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Eurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939)
Georgia Blind Salamander
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: Threatened
Global Rank: G1G2
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Moderate Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 3
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Cave pools; aquifer
Draft Profile in Revision
The Georgia blind salamander is a fully aquatic troglobite (cave-dweller) that averages 2.5 - 5.0 cm (1 - 2 inches) in total length, though some individuals may exceed 7.6 cm (3 inches). Its somewhat translucent body is pinkish- to silverish-white and, especially in juveniles, small, faint specks are apparent. Bright red, bushy gills are located on each side of the body just behind the slightly flattened, wide head. Minute, dark eye spots can be seen below the skin of juveniles. The tail of this salamander is laterally flattened and equipped with a dorsal fin for easier locomotion. The legs are relatively long and thin.
This species as originally described was included in the genus Haideotriton; recent molecular research indicate that it belongs within the genus Eurycea. While several subterranean obligate salamanders of the genus Eurycea are known from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and particularly Texas, the Georgia blind salamander is only troglobitic member of this genus known from the Southeast and only one of two fully aquatic troglobitic salamanders currently known from Georgia; the other, the Tennessee cave salamander (Gyrinophilus p. palleucus), is not closely related and its range does not overlap (i.e., occurs within the northeastern corner of Georgia).
This is a species that has evolved in the dark, subterranean waters and submerged portions of caves of the Ocala and Suwanee limestone formations within the Upper Floridan Aquifer. The earliest record of this species was reported from a deep well in Albany, Georgia. Populations may also occur in recharge areas around sinkholes.
Small, troglobitic crustaceans, such as amphipods.
Very little is known about the natural history and reproductive biology of this unusual amphibian. Gravid females have been collected in the third week in May and the second week of November. Although these salamanders may occur in aquifers well away from accessible caves, their densities are not likely to be as great due to the lack of organic debris and bat guano that help enrich the aquatic ecosystems in and near caves.
Visual searches of subterranean pools while caving or cave diving is the most reliable technique for finding these salamanders within accessible areas. For inaccessible areas, funnel trapping, particularly placed within hydrologic monitoring well shafts, has proven successful in the survey of related troglobitic salamanders in Texas; a recent, limited trapping effort in Georgia targeting several of Georgia’s monitoring wells within the Dougherty Plain failed to detect the species, however this was likely a result of the limited geographic extent and time frame of the sampling conducted and did not further define the extent of the species’ distribution in Georgia. Funnel traps placed within monitoring wells for troglobitic salamanders, while regularly monitored, must be left in place for months at a time as the salamanders are not necessarily attracted to any bait placed within the traps, but rather the macroinvertebrate species that are attracted to the bait and bacterial colonies that take time to establish. Future survey efforts should maximize the geographic extent and duration of trapping when utilizing funnel traps within hydrologic monitoring wells. Another recent survey using environmental DNA (eDNA) proved the method likely unsuitable for the detection of subterranean aquatic species as it failed to detect the Georgia blind salamander even within water known to be occupied.
In Georgia, this species is likely restricted to the Dougherty Plain in the extreme southwestern corner of the State. However, because the Upper Floridan Aquifer is known to extend beyond the karst surficial geology of the Dougherty Plain (and Mariana Lowlands of Florida) the full extent of the distribution of this species may also include portions of the Tifton Uplands to the east. While must of the older, deeper aquifer systems consist of clastic strata, they do also contain limestone elements which offer habitat within areas of dissolution, however the extent of interconnectedness of the Clayton, Claiborne, and Providence aquifers to the Floridan Aquifer is not well understood. Specimens of the Georgia blind salamander have been found from only one site in Decatur County and two in Dougherty County. The majority of known sites occur in the Marianna Lowlands of the upper Florida Panhandle.
With only three known localities in Georgia, the continued existence of this species is vulnerable. Practices that significantly alter the natural water table or aquifer levels are likely to have a negative impact on the Georgia blind salamander. These may include impoundment of streams near cave systems and widespread center-pivot irrigation. Agricultural pollution from pesticide and herbicide-tainted surface runoff lowers the water quality found in cave pools and may lead to local declines and extirpations of any aquatic cave-dwelling organism. Disturbance by careless spelunkers may also have harmful consequences on the well-being of these salamanders.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | Pollution | None |
| Specific Threat | Dams & water management/use | Domestic & urban waste water | None |
State-owned Radium Springs is the only protected site where this species has been observed. This species was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act (2010); through a Species Status Assessment process the US Fish and Wildlife Service concluded (2023) that listing the Georgia blind salamander under the US Endangered Species Act was not warranted.
The establishment of conservation easements on lands containing the caves inhabited by Georgia blind salamanders, or the acquisition of these lands by conservation agencies or organizations, would greatly benefit this species.
Brandon, R. A. 1967. Haideotriton and H. wallacei. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 39: 1-2.
Carr, A. F., Jr. 1939. Haideotriton wallacei, a new subterranean salamander from Georgia. Occasional Papers of the Boston Society of Natural History 8:333-336.
Fenolio, D. B., M. L. Niemiller, M. G. Levy, and B. Martinez. 2013. Conservation status of the Georgia blind salamander (Eurycea wallacei) from the Floridan Aquifer of Florida and Georgia. IRCF Reptiles and Amphibians 20(3): 97-111.
Means, D. B. 1977. Aspects of the significance to terrestrial vertebrates of the Apalachicola River drainage basin, Florida. Pages 23-67 in Livingston, R. J. and E. A. Joyce, eds. Proceedings of Conference on the Apalachicola Drainage System. Florida Marine Resources Publication 26. Tallahassee.
Means, D. B. 2008. Georgia blind salamander Haideotriton (Eurycea) wallacei. Pp. 208-210 in Jensen, J. B., C. D. Camp, J. W. Gibbons, and M. J. Elliott (eds.). Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens. 575 pp.
Means, D. B. 1992. Rare Georgia Blind Salamander: Haideotriton wallacei Carr. Pp. 49-53 in Moler, P. E. (ed.). Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida, Volume 3, Amphibians and Reptiles. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Means, D. B. 2005. Haideotriton wallacei. Pp. 779-780 in Lannoo, M. J. (ed.). Declining Amphibians: the Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, Berkeley. 1094pp.
US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2023. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nine Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species. Federal Register 88(162): 57388-57400.
Vitt, L. J. 1981. A survey of the status, distribution and abundance of potentially threatened and endangered vertebrate species in Georgia, Part II: reptiles and amphibians. Unpublished Report to Georgia Department of Natural Resources. 210pp.
Thomas M. Floyd and John B. Jensen
J. Jensen, Dec. 2007: original account
K. Owers, Sept. 2009: updated status and ranks, added picture
T. Floyd, December 2018: account revision
T. Floyd, Jan 2024, Conservation Status updated