| West Virginia spring salamander | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Genus: | Gyrinophilus |
| Species: | G. subterraneus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gyrinophilus subterraneus Besharse & Holsinger, 1977[2] | |
The West Virginia spring salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus) is a species of troglobitic salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to West Virginia, the United States.[1][3]
The salamander is only found in the General Davis Cave in Greenbrier County and lives in cave stream passages with large amounts of decaying organic matter. It is considered endangered[1] and is under review for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.[4]
General Davis Cave forms the downstream end of the 3.5-square-mile (9.1 km2) Davis Hollow drainage basin. This cave has been purchased by The Nature Conservancy and is closed to the public in order to protect this salamander and a small bat colony.
Like the western grotto salamander (Eurycea spelaea), the West Virginia spring salamander can undergo complete metamorphosis, which is very rare among cave salamanders. It is not known how often metamorphosis occurs, but when it does, it happens after the larvae have reached a very large size.[5]
References
Citations
- 1 2 3 Geoffrey Hammerson, Christopher Beachy (2004). "Gyrinophilus subterraneus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59283A11897278. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59283A11897278.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ↑ Besharse, J. C.; Holsinger, J. R. (1977). "Gyrinophilus subterraneus, a new troglobitic salamander from southern West Virginia". Copeia. 1977 (4): 624–634. doi:10.2307/1443160. JSTOR 1443160.
- ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Gyrinophilus subterraneus Besharse and Holsinger, 1977". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ↑ "West Virginia spring salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ↑ Recknagel, Hans; Trontelj, Peter (2022). "From Cave Dragons to Genomics: Advancements in the Study of Subterranean Tetrapods". BioScience. 72 (3): 254–266. doi:10.1093/biosci/biab117.
Further reading
- Salamanders of West Virginia by Thomas Pauley
- Culver, David. C, Kane, Thomas C, Fong, Daniel. 1995. Harvard University Press. "Adaptation and Natural Selection in Caves," the Evolution of Gammarus minus" ISBN 0-674-00425-6
- Jones, William K. Karst Waters Institute. 1997. "Karst Hydrology Atlas of West Virginia" ISBN 0-9640258-3-3
External links
- The Greenbrier River Watershed Association — for more information about the karstic biota of the region.
- The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia
- West Virginia Cave Conservancy A 501(c)3 Nonprofit dedicated to acquiring caves and the conservation and protection of caves within West Virginia.
- National Speleological Society — promoting interest in and to advance in any and all ways the study and science of speleology, the protection of caves and their natural contents, and to promote fellowship among those interested therein.