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Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe
AnimaliaChordataVertebrataAmphibiaCaudataCryptobranchidaeCryptobranchus

Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Sonnini de Manoncourt & Latreille, 1801)

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Amphibia
Order Caudata
Family Cryptobranchidae
Genus Cryptobranchus
Species Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Sonnini de Manoncourt & Latreille, 1801)

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Accidental

Distribution

Range

Known from one county in Alabama.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Alabama

Counties

Alabama
Jackson

Conservation and management

IUCN Red List

VU Vulnerable

EXEWCRENVU▲NTLC

Assessed in 2022.

NatureServe

G3 Vulnerable

G1G2G3▲G4G5

National ranks

United States
N3 Vulnerable

Subnational ranks

Missouri
S1 Critically Imperiled
Illinois
SH Possibly Extirpated
Georgia
S3 Vulnerable
Indiana
S1 Critically Imperiled
Kentucky
SNR Unranked
West Virginia
S2 Imperiled
Maryland
S1 Critically Imperiled
Mississippi
S1 Critically Imperiled
Alabama
S1 Critically Imperiled
Ohio
S1 Critically Imperiled
Pennsylvania
S2 Imperiled
North Carolina
S3 Vulnerable
Arkansas
S1 Critically Imperiled
Virginia
S2 Imperiled
Tennessee
S3 Vulnerable
New York
S1 Critically Imperiled

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

References

  • McGregor, S.W., Rheams, K.F., O'Neil, P.E., Moser, P.H. & Blackwood, R. 1994. Biological, geological, and hydrological investigations in Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and other selected caves in north Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. 226 pp.
  • McGregor, S.W., O'Neil, P.E., Rheams, K.F., Moser, P.H. & Blackwood, R. 1997. Biological, geological, and hydrological investigations in Bobcat, Matthews, and Shelta caves and other selected caves in north Alabama. Geological Survey of Alabama Bulletin 166: 1–198.

How to cite this account

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Sonnini de Manoncourt & Latreille, 1801). Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-2328. https://cavebiology.org/species/cryptobranchus-alleganiensis/ (accessed 7 September 2026).

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

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