Common Mudpuppy

Necturus maculosus

Conservation Status:

State Status: Vulnerable (NatureServe, 2025)

State Listing: Special Concern (DEEP, 2015)

Global Assessment: Least Concern (IUCN, 2021)

Photographed by Edward Hicks

Description

Common mudpuppies are the largest salamander species in Connecticut, growing up to 19 inches long (Watkins-Colwell, 2025). They are gray or olive in color with darker mottling and spots. This species has external gills throughout adulthood-- three red, feathery structures on each side of the head. Larger gills indicate less oxygen in the water. A dark stripe is often present from the snout to the gills.

Habitat

These salamanders are fully aquatic and reside in rivers. In our state, they can be found in the Housatonic and Connecticut Rivers.

Behavior

Mudpuppies are completely aquatic, undergoing paedomorphosis rather than metamorphosis. This means that larval traits are retained throughout adulthood such as external gills and a tail fin.

They are primarily nocturnal, eating small fish, insects, and worms. Mudpuppies mate in the fall, but do not lay eggs until the spring. Eggs are laid underneath logs or rocks.

This species may be predated on by turtles, large birds, and snakes. They may also be caught when fishing on accident. They have a special sensory system, the lateral line system, that helps them sense changes in water pressure (Quinn, 2020). This allows them to easily escape predators.

Range

References

Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. (2015, August 5). Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Amphibians. Connecticut. https://portal.ct.gov/deep/endangered-species/endangered-species-listings/endangered-threatened--special-concern-amphibians.

iNaturalist. (2024). Observations. California Academy of the Sciences / National Geographic Society. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=49&taxon_id=27685.

Klemens, M. W. et al (2021). Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. https://ctdeepstore.com/products/conservation-of-amphibians-reptiles-in-connecticut.

International Union for Conservation Of Nature and Natural Resources. (2021, July 15). Mudpuppy. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/88373148/199271045.

NatureServe. (2025, Janary 31). Necturus maculosus. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105412/Necturus_maculosus.

Quinn, D. P. (2020). Mudpuppy. Connecticut Herpetology. https://www.ctherpetology.com/common-mudpuppy.

Watkins-Colwell, G. J. (2025). Mudpuppy - Necturus maculosus. Yale Peabody Museum. https://peabody.yale.edu/explore/collections/herpetology/guide-amphibians-reptiles-connecticut.

Page updated March 1, 2025