Amphiuma - Amphiuma (English spelling)

It is an aquatic animal of the family Amphibiana, order Caudata, family Amphibiana. It lives in ponds, ditches, and rivers in the southeastern United States. It is 30 to 75 centimeters long. Its body is long and slender, and its limbs are very small, so its appearance resembles that of an eel. It has two fingers on each limb. During metamorphosis, its gills disappear, but it retains the characteristics of the larvae, such as the presence of gill slits and the lack of eyelids. Its back is dark brown or black, and its ventral surface is dark gray. It hides in the mud on the bottom of the water or between stones, and preys on fish and crayfish that come close. It is aggressive and may bite people. It lays bead-shaped egg sacs in shallow depressions under fallen trees or stones near the water, and the female protects them. The family Amphibiana consists of one genus and three species, all of which are found in the United States.

[Mitsuru Kuramoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

両生綱有尾目アンヒューマ科の動物。水中性で、アメリカ合衆国南東部の池、溝、河川に生息する。全長30～75センチメートル。体は細長く四肢がきわめて小さいため、外形はウナギに似る。指は各肢に2本。変態時にえらは消失するが、鰓孔(さいこう)があることや、まぶたのない点で幼生の特徴を残している。背面は暗褐色ないし黒色。腹面は暗灰色。水底の泥の中や石の間に隠れ、近寄ってきた魚やザリガニなどを捕食する。性質は荒く、人をかむこともある。水辺の倒木や石の下の浅いくぼみに数珠(じゅず)状の卵嚢(らんのう)を産み、雌が保護する。アンヒューマ科は1属3種よりなり、すべてアメリカ合衆国に産する。

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