Spotted-tail salamander | |
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Adult Eurycea lucifuga | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Family: | Plethodontidae |
Genus: | Eurycea |
Species: | E. lucifuga
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Binomial name | |
Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822
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The spotted-tail or spotted-tailed salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) is a species of brook salamander in the family Plethodontidae.[2] This species is, somewhat vaguely, referred to by the common name of 'cave salamander'; however, it is not restricted to dwelling inside deep caverns, but is known for inhabiting surface-level, terrestrial, woodland habitats, as well. More often than not, the common name 'cave salamander' refers to the "true" cave salamanders, such as the olm (Proteus anguinus) of Europe. It is rarely used to refer to the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), another species which, like the olm, inhabits caves that never see daylight, thus lacking skin pigment and having extremely poor (to useless) eyesight when compared with the vivid orange and bright-eyed spotted-tail salamander.[1][3] Additionally, true cave salamanders, including the olm, spend their entire lives as fully-aquatic amphibians, while the spotted-tail salamander is not limited to an exclusively amphibious lifestyle.
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