Lungless salamander

Brown brook salamander ( Desmognathus fuscus )

The lung lots Salamander ( Plethodontidae ) constitute by far the most species-rich family of salamanders ( Caudata or Urodela ). They provide two-thirds of all species of this order. The scientific name is derived from the Greek words " Pletho " (= quantity ) and " odontes " ( = teeth ), which could indicate the enlarged teeth present in the males of some species in the upper jaw.

Features

The representatives of this family have highly variable usually no (or " primitive " in the stream salamanders ) existing rudimentary lungs. The oxygen uptake takes place instead through skin respiration ( including their special form of mouth breathing). The total length of adult animals varies depending on the nature between three and no more than 22 centimeters. Several representatives of the genus confined to Mexico Thorius about have snout-vent lengths of less than two centimeters ( plus tail length). Typically, the animals have four fingers and five toes; miniaturized species have four toes on but sometimes reduced hind feet. Lung lots Salamander often have a slender, elongated body (with up to 60 vertebrae ), a long tail and move very agile swimming, climbing or even jumping. With a flat nasal labial furrow, which extends from the nostril to the upper lip and is lined with partially swollen glands, odors are perceived and transferred to the olfactory cells in the nose. The olfactory orientation plays an important role, for example in the sometimes complex courtship and territorial behavior. Many species also have large eyes and can capture with a projecting skyrocketing spin tongue and nimble insects.

Occurrence

The focus of the distribution is located in North, Central and South America between southern Alaska and southern Canada on the one hand and the north-western Brazil and central Bolivia on the other. In the United States, and especially in the Appalachian Mountains, live the most species. As the only salamander family, the lung lots Salamander penetrate but also in the tropical area and exceed in northern South America almost the equator.

Outside the Americas is the only genus European cave salamander ( Speleomantes ) with currently eight described species in Europe - more precisely in Sardinia, southern France and Italy. ( In some classifications they are listed together with three American species of the genus Hydromantes and Speleomantes is regarded in this context as " clade ." In addition, a separate genus Atylodes is postulated for the Sardinian cave salamander recently. ), In 2005 a new species was in Korea discovered which is placed in a separate genus Karsenia.

Way of life

In addition to some living near water representatives of the genera of the brook salamander ( Desmognathus ) example, there are also underground occurring as the Blind Salamander ( Haideotriton wallacei ). However, most species live year-round above ground on land. The embryonic and larval development takes place in these cases within larger egg cases exclusively terrestrial, so that - unlike most amphibians - no water is required for the life cycle (Example: Genus forest salamander, Plethodon ). Some inhabit times even large trees ( genus tree salamander, Aneides ). Only a few taxa is also a (partial) larval phase observed in the water, such as when Schwarzbäuchigen brook salamander ( Desmognathus marmoratus ) or the brown brook salamander ( Desmognathus fuscus ). A striking feature of the reproductive behavior of the Plethodontidae are so-called pairing marches in which clasp the partners from time to time and this move until it finally comes to the indirect transfer of the spermatophore.

Lung lots salamanders generally prefer moist hiding places, they leave only in rainy weather and at night. You have a low metabolic rate and survive a longer drying or cooling time at rest, as they save a portion of the food as fat reserves. Their main activity phases are spring and autumn. As a defense against predators produce some species a toxic and very sticky skin mucus, to which a small snake can stifle well. Other types can shed its tail like a lizard.

Evolution

The Plethodontidae were originally thought to be residents cool mountain streams in eastern North America - just as today some brook salamander. Among the living conditions of fast-flowing water, the lungs were gradually declining because they were disadvantageous due to their buoyancy effect. The further evolutionary development led to an increasing independence of waters and the possibility to spread to the West, until at last on the Central American land bridge and the tropics were settled. The fully terrestrial living representatives of the genus forest salamander ( Plethodon ) can thus be considered as the most highly developed forms.

The European populations - as well as the new Korean Fund - in this context as relics from the Paleogene (formerly referred to as tertiary ) to understand, so as remnants of the era after the disintegration of Pangaea, as the North American subcontinent and Eurasia still a common large land mass called Laurasia formed.

Taxonomy

Older classifications of lung lots Salamander consisted of the subfamilies Desmognathinae and Plethodontinae, such as those of David Burton Wake from the year 1966. Was based on morphological and anatomical You findings have been created mainly taking into account the bone structure and remained valid for many years. Only the introduction of molecular genetic methods yielded in 2004 a change by Chippindale et al. From the three tribes of the subfamilies Plethodontinae Bolitoglossinae, Hemidactyliinae and Plethodontinae were. The Desmognathinae were assigned to the new scope of Plethodontinae. The Hemidactyliinae (then written Hemidactylinae ) were reduced to the Four-toed Salamander and were therefore mono generic and monotypic. The other species that had previously been in the tribe Hemidactyliini were placed in a new subfamily, Spelerpinae. Thus, there were four subfamilies ( Bolitoglossinae, Hemidactyliinae, Plethodontinae and Spelerpinae ) within the lung lots salamander. However, it soon turned out that one can divide the lung lots salamander into two major lineages: the Hemidactyliinae with the groups Bolitoglossini, Hemidactyliini (only the Four-toed Salamander ) and Spelerpini and Plethodontinae. Thus, the composition of the genera within the individual groups remained largely the same, but they were reallocated to other ranks. After consideration of other phylogenetic studies Wake took in 2012 along the systematic classification of the described 431 species at this time.

