Eurycea paludicola

This species was originally described as a subspecies of E. quadridigitata by Mittleman (1947; as Manculus quadridigitatus paludicolus), but he subsequently noted that variation within the species did not justify recognition of subspecies (Mittleman 1967). Using molecular phylogenetic analysis, Lamb and Beamer (2012) nonetheless posited it to represent a distinct western lineage within the E. quadridigitata complex. Wray et al. (2017) formally resurrected this lineage as a species on the basis of morphological and mtDNA sequence differences that show it to be in a sister clade to all other members of the complex. Multiple studies exist that suggest E. paludicola may even be more closely related to the neotenic Eurycea of the Edwards Plateau in central Texas than it is to other members of the complex (Wray et al. 2017). M. q. uvidus (Mittleman 1947) is a junior synonym of E. paludicola.

The species has a relatively large range extent across several states, many documented occurrences, and presumably very large global population. Its wetland habitats are relatively common and widespread though subject to a variety of threats.

The distribution of this salamander extends from eastern Texas eastward through most of Louisiana and southern Arkansas and into southern Mississippi (Wray et al. 2017: Fig. 1). Within this large range, the species is known from > 100 counties. A minimum convex polygon encompassing sites depicted in Fig. 1 of Wray et al. (2017) includes > 300,000 sq. km. Further sampling during the breeding season in eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and western Alabama, with close attention to habitat, is necessary to determine the full extent of the species' range.

Although far more data are needed, E. paludicola is considered to be common in many areas of Texas and Louisiana (Wray et al. 2017). Records exist in at least 52 of the 64 parishes of Louisiana, where this salamander may be uncommon only in the Mississippi River floodplain in the state's northeast (Dundee and Rossman 1989). The species has been recorded in > 40 counties in eastern Texas (Dixon 2000), and in > 2 dozen counties across the southern half of Arkansas (Trauth et al. 2004). Across its range, the species likely occurs at hundreds, possibly > 1,000, sites.

Given the relatively broad range and number of occurrences, overall threat is considered to be low. Occurrences are principally threatened by loss or degradation of wetland microhabitats as a consequence of land uses such as agriculture, silviculture, and direct extraction of groundwater for human consumption and other use. Long-term drought, which may or may not be related to climate change, would be similarly detrimental.