Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis

(Sonnini de Manoncourt & Latreille, 1801)

Vernacular names
English : Eastern Hellbender
French : Ménopome

Classification
Class : Amphibia
Order : Caudata
Family : Cryptobranchidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known. The taxonomic status of this species and its subspecies needs to be updated.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 75 cm in length for a weight of 2.5 kg. Triangular head with blunt snout, flat body with very wrinkly skin. Coloration is usually uniformly brown to grey-brown with clearer belly. Eyes are very small.

Range and habitat
This species is found in the Appalachian mountains in eastern USA, from New York to North Carolina and Mississippi. This subspecies occurs in most of range. Lives in freshwater streams with rocky or gravel bottom, up to 800 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Appendix III
Status : The species is currently experiencing a very significant decline throughout its range, mostly because of habitat loss. It has been uplisted to Vulnerable.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

Back to “Salamanders, Newts and Caecilians” page