Proteidae

Proteidae
Temporal range: Maastrichtian–Recent
Necturus maculosus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Suborder: Salamandroidea
Family: Proteidae
Gray, 1825
Genera

The family Proteidae is a group of aquatic salamanders found today in the Balkan Peninsula and North America. The range of the genus Necturus (commonly known as waterdogs or mudpuppies) runs from southern central Canada, through the midwestern United States, east to North Carolina and south to Georgia and Mississippi.[1] The range of the olm, the only extant member of the genus Proteus, is limited to the Western Balkans. The fossil record of the family extends into the end of the Late Cretaceous, with Paranecturus being known from the Maastrichtian of North America.

  1. ^ Mudpuppies, Mudpuppy Pictures, Mudpuppy Facts. Animals.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved on 2013-01-02.