened laterally and the head dorsoventrally . The maxilla is absent in the upper jaw. The number of toes is reduced; in the genus Necturus there are only four toes on the front and rear legs.

The teeth of the upper jaw are arranged in two V-shaped rows. Since there are no maxillae, the outer row of teeth is carried by the intermaxillary bone (premaxillary) and the inner row of teeth by the ploughshare (vomer) and in the rear area by the palatopterygoid . The teeth of the lower jaw are borne by the lower jaw bone (dental) and the last six teeth in the rearmost area are borne by the medially adjacent coronoid .

The spotted newt can reach a body length of up to 43 cm. The basic color is rust-brown or dark-gray with rounded, blue-black spots on the back and on the flanks. The lower area of ​​the flanks is marbled with a few dark spots. The central abdominal area is light. A dark stripe runs along the side of the head.

Distribution and endangerment status

Distribution area of ​​the spotted newt

The distribution area of ​​the spotted newt stretches in Canada and the USA from southern Manitoba , Ontario and Quebec in the north to the south to southern Oklahoma , northern Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama and Georgia . The species does not occur in the plains of the North American east coast. The species occurs as a neozoon in some rivers in the New England states .

The species is listed by the IUCN in the Red List of Threatened Species in the category LC ("Least Concern"; "not endangered").

Subspecies

  • Necturus maculosus maculosus ( Rafinesque , 1818): ( nominate form ); rust-brown basic color with black dots; Occurrence in the eastern USA and southeast Canada ( Québec )
  • Necturus maculosus stictus Bishop , 1941: basic color dark gray, almost black; Occurrence only in the area of Lake Winnebago , ( Wisconsin ) and in Mackinac County , ( Michigan )
  • Necturus maculosus louisianensis Viosca , 1938: basic brown color with black dots on the ventral side; Occurrence in Louisiana ; is rated as an independent species Necturus louisianensis

Way of life

The animals are exclusively aquatic . They prefer clear rivers and lakes, but can also be found in muddy and densely overgrown bays, canals and drainage ditches. In clear waters they are mostly nocturnal and usually hide under stones or other suitable objects during the day. If dense vegetation with aquatic plants offers sufficient cover, they can also be active during the day. They usually move continuously on the bottom of the water, but they can also move by swimming with fish-like movements and legs close to the body.

Diet

The spotted newt feeds carnivorous . It prefers live prey such as snails, worms, insects and their larvae, fish spawn and small vertebrates (fish, reptiles and amphibians including members of their own species), but also does not disdain carrion.

Reproduction

Simpsonaias ambigua

Necturus maculosus is a long-lived species that can reach an age of more than 30 years. Sexual maturity is reached between the ages of 7-10 years. Mating season is in autumn. The eggs, which are approximately the size of a pea (on average about 60 pieces) are not laid individually by the females until the following late spring in the shallow water on the substrate. The eggs are guarded by the females until the young hatch 1–2 months after they have laid their eggs.

Parasites

Simpsonaias ambigua (Say, 1825), a freshwater mussel from the family of river and pond mussels (Unionidae), is the only known species of this family whose glochidium larvae do not appear on the gills of fish, but exclusively on the external gill clusters of the spotted newt parasitize. The distribution area of ​​this mussel species, which in English usage is also known as “Salamander Mussel” (“Salamander mussel”), accordingly largely coincides with the distribution area of ​​its host.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Th. CH Cole: Dictionary of animal names: Latin-German-English German-Latin-English. 2nd edition, Springer Verlag, 2015. ISBN 978-3-662-44241-8 , p. 605, ( reading sample ).
  2. ^ M. de Lacépède: Sur une espèce de quadrupede ovipaire non encore décrite. In: Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle , Volume 10, 1807, pp. 230-233, ( digitized version ).
  3. ^ J. Green: Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. In: Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia , Volume 1, 1818, pp. 348-359, ( digitized ).
  4. ^ HM Smith & JA Tihen: tigrina (Salamandra) Green 1825: Proposed Validation under the Plenary Powers (Amphibia, Caudata). ZN (S.) 1460. In: The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature , Volume 18, 1961, pp. 214-216, ( digitized ).
  5. ^ CS Rafinesque: Farther Account of Discoveries in Natural History, in the Western States. In: The American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review , Volume 4, 1818, pp. 39-42, ( digitized ).
  6. ↑ CS Rafinesque: Prodrome de 70 nouveaux genres d'animaux découverts dans l'intérieur des États-Unis d'Amérique, durant l'année 1818. In: Journal de Physique, de Chimie, d'Histoire Naturelle et des Arts , Volume 88 , 1819, pp. 417-429, ( digitized ).
  7. ↑ CS Rafinesque: Annals of Nature or Annual Synopsis of New Genera and Species of Animals, Plants, & c. Discovered in North America. Transylvania University, 1820, p. 4, ( digitized ).
  8. ↑ International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature: 23.9. Reversal of precedence. In: International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature 1999, January 1, 2012, accessed February 25, 2019 .
  9. ^ Darrel Frost and The American Museum of Natural History: Necturus maculosus (Rafinesque, 1818). In: Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an Online Reference. Darrel Frost and The American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved February 25, 2019 .
  10. ↑ a b c d J. A. Holman: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michigan: A Quaternary and Recent Faunal Adventure. Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan, 2012, ISBN 978-0-8143-3239-9 , pp. 58-61, ( excerpt ).
  11. ↑ BKB Berkovitz & RP Shellis: The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates. Elsevier (Academic Press), 2016, ISBN 978-0-12-802850-6 , pp. 128–129, ( reading sample )
  12. ↑ Sh. C. Bishop: Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California. Comstock Classic Handbooks, Cornell University Press, 2018 new edition, ISBN 1-5017-2101-1 , p. 27, ( reading sample )
  13. ↑ a b Necturus maculosus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2015.4. Listed by: IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, 2015. Accessed February 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ a b c Sh. C. Bishop: Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California. Comstock Classic Handbooks, Cornell University Press, 2018 new edition, ISBN 1-5017-2101-1 , pp. 40–43, ( reading sample )
  15. ↑ Sh. C. Bishop: Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California. Comstock Classic Handbooks, Cornell University Press, 2018 new edition, ISBN 1-5017-2101-1 , pp. 43–46, ( reading sample )
  16. ↑ Sh. C. Bishop: Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California. Comstock Classic Handbooks, Cornell University Press, 2018 edition, ISBN 1-5017-2101-1 , pp 37-40 ( excerpt )
  17. ↑ JM Craig, DA Mifsud, AS Briggs, J. Boase & G. Kennedy: Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus maculosus) Spatial Distribution, Breeding Water Depth, and Use of Artificial Spawning Habitat in the Detroit River. In: Herpetological Conservation and Biology , Volume 10, Number 3, 2015, pp. 926-934, ( digitized version ).
  18. ^ KJ Roe: Conservation Assessment for The Salamander Mussel (Simpsonaias ambigua) Say, 1825. In: USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region , 2003, 11 pages, ( digitized ).

Web links

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