System

Subfamilies, tribes, genera, subgenera and species selected by Amphibian Species of the World:

Subfamily Hemidactyliinae Hallowell, 1856

  • Tribus Batrachosepini Genus Batrachoseps Bonaparte, 1839 - Worm Salamander ( 22 species ) Subgenus Batrachoseps Bonaparte, 1839
  • Subgenus Plethopsis Bishop, 1937
  • Genus Bolitoglossa Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 - mushroom tongue salamander (121 species) Subgenus Bolitoglossa Duméril, Bibron and Duméril, 1854
  • Subgenus Eladinea Miranda - Ribeiro, 1937
  • Subgenus Magnadigita Taylor, 1944
  • Subgenus Mayamandra Parra - Olea, García- París and Wake, 2004
  • Subgenus Nano Triton Parra - Olea, García- París and Wake, 2004
  • Subgenus Oaxakia Parra - Olea, García- París and Wake, 2004
  • Subgenus Pachymandra Parra - Olea, García- París and Wake, 2004 Type Bolitoglossa dofleini Werner, 1903 - Large Palm Salamander
  • Type Brady Triton silus Wake and Elias, 1983
  • Type Chiropterotriton mosaueri Woodall, 1941
  • Type Nyctanolis pernix Elias & Wake, 1983
  • Type Parvimolge townsendi ( Dunn, 1922) (in some surveys only a synonym of Pseudoeurycea )
  • Genus Hemidactylium Tschudi, 1838 ( 1 species ) Type Hemidactylium scutatum ( Temminck & Schlegel, 1838) - Four-toed Salamander
  • Genus Eurycea Rafinesque, 1822 - Yellow salamanders (26 species) Type Eurycea rathbuni ( Stejneger, 1896) - Texan wells pig
  • Kind of pseudo ruber ( Sonnini de Manon Court & Latreille, 1801) - Rotsalamander
  • Type Stereochilus marginatus ( Hallowell, 1856)

Subfamily Plethodontinae Gray, 1850

  • Tribus Aneidini Wake, 2012 Genus Aneides Baird, 1851 - Tree Salamander ( 6 species) Type Aneides lugubris ( Hallowell, 1849) - Alligator Salamander
  • Genus Desmognathus Baird, 1850 - stream salamanders ( 21 species )
  • Genus Phaeognathus Highton, 1961 - Sneak Salamander ( 1 species ) Type Phaeognathus hubrichti Highton, 1961
  • Genus Ensatina Gray, 1850 ( type 1 ) Type Ensatina eschholtzi Gray, 1850 - Eschscholtz Salamander
  • Subgenus Atylodes Gistel, 1868 Type Hydromantes ( Atyloides ) genei ( Temminck & Schlegel, 1838) - Genes cave salamander (in some surveys under Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) genei out )
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) Ambrosii ( Lanza, 1954) - Ambrosis cave salamander
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) flavus ( Stefani, 1969) - Monte Albo Cave Salamander
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) imperialis ( Stefani, 1969) - Scented Salamander Cave
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) italicus ( Dunn, 1923) - Italian cave salamander
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) sarrabusensis Lanza, Leo, Forti, Cimmaruta, Caputo & Nascetti, 2001 - SARRABUS Cave Salamander
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) strinatii ( Aellen, 1958) - Ligurian cave salamander
  • Type Hydromantes ( Speleomantes ) supra montis ( Lanza, Nascetti & Bullini, 1986) - Sopramonte Cave Salamander
  • Type Karsenia koreana Min, Yang, Bonett, Vieites, Brandon & Wake, 2005
  • Genus Plethodon Tschudi, 1838 - Forest salamanders (55 species) Subgenus Hightonia Vieites, Nieto - Román, Wake and Wake, 2011
  • Subgenus Plethodon Tschudi, 1838 Type Plethodon glutinosus (Green, 1818) - Silver Salamander
  • Plethodon jordani Blatchley Art, 1901 - Red- woods Salamander
Lissamphibia Salamandroidea John Edward Gray Vestigiality Brown cave salamander Lacertidae Phylogenetics Anatomy Franz Werner Cave splayfoot salamander Texas blind salamander Red salamander Urspelerpes Arboreal salamander Northern slimy salamander Red-cheeked salamander
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