Necturus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A North American aquatic salamander genus whose members keep their feathery external gills and live their entire lives in water
2. Any of several fully aquatic amphibians in the mudpuppy group that retain external gills throughout adult life in rivers and lakes
3. The mudpuppies, a group of permanently aquatic salamanders native to eastern North America that breathe through feathery red gills

Etymology: Necturus is the name of a genus of aquatic salamanders found in North America, and the name is a Modern Latin coinage built from Greek. It combines "nektos", meaning swimming or floating, with "oura", meaning tail. The name refers to the animal's flattened, fin-like tail, which keeps it moving through the water for its entire life. The genus is one of the few salamanders that never leave the water, retaining their external gills and feathery red plumes into adulthood. Their common name, mudpuppy, reflects their habit of living in the muddy bottoms of rivers and lakes, and their soft, dog-like barking when disturbed.