The southern grotto salamander (''Eurycea braggi'') is a species of

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

in the family

Plethodontidae Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. With over 500 species, lungless salamanders are by far the largest family of salamanders in terms of their diversity. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from B ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to northern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Taxonomy

It is now considered a member of the genus '' Eurycea'', but was originally described as ''Typhlotriton braggi''. It was described in 1968, but was later synonymized with the grotto salamander (''E. spelaea''), but a 2017 study found substantial genetic differences between the clades classified in ''E. spelaea'' and once again split them into distinct species. It is thought to have diverged from the northern grotto salamander (''E. nerea'') during the Late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

. All three grotto salamanders are thought to descend from an ancestral surface-dwelling form.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

of northern Arkansas, where it is found in the East Springfield Plateau. It is found east of the White River basin. It inhabits freshwater springs (as a juvenile), inland

karsts Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some evide ...

, and

caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

Description

This is a

troglobitic A troglobite (or, formally, troglobiont) is an animal species, or population of a species, strictly bound to underground habitats, such as caves. These are separate from species that mainly live in above-ground habitats but are also able to live u ...

species that has evolved several troglomorphisms such as a pale coloration and reduced eyesight, much like ''E. spelaea''. Alongside ''E. spelaea'' and ''E. nerea'', it is the only blind, troglobitic salamander that undergoes full metamorphosis.Conant, Roger, and Joseph T. Collins (1998) Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern/Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, p. 498

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q56346467 braggi Cave salamanders Endemic amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of Arkansas Amphibians described in 1968