Arboreal salamander

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Arboreal salamander
Arboreal Salamander imported from iNaturalist photo 263628638 on 12 March 2024.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Plethodontidae
Subfamily: Plethodontinae
Genus: Aneides
Species:
A. lugubris
Binomial name
Aneides lugubris
(Hallowell, 1849)
Synonyms
  • Salamandra lugubrisHallowell, 1849 "1848" [2]
  • Triton tereticaudaEschscholtz, 1833
  • Ambystoma punctulatumGray, 1850
  • Plethodon crassulusCope, 1886

The arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris) is a species of climbing salamander. [3] An insectivore, it is native to California and Baja California, [4] where it is primarily associated with oak and sycamore woodlands, [5] and thick chaparral.

Contents

Description

Aneides lugubris is 6.5–10 cm (2.6–3.9 in) SVL (snout-vent length), [6] with plain purplish-brown coloring, usually spotted dorsally with gold or yellow, although it may also be unspotted. This salamander has longer and sharper teeth than many others within the group. The tail is prehensile. The juvenile is dark overall, clouded with greyish color and fine yellow speckling on the back. The male of this species can be distinguished by its broad triangular head, with the front teeth of the jaw extending beyond the bottom lip. A large adult can inflict a painful bite.

This species is an excellent climber and difficult to capture. It is nocturnal, spending daylight hours and dry periods in the cavities of oak trees, often with many other individuals of its species. [7] Having their primary habitat being in the trees, Arboreal Salamanders have been observed to deliberately use their body as a means to protect themselves from falls. The Arboreal Salamander has shown the ability to use its limbs to glide or parachute when falling. This behavior has been observed in which the Arboreal Salamander uses its body to create a controlled and directional fall to minimize injury when climbing trees. This aerial behavior is thought to be the result of generations of salamanders having to adapt to falling from their habitat. [8] A large adult can inflict a painful bite. Arboreal Salamanders hatch from eggs laid and guarded in burrows. [9] Hatchling size is 24 mm SVL, age at maturity is 2.69 yr, and average adult age is 8–11 yr. [10] Annual survival probability increases with age from 0.363 in age 0 to 0.783 in ages >4 yr. [10]

Because they are plethodontid (plethodontidae) salamanders they are lungless and breathe through their skin and membranes in their mouth and throat. [11] Consequently, they thrive in moist terrestrial habitats, limiting their terrestrial activity to periods of elevated humidity. [4] They spend most of their time under leaf litter of the forest ground, and during summer inside tree cavities to stay moist. [11] This species have relatively low rates of water loss, possibly because of their rapid water intake and postural adaptation of curled body and tightly coiled tail. [12] They can produce sounds which have been compared to a faintly barking dog.

Subspecies

These subspecies have been proposed in the past due to genetic and morphological differences, but they are not currently recognized.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salamander</span> Order of amphibians

Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela from the group Caudata. Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm.

<i>Amphiuma</i> Genus of amphibians

Amphiuma is a genus of aquatic salamanders from the United States, the only extant genus within the family Amphiumidae. They are colloquially known as amphiumas. They are also known to fishermen as "conger eels" or "Congo snakes", which are zoologically incorrect designations or misnomers, since amphiumas are actually salamanders, and not fish, nor reptiles and are not from Congo. Amphiuma exhibits one of the largest complements of DNA in the living world, around 25 times more than a human.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plethodontidae</span> Family of amphibians

Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. With over 500 species, lungless salamanders are by far the largest family of salamanders in terms of their diversity. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil. Only two extant genera occur in the Eastern Hemisphere: Speleomantes and Karsenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slender salamander</span> Genus of amphibians

Batrachoseps is a genus of lungless salamanders (plethodontids) often called slender salamanders. They can be distinguished from other lungless salamanders by the four toes they have on each foot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing salamander</span> Genus of amphibians

