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Northern Pygmy Salamander
The northern pygmy salamander (''Desmognathus organi'') is a terrestrial species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae and genus '' Desmognathus''. Along with the southern pygmy ('' D. wrighti'') and the seepage salamander ('' D. aeneus''), these are some of the smallest salamander species in North America and can be found in higher elevations in the southern Appalachians. Description ''Desmognathus organi'' can be identified by its small size, averaging only 40–60 mm total length, and its distinct herringbone pattern on the dorsal side and copper colored eyelids, which are traits only shared with ''D. wrighti''. Dorsal coloration can vary from dark reddish-brown to light brown, with a much lighter ventral surface. Characteristic of the ''Desmognathus'' species, there is a light colored eye stripe to the jaw, and the hindlimbs are longer and more robust than the forelimbs. However, unlike most of the other ''Desmognathus'' species, the tail is round in cross section ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desmognathus
''Desmognathus'' is a genus of lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae known as dusky salamanders. They range from Texas to the eastern United States and to south-eastern Canada. Characteristics Species of the genus ''Desmognathus'' have a unique jaw-opening mechanism where the lower jaw is stationary and the skull swings open. There are additional stalked condyles, an atlanto-mandibular ligament, along with other skeletal and musculature features that have evolved to accompany this type of jaw-opening mechanism. Additionally, they are known to exhibit maternal care by brooding over their eggs. Species This genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ... includes the following 30-31 species: References External links Tree of Life: Desmognathus* Further ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pygmy Salamander
The pygmy salamander (''Desmognathus wrighti'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States in the southern Appalachians in North Carolina and Tennessee. ''Desmognathus wrighti'' is a member of the family Plethodontidae and is commonly known as the pygmy salamander. As the name suggest the pygmy salamander is the smallest of the nineteen species in the genus ''Desmognathus''. ''D. wrighti'' undergoes direct development and does not have a free-living larval stage. Only two other taxa in ''Desmognathus'', ''D. aeneus'' and ''D. organi'', exhibit direct development along with the pygmy salamander.Hining, K. J. and R. C. Bruce. 2005. Population structure and life history attributes of syntopic populations of the salamanders ''Desmognathus aeneus'' and ''Desmognathus wrighti'' (Amphibia: Plethodontidae). ''Southeastern Naturalist'', 4(4): 679-688 In the genus ''Desmognathus'', body size, habitat preferences, and patterns used by males ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seepage Salamander
The seepage salamander (''Desmognathus aeneus'') is a small, terrestrial species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. They are found in small areas of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, intermittent rivers, and freshwater springs. It gets its name from the seepages around which it lives. It is very similar in its appearance and life history to the pygmy salamander (''Desmognathus wrighti''). These two species differ greatly from the other ''Desmognathus'' species. They are the smallest salamanders in the genus, measuring only in length. They are also the only two terrestrial, direct-developing ''Desmognathus'' species. However, the two species are not often seen to coexist, differing in distribution by elevation; although there are exceptions. The seepage salamander is currently listed as Near Threatened, with its numbers declining in most of states in which it is found. It is thre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Fauna Of The United States
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibians Of The United States
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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