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Plethodontid
Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia, Europe south of the Alps, and South Korea. In terms of number of species, they are by far the largest group of salamanders. Biology Adult lungless salamanders have four limbs, with four toes on the fore limbs, and usually with five on the hind limbs. Within many species, mating and reproduction occur solely on land. Accordingly, many species also lack an aquatic larval stage, a phenomenon known as direct development in which the offspring hatch as fully-formed, miniature adults. Direct development is correlated with changes in the developmental characteristics of plethodontids compared to other families of salamanders including increases in egg size and duration of embryonic development. Additionally, the evolutionary loss of the aquatic larval stage is related to a diminishing d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hemidactyliinae
Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia, Europe south of the Alps, and South Korea. In terms of number of species, they are by far the largest group of salamanders. Biology Adult lungless salamanders have four limbs, with four toes on the fore limbs, and usually with five on the hind limbs. Within many species, mating and reproduction occur solely on land. Accordingly, many species also lack an aquatic larval stage, a phenomenon known as direct development in which the offspring hatch as fully-formed, miniature adults. Direct development is correlated with changes in the developmental characteristics of plethodontids compared to other families of salamanders including increases in egg size and duration of embryonic development. Additionally, the evolutionary loss of the aquatic larval stage is related to a diminishing dep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salamander In Amber
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela. Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm. Salamanders rarely have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults. This group of amphibians is capable of regenerating lost li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela. Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm. Salamanders rarely have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults. This group of amphibians is capable of regenerating lost l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batrachoseps Attenuatus
The California slender salamander (''Batrachoseps attenuatus'') is a lungless salamanderRobert C. Stebbins, Stebbins, Robert C. (2003). ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians'', 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, that is found primarily in coastal mountain areas of Northern California, United States as well as in a limited part of the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, California, in patches of the northern California Central Valley, Central Valley of California, and in extreme southwestern Oregon. This species resides primarily in a limited range within California as one of a handful quasi-endemic amphibians in the state. In 2001 Elizabeth Jockusch, Elizabeth L. Jockusch and David B. Wake, David Wake used genetic sequencing to find that the California slender salamander, the most common salamander in California, was in fact twenty separate species spread out along the coast from Oregon to Mexico. Presently, the California slender sala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bolitoglossa
''Bolitoglossa'' is a genus of lungless salamanders, also called mushroom-tongued salamanders, tropical climbing salamanders, or web-footed salamanders, in the family Plethodontidae. Their range is between northern Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, northeastern Brazil, and central Bolivia. Neotropical salamanders of the ''Bolitoglossa'' make up the largest genus in the order Caudata, consisting of approximately one-fifth of all known species of salamanders. Adult salamanders range anywhere from 45mm to 200mm in length depending on their specific species. They are notorious for their ability to project their tongue at prey items, as indicated from their name. They are also known for their webbed feet, having significantly more webbing than any other species outside their genus with the exception of the cave-dwelling Mexican bolitoglossine ''Chiropterotriton magnipes''. Although webbed feet are a common characteristic of these salamanders, onl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isthmura
''Isthmura'' is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. They are endemic to Mexico. The genus, which corresponds to the former "''Pseudoeurycea bellii'' species group" and was first described as a subgenus of ''Pseudoeurycea'', was raised to full generic level in 2015 in order to preserve '' Ixalotriton'' and ''Bolitoglossa'' while avoiding paraphyly of ''Pseudoeurycea''. Description ''Isthmura'' are large to very large salamanders, and the largest plethodontid salamanders in the Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi .... They have robust, black bodies that usually have bold red, orange, or pink markings. The toes have slight webbing. The fifth toe is well-developed. They inhabit montane forests mostly above , although '' Isthmura gigantea'' and '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aquiloeurycea
