Northern grotto salamander

The northern grotto salamander (Eurycea nerea) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the south-central United States.^[2][3]

Northern grotto salamander
Recently-metamorphosed individual
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Plethodontidae
Genus:	Eurycea
Species:	E. nerea
Binomial name
Eurycea nerea (Bishop, 1944)
Synonyms
Typhlotriton nerea Eurycea nereus

Taxonomy

It is now considered a member of the genus Eurycea, but was originally described as Typhlotriton nereus.^[4]

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 southern grotto salamander (E. braggi) during the Late Miocene. All three grotto salamanders are thought to descend from an ancestral surface-dwelling form.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Marvel Cave, a known habitat of the northern grotto salamander.

It is found in the southern Ozark Plateau of Missouri and adjacent portions of Arkansas. It is primarily found in the Salem Plateau and a small portion of the adjacent West Springfield Plateau. It inhabits freshwater springs (as a juvenile), inland karsts, and caves.^[2][4]

Description

This is a troglobitic species that has evolved several troglomorphisms such as a pale coloration and reduced eyesight, much like E. spelaea. Alongside E. spelaea and E. braggi, it is the only blind, troglobitic salamander that undergoes full metamorphosis.^[4][5]