Amphiuma
| Amphiuma Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Two-toed and three-toed amphiumas | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Suborder: | Salamandroidea |
| Family: | Amphiumidae Gray, 1825 |
| Genus: | Amphiuma Garden, 1821 |
| Species | |
Amphiuma is a genus of aquatic salamanders from the southeastern United States, the only extant genus within the family Amphiumidae /æmfɪˈjuːmɪdiː/. They are colloquially known as amphiumas. They are also known to fishermen as "conger eels" or "Congo snakes", which are zoologically incorrect designations or misnomers, since amphiumas are actually salamanders (and thus amphibians), and not eels (fish), nor reptiles and are not from Congo. Amphiuma exhibits one of the largest complements of DNA in the living world, around 25 times more than a mere human.