Dwarf waterdog


The dwarf waterdog is an aquatic salamander, the smallest member of the family Proteidae, and is endemic to the United States.

Description

This species is usually between 4.5 and 7.5 in long, and has bushy, narrow gills and a compressed tail. All feet have four toes. The salamander is dark brown or slate-grey to black above, and has a grey belly with a bluish-white band along the midline. Unlike other members of the family Proteidae, it is without any black spots.

Habitat

Dwarf waterdogs live in slow-moving, muddy or sandy-bottomed streams and associated deep irrigation ditches.

Geographic range

Necturus punctatus is found on the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia to southcentral Georgia, and may extend westward along the Gulf Coastal plain.