Salamander terrestrial species

Another salamander courtship pheromone, identified in 1999, is a protein. During courtship, males of the Appalachian woodland salamander, Plethodon jordani, (Plethodontidae), a terrestrial species, actively deliver a pheromone to the female. In the mating season, males develop a mental gland, located... 

For further comparison, we included data points (again, combined olfactory and vomeronasal volume, equaling a total chemosensory epithelial volume) for three species of closely related, mainly terrestrial salamanders (family Plethodontidae). Salamanders have no turbinates and the chemosensory epithelium of terrestrial species is arranged in flat sheets. Not surprisingly, chemoreceptor epithelial volume is considerably less in salamanders than in mammals (ANOVA of multiple regression, P =0.0001). In addition, the slope for the salamander line is considerably flatter than for white-footed mice, but not for short-tailed shrews, indicating less variation in chemosensory epithelial volume that is explained by variation in body size. 

Metamorphosis has also been extensively studied in amphibians, a class of vertebrates which includes frogs, toads, and salamanders. Amphibian means dual (amphi ) life form (-bian) and refers to the typical life history of these animals, in which an aquatic larva metamorphoses into a terrestrial adult. The reptiles, such as turtles, lizards, and snakes, is another class of vertebrates whose species superficially resemble adult amphibians, but do not undergo metamorphosis. 

Alkaloids are an important class of compounds that have pharmacological effects on various tissues and organs of humans and other animal species. More than 16,000 are known and most are derived from higher plants. Alkaloids have also been isolated from microorganisms, from marine organisms such as algae, dinoflagellates, and puffer fish, as well as from terrestrial animals, such as insects, salamanders, and toads. 

Dawley, E. M., 1987, Species discrimination between hybridizing and non-hybridizing terrestrial salamanders, Copeia 1987 924-931. 

Delivery styles vary greatly among species of salamanders, yet the only function demonstrated for salamander courtship pheromones has been to increase female receptivity. The change in receptivity is inferred on the basis of reduced courtship time as a result of pheromone delivery. Reduced courtship time has been demonstrated quantitatively for two species of terrestrial plethodontid salamanders. In D. ocoee (the species using an injection mode of delivery), courtship time was shorter when a female was treated with a pheromone extract versus an inactive (saline) control solution (Houck Reagan, 1990). In the plethodontid R jordani, pairs in which the female was pre-treated with courtship pheromones escalated to advanced stages of courtship more quickly on average than did pairs in which the... 

Salamanders are 550 extant species of amphibians within the family of Caudata [39] (see Figure 2.7). The shape of their bodies is like a lizard, with slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. Salamanders live in or near water, or in wetland. Some salamanders are fully aquatic, some take to the water intermittently, and some are entirely terrestrial. Salamanders are often referred to as having a perfect regeneration capability, because they can heal any structure or cell type of their body entirely [40]. They are able to perform scar-free repair of deep tissue wounds after injury. Salamanders are capable of regenerating lost limbs, damaged lungs, sliced... 

Fertilization is internal in most aquatic and terrestrial salamander species. The male lacks an intromittent organ, however, and sperm are transferred by means of a spermatophore. The two-part spermatophore consists of a gelatinous base that supports and elevates a mass of sperm. Usually, the male will not deposit a spermatophore except in the presence of a receptive female. Courtship studies of salamanders, therefore, can use the presence of a spermatophore (or a spermatophore base) as a reliable indicator of both male and female sexual receptivity. 

In most plethodontid salamanders, courtship is terrestrial and the male does not clasp the female or restrain her in any way. The male, nevertheless, makes much physical contact with the female, crawling over and under her, or rubbing her snout with his head. In particular, the male frequently delivers secretions from specialized cephalic glands directly to the female. In Plethodon jordani, the male has an enlarged mental (submandibular) gland that he slaps over the female s nares (Arnold, 1977, Fig. 8). In a related species, yonahlossee, the male also slaps his mental gland over the female s snout (Arnold, 1972). Neither P. jordani nor P. yonahlossee males use their teeth to aid in secretion delivery. 

The only other experimental attempt to evaluate the effects of male courtship pheromones in salamanders is work conducted with the terrestrial plethodontid, Desmognathus ochrophaeus (Houck and Arnold, in prep.). Courtship interactions for this species (described above) involve pheromone delivery from the male s mental gland, and the probable use of premaxillary teeth to introduce this pheromone into the female s circulatory system. In their experiment, Houck and Arnold had three experimental male groups (1) Each male had its mental gland surgically removed, (2) Each... 

Jaeger, R. G, 1970, Potential extinction through competition between two species of terrestrial salamanders. Evolution, 24 632. 

Behavior in Two Species of Terrestrial Salamanders, Ph.D, Dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

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