Common Mudpuppy

Completely aquatic and gilled throughout life. The mudpuppy is the largest member of the genus Necturus which also includes waterdogs. All mudpuppies and waterdogshave bushy external gills, two gill slits, a laterally compressed tail, and four toes on front and hind feet. Adult mudpuppies are 20-49 cm total length. Dorsal coloration varies from rusty brown togray or black with bluish black spots or blotches. A dark stripe occurs on the side of the head, passing through the eye and sometimes extending down the side. The venter is white, gray, yellow, orbrown, sometimes with dark spots. Sexually mature males can be distinguished by the swollen cloaca and pair of enlarged cloacal papillae that project posteriorly (Pfingsten and White 1989; Petranka 1998). Hatchlings are 14-15 mm snout to vent length (21-25 mm total length). Juvenile coloration is quite striking, consisting of a dark middorsal stripe bounded by two lightyellow stripes. A dark band occurs below the yellow stripes. Juvenile color pattern becomes more simlilar to adults with age, beginning at 13-15 cm total length (Shoop 1965; Petranka 1998). Two subspecies are currently recognized which differ in geographic distribution (see below) and coloration. The mudpuppy (N. m. maculosus, sometimes called the common mudpuppy) isrusty brown to grey dorsally, with a gray venter that ranges from unspotted to densely spotted. The Red River mudpuppy (N. m. louisianensis, sometimes called the Louisiana mudpuppy orwaterdog) is light yellowish brown to tan dorsally, sometimes with a dark dorsal stripe bordered by lighter stripes. The back and sides of the belly have large dark spots or blotches, but the midlineof the venter is light colored with no spots (Conant and Collins 1991; Petranka 1998).A genetic survey found little divergence between populations of mudpuppies from Massachusetts, Minnesota, and North Carolina (Ashton et al. 1980). Necturus beyeri, N.alabamensis, and N. maculosus are relatively closely related (Guttman et al. 1990).

Widely ranging through the eastern United States and into southern portions of Canada. From southeastern Manitoba and southern Quebec to northern Georgia, Alabama,Mississippi, and Louisiana. Primarily west of the Appalachians, extending as far west as eastern Oklahoma, eastern North Dakota, and adjacent areas of Manitoba. The Red River mudpuppy isfound in the Arkansas River drainage and adjacent drainages, from southeastern Kansas and southern Missouri to north-central Louisiana. The rest of the range is occupied by the commonmudpuppy (Conant and Collins 1991; Petranka 1998). Mudpuppies inhabit a variety of permanent aquatic habitats including muddy canals and vegetated bays, large streams withfast-flowing water, sluggish streams, resevoirs, and clear, cool lakes. Animals are found under large rocks, logs, and other cover objects during the day, and they may live as deep as 27 m insome lakes (Petranka 1998).

Although many populations seem to be doing well, pollution and siltation are problems for these animals. Populations in Ohio are apparently declining due to these factors (Pfingsten and White 1989; Petranka 1998).

Mating usually occurs in autumn or winter, but can extend through April. Precise timing varies with location. Courtship has not been described in detail. Oviposition takes placein May or June (Shoop 1965; Petranka 1998). Nests are excavated by females under rocks, logs, boards, and other submerged cover, and eggs are attached single to the undersides ofthese objects. Reported clutch size range from 30 to 140. Hatching occurs 1-2 months after laying, depending on water temperature. Females apparently attend the eggs during development,protecting them from predation (Shoop 1965; Pfingsten and White 1989; Petranka 1998). Animals foraging on the bottom at night and retreat to burrows and cover during the day. Mudpuppies are active during winter months. Diet includes a range of aquatic invertebrates andvertebrates, including crayfish, annelids, snails, amphibians, fish, beetle and chironomid larvae, mayflies and caddisflies. Predators are poorly documented, but include water snakes (Nerodia).Humans are another source of mortality as fishers frequently discard mudpuppies on land when they are hooked (Pfingsten and White 1989; Petranka 1998)

Mudpuppies and waterdogs are often seen in the pet trade.

Maximum longevity: 34 years

Mudpuppies are important predators of aquatic invertebrates and small fish in their native aquatic ecosystems. They also are eaten by larger aquatic predators, like large fish, herons, and water snakes.

Large fish, water snakes, and wading birds, such as herons, prey on mudpuppies. Mudpuppies avoid predators by hiding under logs, rocks, or thick vegetation.

