lampus eel n
1 A congo eel n 1 or siren n B. NC, GA Cf lamprey eel n 2
1907 Progressive Farmer (Raleigh NC) 18 Apr 8/1, There are several rather peculiar amphibians found in the Southeastern States that are not very well known. The commonest of these is the Amphiuma which in books is called the Congo Snake, but which is most usually known in the regions where it occurs as Ditch eel, Black Eel, Poison Eel, Lamper Eel, Lampus Eel, or Mud Eel. . . another queer animal is the Siren, which has practically all the same popular names as the Amphiuma, and is a good deal like it. 1920 Copeia 77.6 cNC,They [=Amphiuma means] are universally feared as poisonous, presumably on account of their snake-like form, but are always called “eels,” never “snakes,” the usual name at present among the ditchers being “ditch eel”; though in former days, and at present among fishermen, “lampus eel” was the more common name. 1935 Amer. Midland Naturalist 16.275 seGA, It [=Amphiuma means] is reported from the St. Mary’s River near St. George as “Lamper Eel,” and from Camden County as “Lampus Eel.” 1945 Nature Mag. 38.136 ceGA, Many passers-by heard of the strange creature [=Siren lacertina] in my aquarium, and came to see it, or to repeat some local bit of lore. The common name seemed to be “lampus-eel” or “lamper-eel,” which would equally fit this species or Amphiuma. 1955 Jrl. Elisha Mitchell Scientific Soc. 71.25 seNC, Two-toed Amphiuma—The “Lampus Eel” is a very common inhabitant of Greenfield Lake and other water-courses and is often taken by fishermen during daylight hours.
2 Prob either a water dog n 1 (here: Necturus spp) or hellbender n 1. Cf lamp eel n 4, lamprey eel n 3
1905 Wagoner Weekly Sayings (OK) [14 Dec 8]/3, H. D. Brubaker . . overtook a crowd of boys returning from a fishing trip. They were en route to the “the printing office” to exhibit what they considered to be something altogether new in natural history. . . To come to the point, the same was a lampus eel. . . A lampus eel bears some resemblance to an alligator and has a spotted back withal.