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Siren lacertina

Linnaeus, 1766

Greater Siren

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106536
Element CodeAAAAG02020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderCaudata
FamilySirenidae
GenusSiren
Other Common Names
greater siren (EN)
Concept Reference
Fedler, M.T., K.M. Enge, and P.E. Moler. 2023. Unraveling Siren (Caudata:Sirenidae) systematics and description of a small, seepage specialist. Zootaxa 5258(4): 351-378.
Taxonomic Comments
Large sirens occurring in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico (Siren sp. 1 in this database) tentatively were assigned to Siren lacertina by Flores-Villela and Brandon (1992). The presence of S. lacertina in South Texas and Mexico was rejected by Fedler et al. (2023), referencing an unpublished MS Thesis (LaFortune 2015). Graham et al. (2018) used morphological and molecular data (mitochondrial and nuclear sequences) to show that S. reticulata is a separate species from S. lacertina and all other taxa currently recognized as S. intermedia.
Conservation Status
Review Date2002-03-28
Change Date2001-11-29
Edition Date2002-03-28
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in the coastal plain from the District of Columbia through Florida and southern Alabama (Conant and Collins 1991). Large sirens occurring in the Rio Grande Valley (from Upson, Maverick county to Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico) were tentatively were assigned to this species by Flores-Villela and Brandon (1992).
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range.
Threat Impact Comments
It is unthreatened overall, but many local populations have been reduced or extirpated by loss of wetlands (Petranka 1998) (e.g., as a result of industrial development). The extent to which flood control has reduced opportunities for dispersal among local populations is unknown (Petranka 1998).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

It lives in shallow, muddy, weed-choked water: swamps, ponds, lakes, streams, ditches. It is found among thick vegetation, under rocks and logs, or burrowed in bottom mud by day. It burrows into bottom and estivates if water recedes or dries up during drought. The eggs are laid in water in small clusters on bottom.

Reproduction

Lays clutch averaging about 500 eggs in February-March Hatching occurs in April-May. Paedomorphic.
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS5Yes
TexasS2Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
District of ColumbiaSHYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
AlabamaS1Yes
VirginiaS3Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial development——High (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areas——High (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas——High (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areas——High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors——High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads——High (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (1)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Natural Area WsaOsceola National Forest2,543
References (17)
  1. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999b. A field guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xvi + 278 pp.
  2. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  3. Blackburn, L., P. Nanjappa, and M. J. Lannoo. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Copyright, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA.
  4. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  5. Fedler, M.T., K.M. Enge, and P.E. Moler. 2023. Unraveling <i>Siren</i> (Caudata:Sirenidae) systematics and description of a small, seepage specialist. Zootaxa 5258(4): 351-378.
  6. Flores-Villela, O., and R. A. Brandon. 1992. <i>Siren lacertina</i> (Amphibia: Caudata) in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. Annals of Carnegie Museum 61(4):289-291.
  7. Fouquette Jr., M.J., and A. DuBois. 2014. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Seventh Edition. Volume 1—Amphibians. Xlibris LLC, Bloomington, Indiana. 586 pp.
  8. Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
  9. Frost, D. R. 2023. Amphibian Species of the World (ASW): an Online Reference. Version 6.1 (Date of access). Electronic Database accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. doi.org/10.5531/db.vz.0001
  10. Graham, S. P., R. Kline, D. A. Steen, and C. Kelehear. 2018. Description of an extant salamander from the Gulf Coastal Plain of North America: The Reticulated Siren, <i>Siren reticulata</i>. PLoS ONE 13 (12): e0207460.
  11. LaFortune, T.C. 2015. Species identification and habitat assessment of the South Texas siren. Masters Thesis, University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas. 91 pp.
  12. Martof, B.S. 1973. Siren lacertina. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 128:1-2.
  13. Martof, B. S., W. M. Palmer, J. R. Bailey, and J. R. Harrison, III. 1980. Amphibians and reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 264 pp.
  14. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  15. Nicholson, K. E. (ed.). 2025. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Ninth Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 87pp. Online database available at: https://cnah.org/SSARnames.aspx
  16. Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
  17. Raffaëlli, J. 2013. Les Urodèles du Monde [The Urodela of the World]. Deuxième Édition. Plumelec, France: Penclen.