The Escambia waterdog (''Necturus mounti'') is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States.

Taxonomy

It was formerly thought to be a lineage of the

Gulf Coast waterdog The western waterdog (''Necturus beyeri'') is a species of aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae. It is Endemism, endemic to the southeastern United States, where it occurs in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Taxonomy This may ...

(''N. beyeri''), but a 2020 analysis found sufficient morphological and genetic divergence for it to be considered its own species, and it was thus described as its own species, ''N. mounti'' (alongside the Apalachicola waterdog, ''N. moleri''). The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

honors American herpetologist

Robert H. Mount The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, ho ...

Distribution

It is found in southern Alabama and the

Panhandle A salient (also known as a panhandle or bootheel) is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on ...

of Florida. It is found in the

Blackwater Blackwater or Black Water may refer to: Health and ecology * Blackwater (coal), liquid waste from coal preparation * Blackwater (waste), wastewater containing feces, urine, and flushwater from flush toilets * Blackwater fever, an acute kidney disea ...

, Escambia/Conecuh, Perdido, and Yellow river basins.

Description

In contrast to ''N. beyeri'', and much like ''N. moleri'', it is small in size, weakly spotted, and has an unstriped larva that lacks the numerous white spots of ''N. beyeri''.

References

Proteidae Amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Amphibians described in 2020 {{Sarcopterygii-stub