Carlos Camp, coeditor of AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF GEORGIA, is part of a team of researchers that has discovered a new species of salamander in northeast Georgia. Measuring in at a mere two inches, it is the second-smallest salamander species in the U.S. and one of the smallest in the world. Their discovery was recently detailed in the Journal of Zoology.
The team’s suggested common name is patch-nosed salamander, based on the lighter coloring on the salamander’s nose. The formal Latin name is Urspelerpes brucei in honor of Richard Bruce, a well-respected salamander researcher and colleague of many members of the research team.
“This animal is so distinct that it belongs in its own genus, a taxonomic level used for grouping closely related species,” Camp said. “The real significance of this find is that it represents the first new genus of four-footed creature discovered in the United States in 50 years.”
For more information on the discovery you can read the following press release from the University of Georgia.
Technorati Tags: Carlos Camp salamanders new species
