NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Salamander

Salamander (orig. from Persian: sām, "fire", and andarūn, "within") is the common name for a group of approximately 500 species of amphibians typically characterized by slender bodies, short legs, and long tails. They have four front toes and their hind legs have five. Their moist skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or under some protection on moist ground, often in a swamp. Some salamander species are aquatic throughout life, some take to the water intermittently, and some are entirely terrestrial as adults. They lay eggs in water. Uniquely among vertebrates, they are capable of regenerating lost limbs, as well as other body parts, in a process known as ecdysis. Farsi redirects here. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In biology, regeneration is an organisms ability to replace body parts. ... Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ...

Respiration differs among the different species of salamanders. In those that lack lungs, respiration is done through the gills as water passes over the gill slits. Some salamanders that are terrestrial have lungs that are used in respiration similar to that in mammals. However, some terrestrial species lack both lungs and gills and perform gas exchange through their skin, a process known as valarian respiration in which the capillary beds are spread throughout the epidermis, including inside the mouth.

Hunting is yet another unique aspect of salamanders. Muscles surrounding the hyoid bone contract to create pressure and actually "shoot" the hyoid bone out of the mouth along with the tongue. The tip of the tongue is composed of mucus which creates a sticky end to which the prey is captured. Muscles in the pelvic region are used in order to reel the tongue and the hyoid back to its original position. The hyoid bone (Os Hyoideum; Lingual Bone) is a bone in the human neck, not articulated to any other bone; it is supported by the muscles of the neck and in turn supports the root of the tongue. ...

Salamanders split off from the other amphibians during the Mid to Late Permian, and initially were similar to modern members of the Cryptobranchoidea. Any resemblance to lizards is the result of convergence of the basic tetrapod body plan, as they are no more closely related to lizards than they are to mammals. Their nearest relatives are the frogs and toads, within Batrachia. Family Cryptobranchidae Hynobiidae This suborder contains two families: Cryptobranchidae Hynobiidae This Tree of Life article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For other uses, see Lizard (disambiguation). ... Groups See text. ...

Habitat

Species of salamanders are numerous and found in most moist or arid habitats in the northern hemisphere. The salamander is the largest amphibian in the world. They usually live in or near brooks,creeks,ponds and other moist locations. Many are relatively small, but there are definite exceptions. North America hosts the hellbender, the eastern tiger salamander, and the mudpuppy which can reach the length of a foot (30 cm) or more. In Japan and China the giant salamander is found, which reaches 6 feet (1.8 m) and weighs up to 30 kilograms.^[1]^[2]. There are ten families belonging to the order Urodela, divided into three suborders: North American redirects here. ... Binomial name Daudin, 1803 Subspecies (Eastern Hellbender) (Ozark Hellbender) The Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a large aquatic salamander native to North America whose habitat includes large, swiftly flowing streams with rocky bottoms. ... Genera Necturus Proteus The Mudpuppies or Waterdogs are a family of aquatic salamanders. ... Genera Andrias Cryptobranchus The Hellbenders and Asian Giant Salamanders (Cryptobranchidae) are aquatic amphibians found in brooks and ponds in the eastern United States, China and Japan. ...

pment"> Genera Andrias Cryptobranchus The Giant Salamanders (Cryptobranchidae) are aquatic amphibians found in brooks and ponds in Japan, China and with a similar specimen in the United States. ... Binomial name Daudin, 1803 Subspecies (Eastern Hellbender) (Ozark Hellbender) The Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a large aquatic salamander native to North America whose habitat includes large, swiftly flowing streams with rocky bottoms. ... Image File history File links Cryptobranchus_alleganiensis. ... The Asiatic Salamanders (Family Hynobiidae) are rather primitive salamanders spread all over Asia. ... Salamandroidea is an order of salamander, referred to as advanced salamanders(?). Some of the salamanders in this are legless. ... Genera Ambystoma Rhyacosiredon Mole salamanders (family Ambystomatidae) are secretive salamanders which spend most of their adult life underground or under cover. ... Binomial name Ambystoma opacum Gravenhorst, 1807 The Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum) is a widespread species of Mole salamander found in the southeastern United States. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Ambystoma_opacumPCSLXYB.jpg Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Salamander Marbled Salamander Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize... Species Amphiuma tridactylum Amphiuma means Amphiuma pholeter Amphiumas are a genus of salamanders, the only genus within the family Amphiumidae. ... -1... Image File history File linksMetadata Amphiuma_means. ... Genus Dicamptodon The Pacific Giant Salamanders (Dicamptodontidae) are a family of large salamanders. ... Species Dicamptodon aterrimus Dicamptodon copei Dicamptodon ensatus Dicamptodon tenebrosus The Pacific giant salamanders (Dicamptodontidae) are a family of large salamanders. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Dicamptodon_tenebrosus. ... Subfamilies Desmognathinae Plethodontinae Lungless salamanders (Family Plethodontidae) are salamanders which do not have lungs and instead conduct respiration through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth. ... Binomial name (Green, 1818) The Red Back (or Backed) Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) It is a small, hardy woodland salamander. ... Image File history File links Plethodon_cinereus. ... Genera Necturus Proteus Proteidae is a family of aquatic salamanders belonging to the order Caudata in the class Amphibia. ... For other uses, see Olm (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Proteus_humanfish. ... Species Rhyacotriton cascadae Rhyacotriton kezeri Rhyacotriton olympicus Rhyacotriton variegatus The Torrent Salamanders are a family (Rhyacotritonidae) with only one genus (Rhyacotriton) of salamanders. ... Binomial name Stebbins & Lowe, 1951 The Southern Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) is a species of salamander in the Rhyacotritonidae family. ... Image File history File links Rhyacotriton_variegatus. ... Genera Calotriton Chioglossa Cynops Echinotriton Euproctus Lissotriton Lyciasalamandra Mertensiella Mesotriton Neurergus Notophthalmus Ommatotriton Pachytriton Paramesotriton Pleurodeles Salamandra Salamandrina Taricha Triturus Tylototriton The family Salamandridae consists of true salamanders and newts. ... Binomial name Triturus alpestris (Laurenti, 1768) The Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris) belongs to the order Salamander (Urodela or Caudata) in the class of Amphibians. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2384x1116, 303 KB) Description: Mesotriton alpestris â™€ Source: own photo. ... Genera Pseudobranchus Siren The Sirens are a family of aquatic salamanders. ... Genera Pseudobranchus Siren The Sirens are a family of aquatic salamanders. ... Binomial name Siren lacertina Ã–sterdam, 1766 The Greater Siren (Siren lacertina) is an eel-like amphibian. ... Head shot of a greater siren File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Development

