Reticulated Siren

Range

Siren reticulata is a species of salamander that lives only in a few places in the southeastern United States. It has been found in three locations: a freshwater marsh near Lake Jackson on the border of Alabama and Florida, a clearwater stream near a bay swamp on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and the Fish River, a blackwater stream in Baldwin County, Alabama.

Identification

Siren reticulata lives in water and does not grow into an adult form. It has a long, thin body that looks like an eel and a line of sensory organs on each side. It can be 26.5 to 41.5 cm long from the tip of its nose to the end of its body. Its head is about 7% of this length and is wider than it is long. The head has a round shape from above and narrows slightly at the neck and mouth. Siren reticulata does not have teeth in the front part of its mouth, but has a hard beak instead. It also does not have eyelids on its eyes. Around its neck, it has large gills that look like fringes and three openings for breathing. It does not have back legs, but it has front legs that are close to its gills. The front legs do not have webbing between the fingers. The width of its body in the middle is about one tenth of its length from nose to body end. It has 39 to 41.5 grooves along its sides that show where its ribs are. Its tail is more than half as long as its nose to body end length. S. reticulata has an olive-grey dorsal side with a network of dark spots that vary in size and shape. The spots are more scattered on the head and more crowded from the gills to the tail. The sides of the body are yellow-green, and the belly is a pale green-yellow. The fingers on each hand have black tips. The eyes are solid black.

Learn more with Schechter Natural History's Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians