Siren sphagnicola: Eel Like Aquatic Species
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.
- Sirens are elongate, eel-like aquatic salamanders belonging to the family Sirenidae.
- This family belongs to the order Caudata (salamanders) and currently comprises two genera, Siren and Pseudobranchus.
- All living sirens possess external gills with comb-like filaments, lidless eyes, and laterally compressed tails with fin blades.
- Additionally, they lack pelvic girdles and associated hindlimbs, a trait unique within salamanders.
- Despite the abundance of Siren in some aquatic habitats, relatively little research has been conducted on interspecific differences in natural history and phylogeography of this genus.
