Lungless salamander

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Lungless salamanders
Desmognathus auriculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Caudata Family: Plethodontidae
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. Currently approximately 376 species of plethodontid salamanders are known, making up the majority of known species (Min et al., 2005). Only two of these species are found outside the Western hemisphere, seven in the Mediterranean and one in Korea.

Plethodontidae includes several genera:

• Subfamily Desmognathinae
  • Dusky salamanders (Desmognathus) - 19 species
  • Red Hills salamanders (Phaeognathus) - 1 species
• Subfamily Plethodontinae
  • Arboreal salamanders (Aneides) - 6 species
  • Slender salamanders (Batrachoseps) - 20 species
  • Mushroom tongued salamanders (Bolitoglossa) - 85 species
  • Finca Chiblac salamander (Bradytriton) - 1 species
  • Splay-foot salamanders (Chiropterotriton) - 12 species
  • Cryptic salamanders (Cryptotriton) - 6 species
  • Bromeliad salamanders (Dendrotriton) - 6 species
  • Ensatinas (Ensatina) - 1 species
  • North American brook salamanders (Eurycea) - 26 species
  • Spring salamanders (Gyrinophilus) - 4 species
  • Four toed salamanders (Hemidactylium) - 1 species
  • Web footed cave salamanders (Hydromantes) - 10 species
  • Korean salamanders (Karsenia) - 1 species
  • Moss salamanders (Nototriton) - 13 species
  • Long limbed salamanders (Nyctanolis) - 1 species
  • Worm salamanders (Oedipina) - 23 species
  • Tropical dwarf salamanders (Parvimolge) - 1 species
  • Slimy and Mountain salamanders (Plethodon) - 56 species
  • False brook salamanders (Pseudoeurycea) - 41 species
  • Red salamanders (Pseudotriton) - 2 species
  • Many lined salamanders (Stereochilus) - 1 species
  • Minute salamanders (Thorius) - 22 species
  • Grotto salamanders (Typhlomolge) - 1 species

In the 2001 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor David Wake and former graduate student Gabriela Parr-Olea reported finding a new species of salamander in an isolated range of hills in southeastern Mexico. ^[1] Following a major revision in 2006 the genus Haideotriton was found to be a synonym of Eurycea while the genera Ixalotriton and Lineatriton were made synonyms of Pseudoeurycea [1].

[edit] References

1. ^ Applied Genetics News. (July 1, 2001). Genomics: Biological Diversity Vaster Than Supposed. Volume 21; Issue 12.

• Min, M.S., S. Y. Yang, R. M. Bonett, D. R. Vieites, R. A. Brandon & D. B. Wake. (2005). Discovery of the first Asian plethodontid salamander. Nature (435), 87-90 (5 May 2005).

| Species

| Plethodontidae