Known Predators:

• water snakes (Nerodia)
• large, predatory fish (Actinopterygii)
• herons (Ardeidae)

Mudpuppies are between 20 and 33 cm in length. They are neotenic (permanent larvae) and retain large, maroon colored external gills throughout their life. Mudpuppies that live in cold water with high oxygen concentrations have shorter gills than those living in oxygen depleted waters. They have a general coloration of gray or rusty brown, to nearly black. They are marked with black or blue-black spotting or blotching. The spotting pattern ranges from a few spots, to many spots, or spots merging to form stripes. The belly is whitish to grayish, and sometimes has bluish black spots. There are two generally recognized subspecies. Necturus m. maculosus individuals have rusty brown to gray dorsa with conspicuous spotting. The underside is gray, and may or may not be spotted. Louisiana waterdogs (N. m. louisianensis) have light yellowish brown to tan dorsa. The dorsal side is marked with large spots and sometimes a dorsal stripe. The belly is light colored with no spots.

The head of all mudpuppies is flat and the tail is short and laterally compressed for swimming. Four toes are present on each of four well-developed limbs. Males and females look very similar. However, male cloacae have two prominent papillae directed backward. In the breeding season, males have swollen cloacae. Female cloacae are slit-like and usually surrounded by light coloration. Young mudpuppies are black with longitudinal yellow stripes.

Range length: 20 to 33 cm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

Mudpuppies have been known to live upwards of 20 years.

Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 20 years.

Mudpuppies live in rivers, weedy ponds, some large lakes, and in perennial streams. Mudpuppies need water that has an abundance of shelter. They reside under logs, rocks, or weeds during the day. They are rarely seen, but may be found under rocks in shallow water. Mudpuppies can be found in either shallow or deep water, depending on the season. They have been reported in water as deep as 30 meters.

Range depth: 30 (high) m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; freshwater

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

Mudpuppies are found from southeast Manitoba to southern Quebec, south to south Missouri and northern Georgia.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

Mudpuppies eat a variety of aquatic organisms. They are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever they can catch. Crayfish are a major part of their diet. They also eat insect larvae, small fish, fish eggs, aquatic worms, snails, and other amphibians are also eaten. They will also eat carrion and are often caught in traps that are baited with dead fish.

Animal Foods: amphibians; fish; eggs; carrion ; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods; mollusks; terrestrial worms; aquatic crustaceans

Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats non-insect arthropods)

Mudpuppies have little economic importance. They are sometimes collected and used in research and education. They are important members of native aquatic ecosystems.

Positive Impacts: research and education

Mudpuppies have no negative impact on humans. Some people believe that they eat the eggs of game fish and kill them, but there is no evidence that mudpuppies impact game fish populations. People are also sometimes frightened by the strange appearance of mudpuppies, but they are completely harmless.

Mudpuppy eggs take 1 to 2 months to develop, depending on water temperature. Mudpuppies, like other members of Proteidae, are neotenic, retaining their larval form throughout life.

Development - Life Cycle: neotenic/paedomorphic; metamorphosis

Mudpuppies are locally common throughout their range, although populations are in decline in some areas. They are tolerant of a variety of aquatic habitats. Habitat destruction from siltation and pollution, and habitat loss due to development is a threat to some populations. Because of their sensitive skin, they are especially vulnerable to toxins in the water. Populations are also threatened by needless persecution, as some anglers kill mudpuppies in the mistaken belief that they impact populations of game fish. Mudpuppies are listed as endangered in Iowa and special concern in Maryland and North Carolina.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Mudpuppies have sense organs in their skin that help them detect water movement and pressure changes. These sense organs help them avoid predators. They also have a good sense of smell, which they use to locate some prey. They have small eyes that they use to perceive light. Courtship is the only time when mudpuppies communicate with each other to coordinate mating. They may use a combination of touch and chemical cues in courtship.

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; vibrations ; chemical

Mudpuppies form mating aggregations in the fall in shallow water. Males join females in sheltered areas under rocks or logs in shallow water. Males swim and crawl around the females and eventually deposit a 1 cm spermatophore. Females pick up the spermatophores in their cloaca, where it is stored until spring.

Mating System: monogamous ; polygynous

Courtship and mating take place in the fall, but some southern populations breed primarily in winter. Fertilization is internal, with the female taking up the male's spermatophore in her cloaca and storing it there until fertilization in the spring. In spring, females excavate nest cavities and suspend from 18 to 180 eggs from the nest cavity ceiling. Nest cavities are constructed in areas with rocks, logs, or other debris for shelter and in water that is 10 cm to 3 m in depth. Eggs are between 5 and 11 mm in diameter. Once hatched, larvae are 20 to 25 mm in length. It takes 4 to 6 years for a mudpuppy to reach sexual maturity, at a body length of about 20 cm.

Breeding interval: Mudpuppies breed once a year.

Breeding season: Courtship and breeding occurs in the fall, or during winter in southern populations. Fertilization and development occur in the spring.

Range number of offspring: 18 to 180.