The life history of salamanders is similar to other amphibians such as frogs. The life cycle begins with an egg stage, usually laid the previous winter in a pond. A larval stage follows in which the organism is fully aquatic. Depending on species, the larval stage may or may not posses legs. The salamander possesses gills at this point. Some species (such as Dunn's Salamander (Plethodon dunni)) of salamander exhibit no larval stage. Neoteny has been observed in all salamander families, in which an individual may retain gills into sexual maturity. This may be universally possible in all salamander species^[3]. More commonly, however, metamorphosis continues with the loss of gills, the growth (or increase in size) of legs, and the capability of the animal to function terrestrially. Genera See text. ... Neoteny describes a process by which paedomorphism is achieved, and is a subject studied in the field of developmental biology. ...

Mythology

Numerous legends have developed around the salamander over the centuries, many related to fire. This connection likely originates from the tendency of many salamanders to dwell inside rotting logs. When placed into a fire, the salamander would attempt to escape from the log, lending to the belief that salamanders were created from flames - a belief that gave the creature its name. A 16th-century image of a salamander from M. M. Pattison Muirs The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry The salamander an amphibian of the order Urodela. ...

Associations of the salamander with fire appear in the Talmud and the Hadith, as well as in the writings of Conrad Lycosthenes, Benvenuto Cellini, Ray Bradbury, David Weber, Paracelsus and Leonardo da Vinci. The Talmud (Hebrew: ) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. ... Hadith ( transliteration: ) are oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad. ... Conrad Lycosthenes Conrad Lycosthenes (1518 â€” 1561) was a humanist and an encyclopedist. ... Gold Salt cellar by Cellini. ... Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) is an American literary, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer best known for The Martian Chronicles, a 1950 book which has been described both as a short story collection and a novel, and his 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. ... Honor Harrington from Honor Among Enemies cover, by David Mattingly. ... Presumed portrait of Paracelsus, attributed to the school of Quentin Matsys. ... â€œDa Vinciâ€ redirects here. ...

Popular culture

Notes

References

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External references

For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Phyla Subkingdom Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subkingdom Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subkingdom Metazoa Radiata Cnidaria Ctenophora - Comb jellies Bilateria Protostomia Acoelomorpha Platyhelminthes - Flatworms Nemertina - Ribbon worms Gastrotricha Gnathostomulida - Jawed worms Micrognathozoa Rotifera - Rotifers Acanthocephala Priapulida Kinorhyncha Loricifera Entoprocta Nematoda - Roundworms Nematomorpha - Horsehair worms Cycliophora Mollusca - Mollusks Sipuncula - Peanut worms Annelida - Segmented... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Classes Hyperotreti Vertebrata Craniata is a type of chordate animal group that contains vertebrates (vertebrata) and hagfish (Hyperotreti). ... Classes Synapsida Sauropsida Amphibia A tetrapod (Greek tetrapoda, four-legged) is a vertebrate animal having four feet, legs or leglike appendages. ... Orders Anura Caudata Gymnophiona The subclass Lissamphibia includes all recent amphibians. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frogness babe is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ... Families Rhinatrematidae Ichthyophiidae Uraeotyphlidae Scolecomorphidae Typhlonectidae Caeciliidae The Caecilians are an order (Gymnophiona or Apoda) of amphibians that superficially resemble earthworms or snakes. ...

Contents

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