Eurycea longicauda, commonly known as the long-tailed salamander or longtail salamander,<ref name="peterson"></ref> is a species of lungless salamander native to the Appalachian Region of the eastern United States. It is a "cave salamander" that frequents twilight zones of caves and also inhabits springs and surrounding forest. Subspecies There are two or three subspecies: E. l. longicauda (Green, 1818) (long-tailed salamander, eastern long-tailed salamander) E. l. melanopleura (Cope, 1894 "1893") (dark-sided salamander, black-sided salamander, Cope's cave salamander) E. l. pernix Mittleman, 1942 (Midland long-tailed salamander) Eurycea guttolineata has earlier been treated as a subspecies of Eurycea longicauda (that is, as E. l. guttolineata), but is now considered a full species. Description Body color varies from yellow to orange-red to red with random black spots. E. l. longicauda measure on average snout–vent length (SVL) and have long tail. Reproduction E. l. melanopleura reproduces in November to February. The eggs measure in diameter. The larvae hatch in January–March at about snout–vent length (SVL). They metamorphose seven months later at SVL. Males become sexually mature between SVL and females SVL. The largest males and females are SVL. Habitat and conservation Eurycea longicauda inhabit streamsides, spring runs, ponds, cave mouths, and abandoned mines. With wet weather, they may venture into wooded terrestrial habitats. They hide in rock crevices or under rocks, logs, etc. Eggs are laid in underground crevices associated with aquatic environments, but in caves they may also be attached to objects in or above water. The overall population size of this species is large (probably more than 100,000). Some local populations may have been impacted by strip mining and acid drainage from coal mining, but there are no major threats overall. Its range overlaps with several protected areas. References External links Eurycea Cave salamanders Amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1818