The western lesser siren is confined to the southern and central United States. Small amounts of vegetation have been found in the digestive tracts of some individuals. Western lesser sirens occur only in the southeastern corner of Oklahoma. Lesser sirens prefer to inhabit calm, slow-moving backwaters and wetland swamps that are shallow and warm. In areas of sympatry, lesser sirens and greater sirens (S. lacertina) are partitioned by habitat preferences—lesser sirens tend to inhabit more acidic pH waters, while greater sirens are found in aquatic sites with circumneutral pH (P.E. Habitat: These salamanders are permanently aquatic and usually occur in swamps, ponds, lakes, flooded areas along streams, and occasionally roadside ditches, but where aquatic vegetation is dense. In Missouri, it’s found mostly in the Bootheel and northward near the Mississippi River. Greater sirens typically have 36-40 costal grooves while lesser sirens have 31-35 costal grooves. They are sometimes found in rivers and streams (Bernard 1973 ). The lesser siren is vocal, unlike most salamanders, and will emit a series of clicks when it approaches others of its species, or a short screeching sound if handled. Habitat Description: Lesser sirens inhabit a variety of permanent or semi-permanent habitats such as shallow water in swamps or weedy ponds, Carolina Bays, ditches, pools, lakes, marshes, and canals. Distribution of the Siren. If the habitat dries up during the summer, lesser sirens are known to endure droughts by burrowing into the mud. An adult can grow up to about 20 inches long. FEEDING HABITS: Lesser sirens rely heavily on aquatic arthropods and worms. The Southern Dwarf and Reticulated live only in Florida. The Lesser, Greater, and Northern Dwarf all live throughout various regions of the southeast United States. Each species has its own unique distribution. Its body is gray, brown, or olive with tiny black or dark brown dots. They are tolerant of turbid water and prefer abundant vegetation and organic debris. Siren intermedia intermedia (Eastern Lesser Siren) Habitat: BOTH: 9 Siren lacertina (Greater Siren) Movements: BOTH: 10 Siren lacertina (Greater Siren) Habitat: BOTH: Click on a species or topic to find similar references, or click on BOTH to find references that … Lesser western sirens are found in ponds, ditches, sluggish streams, shallow lakes, and backwater sloughs. Habitat. Habitat. HABITAT: This small aquatic salamander prefers swamps and shallow wetlands with abundant vegetation. Many populations overlap with those of other species. Sirens are generally regarded as the most primitive living salamanders. Diet of the Siren The western lesser siren is an eel-like, aquatic salamander with external gills, small eyes, small forelimbs with four toes, and no hind limbs. Though they can be abundant in natural wetlands and sloughs, Lesser Sirens will also utilize artificial habitat such as drainage ditches, constructed ponds, and flooded farm fields. Habitat/Range: Lesser sirens will inhabit most any slow moving and sluggish body of water that is shallow and has abundant aquatic vegetation including marshes, ponds, ditches, and canals. During the day, it … They occur in cypress and pinewoods (Bishop 1947 and Carr and Goin 1955). Moler, personal communication, in McAllister et al., 1994). Lesser Sirens are primarily a lowland species commonly occurring in floodplains and low-lying wetlands. The western lesser siren spends most of its time in the water. Sites with muddy bottoms and an abundance of aquatic plants are preferred. Smaller greater sirens can be differentiated from sympatric lesser sirens by counting the number of costal grooves between the armpit and anus. 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