''Aquiloeurycea'' is a genus of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. They are endemic to Mexico. The genus corresponds to the former "''Pseudoeurycea cephalica'' species group", which was established in order to preserve '' Ixalotriton'' and ''Bolitoglossa'' while avoiding paraphyly of ''Pseudoeurycea ''Pseudoeurycea'' is a genus of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. The members of this genus are commonly known as the false brook salamanders. They are found in Mexico and Guatemala. In order to preserve ''Ixalotriton'' and '' Bolitoglos ...''. Species It contains the following species: Gallery File:Aquiloeurycea cephalica, Chunky False Brook Salamander, Tamaulipas.jpg, Chunky false brook salamander (''Aquiloeurycea cephalica''), El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Municipality of Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Mexico (12 August 2004). File:Galeana false brook salamander (Aquiloeurycea galeanae). Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 5 October 2008. W. L. Farr.jpg, Galeana false ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mental Gland
A mental gland is a part of the body found in many species of amphibians and reptiles. Mental glands produce chemicals that conspecific animals use to communicate. Location The mental glands appear in pairs, one on each side of the head. They are located behind the end of the mandible. Function Mental glands produce hormones that are secreted through the skin. The secretions from mental glands have been implicated in mate selection, species identification, and other functions. Scientists believe that the head bobbing behavior observed in turtles encountering another member of their own species may serve to disperse the chemicals from the mental glands through the air. Certain courtship behaviors observed in salamanders, such as snapping, only appear in salamanders that have mental glands, so scientists believe they are also meant to spread the chemicals through the air. Origins and evolution Not all reptiles and amphibians have mental glands. It is not unusual for some speci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palaeoplethodon Hispaniolae
''Palaeoplethodon hispaniolae'' is an extinct salamander species found in Miocene Dominican amber from the Dominican Republic. It is so far the only salamander species known to have existed in the Caribbean. Discovery and description The only known specimen was a juvenile found in an amber mine in the mountain range between Puerto Plata and Santiago. The amber itself was from the extinct legume species ''Hymenaea protera''. The salamander is missing its left front leg, implying possible predation. Its legs did not have any distinct toes, rather, it had complete webbing with small bumps on it. It most likely lived in small trees or in tropical flowers. It is unknown how this salamander's lineage arrived to the area, and how it became extinct. They may have arrived by a land bridge, or they may have ridden debris to the island. It is possible that their extinction was caused by climate change or by extensive predation. It is most likely a stem-group to the plethodontid t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batrachoseps
''Batrachoseps'' is a genus of lungless salamanders (plethodontids) often called slender salamanders. They can be distinguished from other lungless salamanders by the four toes they have on each foot. Their genus name ''Batracho-seps'' means "frog-lizard", in reference to their projectile tongues. Diet and physiology The lungless salamanders, in addition to having no lungs, have long slender snake-shaped bodies with very small limbs that appear almost vestigial in several species. Their main diet consists of small insects, such as springtails, small bark beetles, crickets, young snails, mites, and spiders. Like all salamanders in this family, they have long frog-like projectile tongues which they use to grab their prey in a flash. Unlike all other amphibians (and birds, and lizards, and nearly all fish) mature red blood cells in species in the genus ''Batrachoseps'' have no nucleus, which is a trait that is only known to occur in mammals and certain species of antarctic fish. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Projectile Use By Living Systems
Although projectiles are commonly used in human conflict, projectile use by organisms other than humans is relatively rare. Animals Liquid projectiles Most projectiles used by terrestrial animals are liquids. Among invertebrates there are a number of examples. Velvet worms can squirt out an slimy adhesive fluid from glands on the sides of their head, and use it to trap their prey. The spitting spiders '' Scytodes'' can spit a venomous sticky fluid that traps its victims and also poisons them. The bombardier beetle is unusual by using a violent exothermic chemical reaction to launch a boiling noxious chemical spray in a rapid burst of pulses from special glands in its abdomen, accompanied with a popping sound. The '' Anthia'' (oogpister beetle) will fire formic acid at attackers, probably extracting the formic acid from the ants that it eats. The devil-rider stick insects (''Anisomorpha'') can fire terpenes from glands on the metathorax that can cause an intense burning irr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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