Western Grotto Salamander
Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata |
| Class | Amphibia |
| Order | Caudata |
| Family | Plethodontidae |
| Genus | Eurycea |
| Species | Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892) |
Synonyms
- Eurycea spelaeus (Stejneger, 1892) (subjective synonym, CoL)
- Typhlotriton spelaeus Stejneger, 1892 (subjective synonym, CoL)
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Troglobiont
- Realm
- Terrestrial
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
- Maximum length
- 93 mm
Distribution
Type locality
Rock House Cave, Barry Co, MO
Range
Known from 66 counties across five states in the Ozarks karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma
Counties
- Arkansas
- BENTON, Baxter, Benton, McDonald, Boone, CARROLL, Fulton, Independence, Izard, LAWRENCE, Lawrence Co, Madison, NEWTON, Newton, Searcy, Pope, Searcy, Stone, Washington
- Kansas
- Cherokee, Cherokee Co
- Missouri
- Barry, Benton, McDonald, CAMDEN, CARTER, CRAWFORD, Camden Co, Carter Co, Christian, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Greene, Howell, JASPER, Jasper Co, LACLEDE, MCDONALD, Maries, Newton, Oregon, Oregon Co, Ozark Co, PHELPS, PULASKI, Pulaski Co, SHANNON, STONE, Shannon Co, Stone Co, Stone Co. (MO), Taney, WRIGHT, Webster, Wright Co
- Montana
- Camden
- Oklahoma
- ADAIR, Adair Co, CHEROKEE, Cherokee - Mayes, DELAWARE, DELEWARE, Delaware - Mayes, Delaware Co, MAYES, OTTAWA, Ottawa Co, Sequoyah
Karst regions
Ozarks
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cytb | mitochondrial | 104 | 171-1118 bp | KY613375.1 |
| ND | mitochondrial | 83 | 143-1794 bp | KY676717.1 |
| ATP6 | mitochondrial | 12 | 423-683 bp | KY676686.1 |
| COIII | mitochondrial | 12 | 395-781 bp | KY676600.1 |
| COI | mitochondrial | 11 | 377-1557 bp | KY676660.1 |
| COII | mitochondrial | 9 | 688-688 bp | KY676623.1 |
| RAG1 | nuclear | 5 | 716-1224 bp | KY073111.1 |
236 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 236 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- USNM 17903 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Paratype
- A-27798 · Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard
- Paratype ×196
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Paratype ×15
- University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| American Museum of Natural History | 728 |
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 339 |
| University of Illinois Museum of Natural History | 163 |
| University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute | 137 |
| Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History | 127 |
| University of Michigan Museum of Zoology | 114 |
| and 43 other collections | 520 |
2,128 cataloged lots in 49 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.
Download all 2,128 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
LC Least Concern na
Assessed in 2021.
NatureServe
G4 Apparently Secure
Global rank last reviewed 2002.
Subnational ranks
- Arkansas
- S3 Vulnerable
- Kansas
- S1 Critically Imperiled
- Missouri
- S2S3 Imperiled to Vulnerable
- Oklahoma
- S3 Vulnerable
Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Threats
- Agriculture - Logging
- Pollution - Agricultural & Forestry
Other resources
References
- Brandon, R.A. & Black, J.H. 1970. The taxonomic status of Typhylotriton braggi. Copeia 1970: 388–391. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1441675. details
- Eigenmann, C.H. 1897. The Amblyopsidae, the blind fish of America. Report of the British Association for the Advacement of Science 1897: 685–686. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30118215. details
- Eigenmann, C.H. 1899a. Explorations in the caves of Missouri and Kentucky. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 1899: 58–61. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14629276. details
- Fenolio, D.B. 2011. 2011 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 6 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B. 2012. 2012 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 3 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B. 2014. 2014 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 21 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B. 2016. 2016 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 11 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B. 2017. 2017 Ozark aquatic subterranean wildlife surveys. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 15 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B., Niemiller, M.L., Slay, M.E. & Carter, E.T. 2017. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2017 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 17 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B., Niemiller, M.L., Slay, M.E. & Carter, E.T. 2018. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2018 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 25 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E. & Niemiller, M.L. 2023b. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2023 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 24 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E. & Niemiller, M.L. 2023a. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2022 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 24 pp.
- Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E., Niemiller, M.L. & Richard, K. 2024. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2024 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 17 pp.
- Hobbs, H.H. Jr., Hobbs, H.H. III & Daniel, M.A. 1977. A review of the troglobitic decapod crustaceans of the Americas. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 244: 1–183.
- McDaniel, V.R. & Gardner, J.E. 1977. Cave fauna of Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 31: 68–71. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol31/iss1/22. details
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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