THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Amphibia    Caudata    Amphiumidae  

One-toed Amphiuma
Amphiuma pholeter Neill, 1964
AM-fee-OO-mah — FOH-lee-ter

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

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Occurrences:; 300 Total; 279 Museum; 21 Other
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: Alabama Florida Georgia Mississippi

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its burrowing habits.
Amphiuma — Possibly from Greek amphi- = "both" or "around" + pneuma (or variant) = "breath" or "air"; May reference its dual (aquatic and air-breathing) nature, though the etymology is obscure and debated.
pholeter — Greek pholeter (φωλετήρ) = "burrower" or "inhabitant of a hole"; Refers to its fossorial (burrowing) behavior.

First instance(s) of published English names:
One-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma pholeter: Collins, Joseph T., James E. Huheey, James L. Knight, and Hobart M. Smith. 1978. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. Herpetological Circulars (7):36);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1964 Neill, Wilfred T. A new species of salamander, genus Amphiuma, from Florida. Herpetologica 20(1):62-66
1967 Stevenson, H. M. Additional specimens of Amphiuma pholeter from Florida. Herpetologica 23:134
1973 Salthe, Stanley N. Amphiumidae, Amphiuma.. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (147):1-4
1996 Means, D. Bruce. Amphiuma pholeter. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (622):1-2

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Monday 27 July 2026 16:50 CT