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Mudpuppy

Necturus maculosus · Salamanders and newts · Amphibians

Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus): Permanently aquatic salamander, 20-33 cm (MDC: usually 8-13 in, up to about 19 in) with large maroon external gills kept for life. Grey, rusty brown to nearly black with black or blue-black spots or blotches; belly whitish to grey, sometimes spotted. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Necturus maculosus
Family
Proteidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southeastern Manitoba east to southern Quebec, south to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, northern Kentucky, southern Illinois, central Missouri and south-central Kansas.
Biology

How to identify it

Permanently aquatic salamander, 20-33 cm (MDC: usually 8-13 in, up to about 19 in) with large maroon external gills kept for life. [1][2][3]

Grey, rusty brown to nearly black with black or blue-black spots or blotches; belly whitish to grey, sometimes spotted. [1][2][3]

Hellbenders lose external gills by 4-5 inches; mudpuppies keep them. [1][2][3]

Compared with the red river mudpuppy: Red River mudpuppy is smaller (max about 12 in) with more distinct spots and a pale unspotted central belly strip. [1][2][3]

Compared with the hellbender: Hellbenders lose external gills once 4-5 inches long. [1][2][3]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a mudpuppy before you act. Compared with the red river mudpuppy: Red River mudpuppy is smaller (max about 12 in) with more distinct spots and a pale unspotted central belly strip.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Rivers, weedy ponds, large lakes and perennial streams with shelter; hides under logs, rocks or weeds by day; recorded to 30 m depth. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Fully aquatic and usually nocturnal, though it may be active by day in murky or weedy water. [1][2][3]

Solitary; active all year and does not hibernate; moves deeper in winter and summer, shallower in spring and fall; breeds in fall. [1][2][3]

Eats crayfish, insect larvae, small fish, fish eggs, worms, snails and carrion, and is often caught on baited lines or traps. [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southeastern Manitoba east to southern Quebec, south to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, northern Kentucky, southern Illinois, central Missouri and south-central Kansas.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

  3. Missouri Department of Conservation · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Missouri Department of Conservation