What is Siren sphagnicola?

April 11, 2023

Siren sphagnicola is a recently discovered species of elongate, eel-like aquatic salamanders that inhabits seepage areas in the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain of the United States.

Characteristics of Siren sphagnicola

Siren sphagnicola belongs to the family Sirenidae, which is part of the order Caudata (salamanders). This family comprises two genera, Siren and Pseudobranchus. All living sirens, including Siren sphagnicola, have lidless eyes, external gills with comb-like filaments and laterally compressed tails with fin blades. What makes sirens unique within salamanders is their lack of pelvic girdles and associated hindlimbs.

Siren sphagnicola is the smallest known species in the Siren genus, measuring around 20 cm in total length. It has typical Siren characteristics, such as external gills with three fimbriate gill stalks, three associated gill slits, and four toes on the forelimbs. However, a combination of traits distinguishes it from other members of the genus. The species has 30 to 33 costal grooves and a mouse gray base color with occasional light, grayish brown sheen on the dorsum.

Habitat of Siren sphagnicola

Siren sphagnicola is restricted to the environs of sandy, seepage-fed creeks in the lower Gulf Coastal Plain, ranging from the Florida Parishes of Louisiana eastward to the westernmost tributary creeks of Choctawhatchee Bay in the western Florida panhandle. Most specimens have been found in the Blackwater, Yellow, and Escambia/Conecuh river drainages of Florida and Alabama.

Discovery of Siren sphagnicola

The existence of quite a few undescribed species of Siren in southeastern United States Coastal Plain has been known for around 40 years now. One of these species, Siren reticulata, was recently described, but a small, seepage-dwelling species remained undescribed until recently. To resolve outstanding questions concerning the phylogeny of Siren, a group of researchers from the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission collected sequence and morphometric data from specimens across the range of Siren.

The newly-identified species, Siren sphagnicola, was described based on these data. Its common name is the seepage siren, and it has a smaller geographic distribution than other Siren species. Researchers believe that its range is poorly known, but they expect it to be restricted to the lower Gulf Coastal Plain as far west as the Florida Parishes of Louisiana.

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