Salamandridae

Salamandridae
True salamanders and newts
Temporal range: 89–0 Ma
Cretaceous–recent[1]
Notophthalmus viridescens from North America
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Amphibia
Order:Urodela
Suborder:Salamandroidea
Family:Salamandridae
Goldfuss, 1820
Genera

  Calotriton
  Chioglossa
  Cynops
  Echinotriton
  Euproctus
  Ichthyosaura
  Lissotriton
  Lyciasalamandra
  Mertensiella
  Neurergus
  Notophthalmus
  Ommatotriton
  Pachytriton
  Paramesotriton
  Pleurodeles
  Salamandra
  Salamandrina
  Taricha
  Triturus
  Tylototriton

Salamandridae is a family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Currently, 74 species (with more expected) have been identified in the Northern Hemisphere - Europe, Asia, the northern tip of Africa, and North America. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough skin. Their skin is very granular because of the number of poison glands. They also lack nasolabial grooves.

With a few exceptions, salamandrids have patterns of bright and contrasting colours, most of these are to warn potential predators of their toxicity. They have four well-developed limbs, with four toes on the fore limbs, and (in most cases) five toes on the hind limbs. They vary from 7 to 30 cm (3 to 12 in) in length.[2]

All species within the genus Lyciasalamandra are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young, without a tadpole stage. There are some species within the genus Salamandra are known to be viviparous too. Some newts are neotenic, being able to reproduce before they are fully metamorphosed.[2]

Toxicity

The genus Taricha use the poision tetrodotoxin (TTX) that binds and blocks voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) in nerves and muscles. This blockage causes the cessation of action potentials, leading to paralysis and death. There are species and sub-species of Taricha that live in concurrent regions with a garter snake (Thamnophis) that has developed a resistance to the TTX poisoning. Species that inhabit regions with resistant Thamnophis snakes have evolved to increase their concentrations of TTX in an evolutionary arms race of predatory versus prey.

Conservation Status (IUCN Redlist)

Conservation Status of Salamandridae
IUCN Classification Number of Species
Least Concern 32
Near Threatened 12
Vulnerable 16
Endangered 14
Critically Endangered 3
Lack of Data 1

Phylogeny

Cladograms based on the work of Pyron and Wiens (2011)[3] and modified using Mikko Haaramo [4]

 

Salamandrininae

 

†Archaeotriton basalticus

 
 

Salamandrina

 
 
 

Salamandrinae

Chioglossini

 

Mertensiella caucasica

 
 

Chioglossa lusitanica

 
 
Salamandrini

 

†Megalotriton filholi

 
 

Lyciasalamandra

 
 

Salamandra

 
 
 
Pleurodelinae

 

†Carpathotriton

 
Pleurodelini

 

†Brachycormus noachicus

 
 

†Chelotriton

 
 

†Palaeopleurodeles hauffi

 
 

Pleurodeles

 
 

 

Echinotriton

 
 

Tylototriton

 
 
 
Molgini

Tarichina

 

Notophthalmus

 
 

Taricha

 
 
Molgina

 

†Koalliella genzeli

 
 

†Oligosemia spinosa

 
 

Lissotriton

 
 

 

 

 

Neurergus

 
 

Ommatotriton

 
 
 

 

Calotriton

 
 

Triturus

 
 
 
 

 

Euproctus

 
 

 

Ichthyosaura alpestris

 
Cynopita

 

†Procynops miocenicus

 
 

Laotriton laoensis

 
 

 

Pachytriton

 
 

 

Cynops

 
 

Paramesotriton

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Taxonomy

The genera Chioglossa, Lyciasalamandra, Mertensiella, and Salamandra are grouped in the subfamily Salamandrinae, the rest are in Pleurodelinae.[5] Those with a more thoroughly aquatic lifestyle are referred to as "newts", but this is not a formal taxonomic description.

Family SALAMANDRIDAE

Fossil record

Salamandrids have a substantial fossil record spanning most of the Cenozoic. The oldest known fossils date from the Thanetian (Paleocene), but these, and most other known fossil salamandrids apparently belong to the crown group.[6] The sole known stem-salamandrid is Phosphotriton sigei, from the Quercy Phosphorites Formation, which apparently dates from the Middle to Late Eocene.[7]

References

  1. ↑ http://fossilworks.org/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=37393. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 Lanza, B., Vanni, S., & Nistri, A. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G., ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
  3. ↑ Pyron, R.A.; Weins, J.J. (2011). "A large-scale phylogeny of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised classification of advanced frogs, salamanders, and caecilians" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (2): 543–853. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.012. PMID 21723399.
  4. ↑ Haaramo, Mikko (2011). "Caudata – salamanders". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive.
  5. ↑ http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=27224
  6. ↑ Marjanovic, D.; Laurin, M. (2014). "An updated paleontological timetree of lissamphibians, with comments on the anatomy of Jurassic crown-group salamanders (Urodela)". Historical Biology. 26 (4): 535–550. doi:10.1080/08912963.2013.797972.
  7. ↑ Tissier, J.; Rage, J.-C.; Boistel, R.; Fernandez, V.; Pollet, N.; Garcia, G.; Laurin, M. (2016). "Synchrotron analysis of a 'mummified' salamander (Vertebrata: Caudata) from the Eocene of Quercy, France". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 177 (1): 147–164. doi:10.1111/zoj.12341.

Data related to Salamandridae at Wikispecies Media related to Salamandridae at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.