A New Species of Subterranean Blind Salamander (Plethodontidae: Hemidactyliini: Eurycea: Typhlomolge) from Austin, Texas, and A Systematic Revision of Central Texas Paedomorphic Salamanders

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Publication Date

January 2001

Abstract

We describe a new species of salamander (Eurycea) from the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, Austin, Texas, USA. The new species is most closely related to Eurycea (Typhlomolge) rathbuni from subterranean waters around San Marcos, Texas, and like that species lacks external eyes and shows other morphological features associated with subterranean life. The new species is easily distinguished on the basis of morphology from all previously described species of salamanders, and in particular is easily distinguished from its closest relatives, E. (Typhlomolge) rathbuni and E. (Typhlomolge) robusta, as well as the sympatric E. sosorum. We used sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to infer the phylogeny of described species of central Texas Eurycea, and these data support the major groups reported previously on the basis of other DNA and allozyme data. We also define names for the major clades of central Texas Eurycea.

Keywords

Caudata, Plethodontidae, Hemidactyliini, Eurycea Waterlooensis, Blepsimolge, Notiomolge, Paedomolge, Septentriomolge, Typhlomolge, Eurycea, Endangered Species, Texas, Barton Spring

Document Type

Article

Notes

Herpetologica, Vol. 57, no. 3 (2001).

Identifier

SFS0063064_00001

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