A Disjunct Population of the Three-lined Salamander (Eurycea guttolineata) in Alachua County, Florida

Kevin M. Enge^1,*, Laura Suthar², Matthew T. Fedler³, Benjamin W. Genter³, Richard D. Owen⁴, Jonathan D. Mays¹, and David A. Beamer⁵

¹Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 32601. ²Florida Department of Environmental Protection, San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, Gainesville, FL 32653. ³Division of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. ⁴Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks District Two, 4801 Camp Ranch Road, Gainesville, FL 32641. ⁵Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida Nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 25, Issue 3 (2026): 317–325

First published early online: 12 August 2026

Abstract
In 2024, a population of Eurycea guttolineata (Three-lined Salamander) was discovered in the Millhopper Sink, a large sinkhole in Alachua County, FL, that is ~200 km from the nearest known populations. Given the extensive history of salamander research at the Millhopper site, this observation was unexpected. We believe the population is introduced but were unable to identify its geographic origin because individuals shared a haplotype with 3 populations in Georgia and Alabama. This breeding population is apparently confined to the sinkhole and a seepage stream that enters it, but the population will be monitored to see if it expands its distribution.

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