Desmognathus
Desmognathus is a genus of lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae known as dusky salamanders.[1][2] They range from Texas to the eastern United States and to south-eastern Canada.[1]
| Desmognathus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Desmognathus auriculatus, southern dusky salamander | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Subfamily: | Plethodontinae |
| Genus: | Desmognathus Baird, 1850 |
| Species | |
|
See table. | |
Characteristics
Species of the genus Desmognathus have a unique jaw-opening mechanism where the lower jaw is stationary and the skull swings open.[3] There are additional stalked condyles, an atlanto-mandibular ligament, along with other skeletal and musculature features that have evolved to accompany this type of jaw-opening mechanism.[3] Additionally, they are known to exhibit maternal care by brooding over their eggs.[3]
Species
This genus includes the following 24 species:[1]
| Binomial Name and Author | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Desmognathus abditus Anderson & Tilley, 2003 | Cumberland dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus aeneus Brown & Bishop, 1947 | seepage salamander |
| Desmognathus apalachicolae Means & Karlin, 1989 | Apalachicola dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus aureatus (Martof, 1956) | golden shovel-nosed salamander |
| Desmognathus auriculatus (Holbrook, 1838) | southern dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus brimleyorum Stejneger, 1895 | Ouachita dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus carolinensis Dunn, 1916 | Carolina Mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus conanti Rossman, 1958 | spotted dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus folkertsi Camp, Tilley, Austin & Marshall, 2002 | dwarf blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus fuscus (Rafinesque, 1820) | northern dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus imitator Dunn, 1927 | imitator salamander |
| Desmognathus marmoratus (Moore, 1899) | shovelnose salamander |
| Desmognathus melanius (Martof, 1956) | black shovel-nosed salamander |
| Desmognathus monticola Dunn, 1916 | seal salamander |
| Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope, 1859 | Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus ocoee Nicholls, 1949 | Ocoee dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus orestes Tilley & Mahoney, 1996 | Blue Ridge dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus organi Crespi & Browne, 2010 | northern pygmy salamander |
| Desmognathus planiceps Newman, 1955 | flat-headed salamander |
| Desmognathus quadramaculatus (Holbrook, 1840) | blackbelly salamander |
| Desmognathus santeetlah Tilley, 1981 | Santeetlah dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus valentinei Means, Lamb, and Bernardo, 2017 | Valentine's southern dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus welteri Barbour, 1950 | Black Mountain dusky salamander |
| Desmognathus wrighti King, 1936 | pygmy salamander |
The AmphibiaWeb does not recognize Desmognathus aureatus and Desmognathus melanius, (originally described as subspecies of Desmognathus marmoratus[1]) and hence only lists 21 species.[2]
References
- Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Desmognathus Baird, 1850". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- "Plethodontidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- Vitt, Laurie J.; Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-386919-7.
External links
- Tree of Life: Desmognathus
- "Desmognathus ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 1 May 2006.
Further reading
- Baird SF. 1850. Revision of the North American Tailed-Batrachia, with descriptions of new genera and species. J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Series 2, 1: 281–294. (Desmognathus, new genus, p. 282).