Lungless salamander

Lungless Salamander

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Lungless salamander

The Plethodontidae, or Lungless salamanders, are a family of salamander

Salamander

Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by slender bodies, short noses, and long tails....
s. Most species are native to the western hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia and Europe south of the Alps. In terms of number of species, they are by far the largest group of salamanders.

Biology
A number of features distinguish the Plethodontids from other salamanders.

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Encyclopedia

The Plethodontidae, or Lungless salamanders, are a family of salamander

Salamander

Biology

A number of features distinguish the Plethodontids from other salamanders. Most significantly, they lack lungs, conducting respiration through their skin, and the tissues lining their mouths. They must keep these surfaces moist in order to respire, and so have to live in damp environments, such as beneath logs, in caves or in wet rock crevices, and only venture out in humid weather. Another distinctive feature is the presence of a vertical slit between the nostril and upper lip, known as the "naso-labial groove". The groove is lined with glands, and enhances the animal's chemoreception

Chemosensor

A chemosensor, also known as chemoreceptor, is a sensory receptor that transduction a chemical signal into an action potential. Or, more generally, a chemosensor detects certain chemical stimuli in the environment....
.

Adult lungless salamanders have four limbs, with four toes on the forelimbs, and usually with five on the hindlimbs. Many species lack an aquatic larval stage. In many species eggs are laid on land, and the young hatch already possessing an adult body form.

Measured in individual numbers, they are very successful animals where they occur. In some places they make up the dominant biomass of vertebrates. Due to their modest size and low metabolism, they are able to feed on prey such as collembola, which are usually too small for other terrestrial vertebrates. This gives them access to a whole ecological niche with minimal competition from other groups.

Taxonomy

Plethodontidae includes many genera grouped under two subfamilies. Nearly four hundred species of plethodontid salamanders are known, making up the majority of known salamander species . Only two of these species are found outside the Western hemisphere

Western Hemisphere

The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geography term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the Eastern Hemisphere....
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The family Plethodontidae consists of 4 subfamilies and about 380 species divided among the following genera:

Subfamily	Genus Scientific Name and Author	Genus Common name
Bolitoglossinae
	Batrachoseps	Slender salamanders
	Bolitoglossa Bolitoglossa *Bolitoglossa* also called Tropical climbing salamanders or Web-footed Salamanders is a genus of salamanders in the Plethodontidae family....	Tropical climbing salamanders
	Bradytriton	Finca Chiblac salamander
	Chiropterotriton Chiropterotriton *Chiropterotriton* or Splayfoot Salamanders is a genus of salamander in the Plethodontidae family, endemic to Mexico....	Splay-foot salamanders
	Cryptotriton Cryptotriton *Cryptotriton* or Moss Salamanders is a genus of salamander in the Plethodontidae family, endemic to South America....	Hidden salamanders
	Dendrotriton Dendrotriton *Dendrotriton* or bromeliad salamanders is a genus of salamanders in the Plethodontidae family, endemic to South and Central America: from Southwestern Chiapas, Mexico, to Honduras....	Bromeliad salamanders
	Nototriton Nototriton *Nototriton, commonly referred to as Moss Salamanders* is a genus in the Plethodontidae family of salamanders, which is characterized by their absence of lungs; they instead achieve respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth....	Moss salamanders
	Nyctanolis	Long-limbed salamanders
	Oedipina Oedipina *Oedipina* or Worm salamanders is a genus in the Plethodontidae family of salamanders, which is characterized by their absence of lungs; they instead achieve respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth....	Worm salamanders
	Parvimolge	Tropical dwarf salamanders
	Pseudoeurycea Pseudoeurycea Pseudoeurycea is a genus of salamander in the Plethodontidae family.It contains the following species:* Tlaconete * Pseudoeurycea altamontana...	False brook salamanders
	Thorius Thorius *Thorius* also known as Minute Salamanders is a genus of salamanders in the Plethodontidae family distributed from Western and Southern North America south to Brazil....	Minute salamanders
Hemidactyliinae	Hemidactylium	Four-toed salamander
Plethodontinae	Aneides	Climbing salamanders
	Atylodes	Sardinian Cave Salamander
	Desmognathus Desmognathus *Desmognathus* is a genus of lungless salamanders known as Dusky Salamanders, ranging from Eastern USA to Southeastern Canada....	Dusky salamanders
	Ensatina Ensatina *Ensatina eschscholtzii* is a complex of plethodontid salamanders found in coniferous forests, oak woodland and chaparral from British Columbia, through Washington, Oregon, across California , all the way down to Baja California Peninsula in Mexico....	Ensatinas
	Hydromantes Hydromantes *Hydromantes* commonly referred to as Web-toed Salamanders is a genus of the Plethodontidae family of salamanders, which is characterized by their absence of lungs; they instead achieve respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth....	Web-toed & European cave sals
	Karsenia	Korean crevice salamanders
	Phaeognathus	Red Hills salamanders
	Plethodon	Slimy & mountain salamanders
	Speleomantes Speleomantes *Speleomantes* is a genus of salamander in the Plethodontidae family.It contains the following species:* Ambrosi's Cave Salamander * Monte Albo Cave Salamander ...	Cave Salamanders
Spelerpinae	Eurycea Eurycea *Eurycea* is a genus of salamanders commonly referred to as Brook Salamanders, native to North America....	North American brook salamanders
	Gyrinophilus Gyrinophilus *Gyrinophilus, commonly referred to as Spring salamanders* is a genus of salamanders in the Plethodontidae family, endemic to the Appalachian mountains of the eastern USA and Canada....	Spring salamanders
	Pseudotriton Pseudotriton *Pseudotriton* is a genus of salamander in the Plethodontidae family.It contains the following species:* Mud salamander * Red salamander ...	Mud and red salamanders
	Stereochilus	Many-lined salamanders

Following a major revision in 2006 the genus Haideotriton was found to be a synonym of Eurycea
Eurycea

Eurycea is a genus of salamanders commonly referred to as Brook Salamanders, native to North America....
while the genera Ixalotriton and Lineatriton were made synonyms of Pseudoeurycea
Pseudoeurycea

Pseudoeurycea is a genus of salamander in the Plethodontidae family.It contains the following species:* Tlaconete * Pseudoeurycea altamontana...
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