Cryptobranchoidea

The term Salamander features - like the term pig - no systematic group, but simply a representative of the amphibian order of salamanders, which shows no fin edges.

In the modern names are from the European species as " Salamander " usually the representatives of Salamandridae family, subfamily Salamandrinae referred to as the species of the subfamily Pleurotelinae are called " pigs". The recently some authors split off from the Salamadrinae Salam Andi Ninae (see spectacled salamander ) will continue to be called Salamander. Among non- European families but no such system exists.

Features

The salamanders are representative of the Salamanders ( Caudata or Urodela also ), elongated amphibians with tail. Your skin is naked. The group constantly include aquatic species such as the Japanese giant salamander or even permanently land-living species such as the Alpine salamander.

Origin of the name

The name salamander was introduced into the modern zoological nomenclature by Carolus Linnaeus, who called a kind of " Lacerta salamandra " described by him ( now called Salamandra salamandra, the fire salamander ). Linnaeus took it one handed in antiquity and the early Middle Ages name. This semi - mythological salamander is probably actually back on the fire salamander. Him but many noteworthy features were attributed; especially famous was his (alleged ) extreme toxicity and its ability to bring fire to extinction. In many later authors it even has an ability to live in the burning fire, or to have its proper habitat. In the Historia naturalis of the Roman writer Pliny, we read: "Come, for example, the salamander, an animal with the shape of a lizard and besterntem body, never to the outside except after heavy rains, it disappears immediately when the weather is better this animal. is so cold that it extinguishes fire if it touches this, as does ice. it spits a milky substance from its mouth, and which human body part comes in contact with it, the immediate fall out all the hair, and he takes a look at lepröses ". The ability to put out fires, but was also in ancient times ( even by Pliny himself at a later point ) doubts. The medieval authors knew the " Salamander" mainly by its mention at the Doctors of the Church Augustine, who mentions him in 21.Kapitel his main work De Civitate Dei. Accordingly, the salamanders live without pain in the fire, " because its nature adapted to this element " is. Other pre-medieval sources such as Isidore of Seville in his Etymologiae and the so-called Physiologus confirmed this information. In this form, the name has been handed down to modern times.

After the actual usage were in the early modern period, the animals that we call Salamander today, called " pig ".

Myth

The salamander is by mythological beliefs can live in the fire as one of the four elemental beings.

The alchemists retained the symbol of salamander in the elemental of fire. However, her name is based on the animal may be less salamander, it is also assumed that there is a relationship to the University of Salamanca (Spain). Their shape varies in the representation of a worm on a snake up to lizard-like creature, close relationships exist to dragons and mythical icon of the Ouroboros. The salamander was regarded as a symbol of destruction and rebirth, thus also for indestructibility and the Philosopher's Stone. Salamanders were often depicted as an emblem, for example in the work " de atalanta fugiens " the alchemist Michael Maier.

Regeneration

Salamanders are with respect to their ability to regenerate remarkable creatures. Losing these animals a body part, it grows back in more or less abbreviated form. This regeneration ability ensures functional replacement of the limbs and is also present in adult (but neotenen ) animals. Particularly interesting in this respect also the axolotl, in which the regenerates, however, generally in the form of former full length.

Short systematics

From the family True Salamanders and newts ( Salamandridae ) are the following types autochthonous before in the German-speaking Central Europe:

• Alpine Salamander ( Salamandra atra)
• Fire Salamander ( Salamandra salamandra )
• Alpine Newt ( Ichthyosaura alpestris )
• Alpine newt (Triturus carnifex )
• Northern Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus)
• Danube crested newt ( Triturus dobrogicus )
• Palmate newt ( Lissotriton helveticus )
• Newt ( Lissotriton vulgaris)

To further systematics see salamanders.