Remember that you should be able to identify specimens
to family by external morphological characteristics alone. Do not rely
upon coloration characteristics since these are often bleached out in preserved
specimens. Typical coloration patterns also tend to vary greatly in
nature. The following information was presented in lab at each station.
Caecilians
Salamander families
Connecticut salamanders
Caecilians
You do not need to be able to identify specimens to family level (although
all of our specimens are from the family Caeciliidae): you should be
able to recognize a caecilian vs. a salamander. However, do know
Distribution
as well as
Representative Forms information
in the Gymnophiona handout.
Morphological characteristics:
- highly specialized for headfirst burrowing
- wormlike body
- no limbs, greatly reduced tail
- snout longer than most other amphibians
- skull is heavily ossified, top and front covered over with bone
- eyes greatly reduced and covered by skin or bone
- tentacle, unique sensory organ
Specimens on display:
Caecilia encephala
Gymnophis multiplicata
Unidentified species (2 different specimens)
Salamanders
Know specimens to family level and subfamily and tribe level for plethodontids.
Know
Distribution and
Representative Forms information
contained in the Urodela handout.
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Cryptobranchoidea |
Salamandroidea |
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Sirenidae
- keratinized beak
- body elongated and eel-like
- one pair of appendages, no hindlimbs
- external gills
- three or four toes on each foot
- no cloacal glands
Specimens on display:
Pseudobranchus striatus
Siren intermedia
Siren lacertina
Cryptobranchidae
- no eyelids
- head extremely flattened
- wrinkled fleshy folds of skin along each side of body
- one pair of gill slits
- body dorsoventrally compressed
No specimens available
Hynobiidae
- eyelids
- no gill slits in adults
- small body size compared to cryptobranchids
No specimens available
Ambystomatidae
- distinct costal grooves
- wide heads
- no nasolabial grooves
- stout bodies
- toes of adpressed limbs overlap, touch, or are barely separated
- adults of some species may retain larval characteristics
Specimens on display:
Ambystoma jeffersonianum
Ambystoma laterale
Ambystoma macrodactylum
Ambystoma maculatum
Ambystoma opacum
Ambystoma tigrinum
Amphiumidae
- body elongated and eel-like
- two pairs of proportionally tiny appendages
- one, two, or three toes on each foot
- one pair of gill slits
- no eyelids
- tail laterally compressed, 20-25% of body length
- 57-60 costal grooves
Specimens on display:
Amphiuma sp.
Amphiuma means
Dicamptodontidae
- costal grooves indistinct
- large and stout
- adults may retain larval characteristics
No specimens available
Plethodontidae
- generally small and slender
- nasolabial grooves
- well defined costal grooves
- toes of adpressed limbs widely separated
- variety of body forms
- terrestrial species tend to have rounded tails; stream-breeding species
tend to have triangular, keeled tails
- fossorial forms tend to have reduced limbs; arboreal forms tend to have
prehensile tails and square-toed or webbed feet
- males have short protuberances (cirri) or nasal swellings associated with
nasolabial grooves, mental glands, and papillose cloacal lips
"Subfamily" Plethodontinae
- as Plethodontidae
"Subfamily" Demognathinae
- large jaw musculature, conspicuous bulge on either side of head
"Tribe" Bolitoglossini (40% of all known
salamander species)
- most neotropical species have reduced feet and toes
- fossorial and arboreal species
"Tribe" Hemidactyliini
- some cave-adapted species with reduced eyes and external gills
Remember these new groupings are "Plethodontines and Desmognathines"
and "Bolitoglossines and Hemidactyliines"
These groupings are informal and meant to give you a better
grasp of who is most closely related to who.