Climbing salamanders is the common name for plethodontid (lungless) salamanders of the genus Aneides. It contains 10 species native to North America, distributed between the Pacific Coast, Sacramento Mountains, and Appalachian Mountains. As their common name suggests, most of these species have prehensile tails and are quite mobile in trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clouded salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The clouded salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Pacific Northwest. Its natural habitat is temperate forests and it is probable that many nest in trees. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speckled black salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The speckledblack salamander, previously known as just the black salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the U.S. state of California. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Mountain salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The Sacramento Mountain salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to mountainous regions of New Mexico in the United States. Its natural habitat is temperate forests where it is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wandering salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The wandering salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It has a disjunct distribution, with one population being found in northern California in the United States, and another in British Columbia, Canada. It is a matter of debate whether this distribution is the result of human introductions or whether it has natural origins, with the latter conclusion being supported by more evidence. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss from logging.

<i>Eurycea longicauda</i> Species of amphibian

Eurycea longicauda, commonly known as the long-tailed salamander or longtail salamander, is a species of lungless salamander native to the Appalachian Region of the eastern United States. It is a "cave salamander" that frequents twilight zones of caves and also inhabits springs and surrounding forest.

<i>Pseudoeurycea lynchi</i> Species of amphibian

Pseudoeurycea lynchi, commonly known as the Veracruz green salamander, is a species of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the central Sierra Madre Oriental in Veracruz and Puebla states, Mexico.

Isthmura naucampatepetl, commonly known as the Cofre de Perote salamander, is a species of salamanders in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental in central Veracruz, Mexico, where it is known from between Cofre de Perote and Cerro Volcancillo, a satellite peak of Cofre de Perote.

Pseudoeurycea unguidentis is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to northern Oaxaca, Mexico, where it is known from its type locality, Cerro San Felipe in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, and some other mountains, although the identity of animals from these other locations is uncertain. Its common names are claw-toothed salamander, clawtooth false brook salamander, and clawtoed false brook salamander.

Thorius arboreus, commonly known as the arboreal minute salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Sierra de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico. The specific name arboreus, derives from the Latin word arbor, meaning tree, referring to the arboreal habitat of this species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green salamander</span> Species of amphibian

The green salamander is a species of lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It and the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander are the only currently-described members of the genus Aneides that inhabit any areas in the eastern half of United States. Rarely seen in the field, the green salamander is an extremely habitat-specific species that is seldom found away from its preferred surroundings: moist, shaded rock crevices.

The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander is a species of lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Hickory Nut Gorge in the state of North Carolina in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Parra-Olea, G.; Wake, D.; Hammerson, G.A. (2008). "Aneides lugubris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T59118A11884773. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T59118A11884773.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Hallowell, Edward. 1849. Description of a new species of Salamander from Upper California. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 4, p. 126.
  3. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Aneides lugubris (Hallowell, 1849)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Arboreal Salamander - Aneides lugubris". www.californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  5. ↑ "Arboreal Salamander - National Wildlife Federation". www.nwf.org. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  6. ↑ Lynch, J.F. and D.B. Wake. 1974. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
  7. ↑ Grismer, L. L. (2002). Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California. Los Angeles: University of California Press. 56-7.
  8. ↑ Brown, Christian E.; Sathe, Erik A.; Dudley, Robert; Deban, Stephen M. (2022-05-23). "Gliding and parachuting by arboreal salamanders". Current Biology. 32 (10): R453–R454. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.033 . ISSN   0960-9822.
  9. ↑ Wake, D B; Hanken, J (2004-07-01). "Direct development in the lungless salamanders: what are the consequences for developmental biology, evolution and phylogenesis?". International Journal of Developmental Biology. 40 (4). ISSN   0214-6282.
  10. 1 2 Lee, Derek E.; Bettaso, James B.; Bond, Monica L.; Bradley, Russell W.; Tietz, James R.; Warzybok, Peter M. (2012). "Growth, age at maturity, and age-specific survival of the arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris) on Southeast Farallon Island, California". Journal of Herpetology. 46 (1): 64–71. doi:10.1670/10-282. ISSN   0022-1511. S2CID   86315867.
  11. 1 2 "Arboreal Salamander". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  12. ↑ "AmphibiaWeb - Aneides lugubris". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
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