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New Species of Siren – Seepage Siren (Siren sphagnicola)

photo by: Fedler et al., doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5258.4.1.

A new species of siren has been described from coastal southeastern United States. Sirens are a type of aquatic salamanders that live a highly secretive lifestyle. They spend most of their time at the bottom of muddy ponds, swamps, and streams, making them hard to observe. The new species was named after the seepage fed creeks that they live in.

The Seepage Siren is the smallest of the genus Siren, only reaching 7.8 inches (20 cm) long while some sirens can reach over 3 feet long. Besides being smaller than the other sirens, it also has 30 – 33 costal grooves and a gray base color.

You can read the full paper here.

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