Specimens on display have been informally grouped for you:
Plethodontines |
Desmognathines |
Bolitoglossines |
Hemidactyliines |
Aneides aeneus |
Desmognathus fuscus |
Batrachoceps wrighti |
Eurycea bislineata |
Ensatina eschscholtzii |
Desmognathus monticola |
Bolitoglossa sp |
Eurycea longicauda |
Plethodon aureolus
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Desmognathus ochropheus |
Bolitoglossa subpalmata |
Eurycea lucifuga |
Plethodon cinereus |
Desmognathus quadrimaculatus |
Oedepina sp. |
Eurycea tynerensis |
Plethodon glutinosus
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Desmognathus wrighti |
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Gyrinophilus porphoryticus |
Plethodon jordani |
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Hemidactylium scutatum |
Plethodon kentucki
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Pseudotriton ruber |
Plethodon richmondi |
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Typhlomolge rathburn |
Plethodon teyahalee |
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Typhlotriton spelaeus |
Proteidae
- 3 pairs of bushy external gills
- broad tail fins
- flattened heads
- four toes on hindlimbs
- small eyes, no eyelids
Specimens on display:
Necturus maculosus
Rhyacotritonidae
- large eyes, eye-width equal to or greater than eye-snout distance
- males have expanded, squarish glands that are lateral and posterior to
the vent
Specimens on display:
Rhyacotriton olympicus
Salamandridae
- costal grooves absent in N. American species
- most species have rough, warty skin
- well-developed tail fins in aquatic species
- tend to be "boxy" or "house-shaped" in cross-section compared to other
salamanders
Specimens on display:
Notophthalmus viridescens
Salamandra salamandra
Taricha granulosa
Triturus cristatus
Triturus vulgaris
Connecticut salamanders
Be able to identify salamanders to genus and species level and be able
to sex them. Also know their taxonomy (family, subfamily, tribe).
You do not need to know specific distributions within Connecticut.
Know natural history information in the Urodela handout.
Necturus maculosus
Notophthalmus viridescens
Plethodon cinereus
Plethodon glutinosus
Desmognathus fuscus
Eurycea bislineata
Hemidactylium scutatum
Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
Ambystoma maculatum
Ambystoma opacum
Ambystoma jeffersonianum
Ambystoma laterale
Necturus maculosus (Mudpuppy)
Family Proteidae
Morphological characteristics:
- long body
- short tail with broad fin
- wide head with blunt/square snout
- bushy gills behind head
- 4 toes on each hindlimb
- males have enlarged cloacal glands during breeding season
Living specimens:
- red gills, dark stripe through eye
- gray or rust brown to almost black
- dorsum usually with scattered blue-black spots
- venter gray with dark spots
Notophthalmus viridescens
(Red-spotted newt)
Family Salamandridae
Morphological characteristics:
- elongate body with long tail
- relatively long legs
- two ridges on head
- no costal grooves
- skin slightly rough
- breeding males have enlarged cloacal glands, hard sexual excresences
on feet and hind legs, and conspicuous crests and tail fins
- terrestrial eft stage lacks tail fin
Living specimens:
- up to 21 red spots
- ground color olive green above, yellow below
- venter speckled with black
Eft stage: brilliant red with red spots
Plethodon cinereus (Redback salamander)
Family Plethodontidae
Subfamily Plethodontinae
Tribe Plethodontini
Morphological characteristics:
- body long and slender
- neck narrower to barely wider than head
- eyes large and prominent
- gular fold prominent
- tail round in cross-section
- skin smooth
- legs small and short, toes short and thick
- 18-20 costal grooves
- males have small mental glands on chin, swollen nasolabial glands, hedonic
glands on tail
Living specimens:
Red-back morph: dull red band running entire length or dorsum
Lead-back morph: uniform slate-gray dorsum, salt and pepper black and white
pattern on venter
Erythristic morph: completely red
Plethodon glutinosus (Slimy salamander)
Family Plethodontidae
Subfamily Plethodontinae
Tribe Plethodontini
Morphological characteristics:
- large body
- usually 16 costal grooves
- tail rounded in cross-section
- males have large mental glands on chin during breeding season and small,
round yellow or orange glands on belly, and papillose cloacal linings
Living specimens:
- black ground color
- silvery white flecks on dorsal surface
- black or dark gray venter
- sticky skin secretions
Desmognathus fuscus (Dusky salamander)
Family Plethodontidae
Subfamily Desmognathinae
Morphological characteristics:
