ðɪs mˈeɪ biː ɐ spˈiːsiːz kˈɑːmplɛks ðæt kʊd biː splˈɪt ˌɪntʊ dˈɪfɹənt tˈæksə æz ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ ˈɪndᵻkˌeɪts; ðɪ ɐpˌælɐtʃɪkˈoʊlə ˈɛn. mˈoʊlɹi ænd ɛskˈæmbiə ˈɛn. mˈaʊnti wˈɔːɾɚdˌɑːɡz wɜː splˈɪt fɹʌm ðɪs spˈiːsiːz ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛnti; pɹˈiːviəsli, ðeɪ wɜːɹ ˈɔːl ɡɹˈuːpt təɡˌɛðɚɹ æz ðə ɡˈʌlf kˈoʊst wˈɔːɾɚdˌɑːɡ.
This may be a species complex that could be split into different taxa as research indicates; the Apalachicola (N. moleri) and Escambia (N. mounti) waterdogs were split from this species in 2020; previously, they were all grouped together as the Gulf Coast waterdog.