Range time to hatching: 1 to 2 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 4 to 6 years.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 4 to 6 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous ; sperm-storing

Female mudpuppies lay their eggs in nest cavities that they dig in sheltered areas beneath rocks and logs. Nest openings usually face downstream. The eggs are attached to the roof of the nest and the females remains with them until they hatch - between 1 and 2 months.

Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Female)

Mudpuppies eat a many aquatic organisms. Some may consider them opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever they can catch. They also eat Insecta, small fish, fish eggs, aquatic worms, Gastropoda, and other Amphibia are also eaten. They will also eat carrion and are often caught in traps that are baited with dead fish. (Cook, 1984; Harding, 2000) When they are in captivity they also feed on raw liver. (Bishop, 1926)

Mudpuppies are completely aquatic. They are usually nocturnal, although in murky or weedy water, they may be active during the day. Mudpuppies are solitary animals, coming together only to reproduce in the fall. They do not hibernate. Individuals do not appear to migrate in streams, although they travel to deeper water in winter and summer and prefer shallow waters in spring and fall. Mudpuppies usually walk along the bottoms of lakes and rivers, but can also produce a swimming-like movement of their bodies. (Conant and Collins, 1998; Harding, 2000)

Mating occurs in the autumn or fall season. Fertilization might be accomplished means of spermatophores deposited in water. Courtship does occur between a male and female with the female holding herself erect by supporting the body on her hind legs and tail. The male swims around the female mostly around her tail region. Females pick up the spermatophores in their cloaca, where it is stored until spring. (Bishop, 1926) (Cook 1984) Female mudpuppies lay their eggs in nest type structures or nest cavities that they dig in sheltered areas beneath rocks and logs. Nest openings usually face downstream. The eggs are attached to the roof of the nest and the females remains with them until they hatch which is usually between 1 and 2 months. (Harding, 2000)

They are found in Southern central Canada, through the midwestern US, east to North Carolina and south to Georgia and Mississippi. In clear- open waters of lakes and streams where there is no plant growth but also in shallow weed-choked bays and streams. Depending on the season mudpuppies are not always found in the same part of a stream or lake. They have been known to go as deep as 90 feet. (Bishop, 1926)

The mudpuppy (N. m. maculosus, sometimes called the common mudpuppy) is rusty brown to grey dorsally, with a gray venter that ranges from unspotted to densely spotted.A large, aquatic salamander with well-developed, maroon colored gills, broad flat head with small eyes, and a fin-like tail. Adults are olive colored and can attain total lengths of 200-430 mm. Many larval salamanders possess gills, and are often incorrectly referred to as mudpuppies. (Harding, 2000)

Mudpuppies have little economic importance. They are sometimes collected and used in research and education. They are important members of native aquatic ecosystems. (Harding, 2000)

Mudpuppies have been known to live upwards of 20 years. (Petranka,1998)

The gills are kept in constant motion in poorly aerated water or in warmed waters. In clear, cold, well-aerated water they are often held motionless for long periods against the sides of the neck. Under these conditions the blood supply is restricted, the bright crimson fades to a duller red. They also raise to the surface to gulp air when the oxygen levels are lower. Part of the air passes out through the gills and the rest goes into the lungs. The skin also functions in respiration and is well supplied with blood, particularly in the tail region. When they are exposed to air, complete drying of the skin is prevented for a considerable time by the production of slime, which is, excreted from the dermal glands and completely envelopes the body.(Bishop 1926)

The sexes are alike in form and color but there are some slight differences. The head of all mudpuppies is flat and the tail is short and laterally compressed for swimming. The head of the males is on average a little longer than that of the female. Four toes are present on each of four well-developed limbs. Male cloacae have two prominent papillae directed backward. In the breeding season, males have swollen cloacae. Female cloacae are slit-like and usually surrounded by light coloration. Young mudpuppies are black with longitudinal yellow stripes. (Bishop, 1926) (Conant and Collins 1998)

The common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) is a species of salamander in the family Proteidae. It lives an entirely aquatic lifestyle in parts of North America in lakes, rivers, and ponds. It goes through paedomorphosis and retains it external gills. Because skin and lung respiration alone is not sufficient for gas exchange, the common mudpuppy must rely on external gills as its primary means of gas exchange. It is usually a rusty brown color and can grow to an average total length (including tail) of 13 in (330 mm). It is a nocturnal creature, and is active during the day only if the water in which it lives is murky. Its diet consists of almost anything it can get into its mouth, including insects, mollusks, and earthworms (as well as other annelids). Once a female common mudpuppy reaches sexual maturity at six years of age, she can lay an average of 60 eggs. In the wild, the average lifespan of a common mudpuppy is 11 years.