- neck distinctly wider than head due to bulging muscles
- front of head appears flattened from side
- eyes not strongly protuberant
- gular fold well developed
- median fold down back
- 14 costal grooves
- stout body, strong legs
- rear legs larger than front legs
- toe tips lack cornifications
- tail thick and fleshy, triangular in cross section, sometimes with distinct
keel, basal third laterally compressed
- tail less than ½ total length
- males have a small mental gland on chin and papillose cloacal lips
Living specimens:
- light line from eye to angle of jaw
- most adults brown
- sometimes distinct dorsal band of yellow to dark brown
Eurycea bislineata (Northern two-lined
salamander)
Family Plethodontidae
Subfamily Plethodontinae
Tribe Hemidactyliini
Morphological characteristics:
- head narrow, eyes small
- gular fold prominent
- body slender
- skin smooth
- 13-16 costal grooves
- legs small
- tail strongly compressed, long (55-60% of length)
- males may have elongated cirri, swollen jaw musculature, conspicuous
mental glands, and caudal hedonic glands
Living specimens:
- color yellowish
- broad dorsal band of gold or yellowish brown
- venter bright yellow
- dark band on each side from eye to tip of tail
Hemidactylium scutatum (Four-toed
salamander)
Family Plethodontidae
Subfamily Plethodontinae
Tribe Hemidactyliini
Morphological characteristics:
- snout blunt
- gular fold distinct
- body very slender
- 13-14 costal grooves
- four toes on all limbs (most others have 4 on front, 5 on rear)
- tail with basal constriction, 57% of total length
- males have conspicuously swollen and truncated snouts, females have more
rounded snouts
- males have a row of tiny teeth protruding through the upper lip, visible
when mouth shut
Living specimens:
- dorsal color brownish or greyish
- often distinct mid-dorsal band of reddish-brown or yellow
- venter white with many small black flecks
Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (Spring
salamander)
Family Plethodontidae
Subfamily Plethodontinae
Tribe Hemidactyliini
Morphological characteristics:
- conspicuous fold from eye to back of head
- gular fold prominent
- large and stout-bodied
- 17-18 costal grooves
- hind legs strongly developed
- tail oval at base, compressed distally with sharp keel above
- no conspicuous sexual dimorphism, males lack well-defined mental gland
Living specimens:
- distinct canthus rostralis (light line running from eye to nostril on
raised ridge)
- dark purple or red
- heavy mottling of brown or black
- venter pinkish-yellow
Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted salamander)
Family Ambystomatidae
Morphological characteristics:
- head broad
- gular fold prominent
- body long and heavy
- 11-13 costal grooves
- toes shorter than A. jeffersonianum
- tail not compressed in distal portion
- males have laterally compressed tails and swollen vents
Living specimens:
- ground color bluish-black
- yellow or orange spots in a regular row along each side of back
Ambystoma opacum (Marbled salamander)
Family Ambystomatidae
Morphological characteristics:
- head moderately broad with prominent eyes
- gular fold prominent
- body thick and short
- usually 11 costal grooves
Living specimens:
- ground color black
- bright white (male) or gray (female) markings
Ambystoma jeffersonianum (Jefferson
salamander)
Family Ambystomatidae
Morphological characteristics:
- head moderately broad, prominent eyes, long snout
- gular fold conspicuous
- moderately long and slender body, 12-13 costal grooves
- strong elongated limbs with long and slender toes (especially rear)
- tail oval at base, strongly compressed distally, nearly as long as body
- males have enlarged cloacal glands during breeding season and more compressed
tails than females
Living specimens:
- ground color bluish black or brownish
- small, pale-blue flecks sometimes present
- males often have dull yellowish brown ridge along top of tail
Ambystoma laterale (Blue-spotted
salamander)
Family Ambystomatidae
Morphological characteristics:
- smaller and shorter than A. jeffersonianum
- 13 costal grooves
- relatively long toes, proportionally shorter than A. jeffersonianum
- relatively shorter legs than A. jeffersonianum
- males have enlarged cloacal glands during breeding season
- tails of males are longer relative to body length than females
Living specimens:
- distinct blue flecks on dark background
Herpetology Home
© 2003 Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Connecticut.
Comments and suggestions are welcome, and should be directed to Susan Z.
Herrick.
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Last modified: 05 February 2007