Dusky_salamander

<i>Desmognathus</i>

Desmognathus

Genus of amphibians

Desmognathus is a genus of lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae known as dusky salamanders.[1][2] They range throughout the eastern United States as far west as Texas, and north to southeastern Canada.[1]

Quick Facts Desmognathus, Scientific classification ...

Characteristics

Species of the genus Desmognathus have a unique jaw-opening mechanism where the lower jaw is stationary and the skull swings open.[3] 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.[3] Additionally, they are known to exhibit maternal care by brooding over their eggs.[3]

An unidentified Desmognathus species as seen in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN.

Species

This genus includes the following 39-40 species:[1]

More information Binomial Name and Author, Common Name ...

References

  1. [1]
    Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Desmognathus Baird, 1850". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  2. [2]
    "Plethodontidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  3. [3]
    Vitt, Laurie J.; Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-386919-7.

Further reading

  • Baird SF. 1850. Revision of the North American Tailed-Batrachia, with descriptions of new genera and species. J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Series 2, 1: 281–294. (Desmognathus, new genus, p. 282).


Stub icon

This lungless salamander article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Dusky_salamander, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.