Sirena maculosa Rafinesque, 1818 The common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) is a species of salamander in the family Proteidae.

[5] It is usually a rusty brown color[6] and can grow to an average total length (including tail) of 13 in (330 mm).

[6] Once a female common mudpuppy reaches sexual maturity at six years of age, she can lay an average of 60 eggs.

[8] The common mudpuppy can be a rusty brown color with gray and black and usually has blackish-blue spots, but some albino adults have been reported in Arkansas.

[7] Their external gills resemble ostrich plumes and their size depends on the oxygen levels present in the water.

[7] They have mucous glands which provide a slimy protective coating [4] Mudpuppies are one of many species of salamanders that fail to undergo metamorphosis.

[10] This selective insensitivity to THs suggests a normal level of activity in the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis in developing mudpuppies, unlike other salamander species.

One reason for the absence might be the lack of variability in the climate of mudpuppies, as the parathyroid glands of salamanders vary greatly depending on seasonal changes, or whether the organism hibernates.

[12] Necturus maculosus specimens live in streams, lakes, and ponds in the eastern part of North America.

[15][16] The common mudpuppy never leaves its aquatic environment and therefore does not undergo morphogenesis; however, many salamanders do and develop differentiated teeth.

Typically they prey upon animals such as insects and their larvae,[18] mollusks, annelids, crayfish,[19] small fish, amphibians, earthworms, and spiders.

[6] Females store the sperm until ovulation and internal fertilization take place, usually just prior to deposition in the spring.