River Proteus [1] ( lat. Necturus lewisi ) is a species of caudate amphibian from the Proteus family.
| River proteus |
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| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Necturus lewisi Brimley , 1924 |
| Synonyms |
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Necturus maculosus lewisi Brimley, 1924 |
| Security status |
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Close to vulnerableIUCN 3.1 Near Threatened : 59432 |
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Content
Endemic to the United States , lives in the Tar Pamlico and News rivers, flowing in North Carolina [2] .
The total length varies from 16.5 to 28 cm. Sexual dimorphism is observed: the female is larger than the male. The head is elongated, the muzzle is compressed from above and truncated. Gills are dense, dark red. The body is stocky, with four fingers on the hind legs. The tail is laterally compressed and ribbed. The color of the back is rusty-brown with many large bluish-black spots. The belly is dark brown to gray, with the same spots as on the back. The skin secretes a toxic secret that protects against predators [3] .
Prefers shallow reservoirs with a relatively fast flow. It occurs at altitudes up to 116 m above sea level . It is active at night, during the day it hides in depressions under stones or in holes. It feeds mainly on insects , snails , worms and arthropods , adults also attack small fish, salamanders and snakes [4] .
The breeding season lasts from December to March. Egg laying occurs in April-May. The female lays about 35 eggs with a diameter of 8–9 mm [5] .
- ↑ Ananyeva N. B. , Borkin L. Ya. , Darevsky I.S. , Orlov N.L. The five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. Yaz., 1988 .-- P. 31 .-- 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X .
- ↑ Frost, Darrel R. Necturus lewisi (neopr.) . Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 . American Museum of Natural History (2017).
- ↑ Neuse River Waterdog (English) information on the Encyclopedia of Life website (EOL).
- ↑ Necturus lewisi (Neuse River Waterdog ) . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- ↑ Amphibia Web. Necturus lewisi (neopr.) . Provides information on amphibian declines, natural history, conservation, and taxonomy (2017).
- Grzimek, Bernhard Het leven de dieren deel V: Vissen (II) en amfibieën , Kindler Verlag AG, 1971, Pagina 390 ISBN 90 274 8625 5 .
- Petranka, James W. (1998) Salamanders of the United States and Canada , Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press.
