|
Department of Natural Resources
Introduction
| Agency
Resources | Conservation
| Salamander Facts
| Defense
| Life History
| Species List
| Gallery | Glossary
| Bibliography
No photographs included
within this information may be used on the internet, publications, or
any other form of media without the photographer's express permission.
All rights reserved.
Anatomy
 Longtail
salamander showing the nostril, nasolabial groove, and cirrus on the upper
lip. Note also the costal grooves along the side. Like most salamanders
it has four toes on the front foot.
Adult salamanders resemble
lizards in general body form but have four toes on each of their front feet
(versus five in lizards), and their soft skin is not covered with scales.
Many salamanders may be recognized easily by distinctive traits or the number
of legs or toes. The lesser siren (Siren intermedia), for example,
lacks rear legs. The mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) and four-toed
salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) have four toes on each hind foot,
whereas all other Illinois salamanders have five toes per hind foot. Nasolabial
grooves are
present in the eight species of the family Plethodontidae yet are absent
in all other Illinois species. The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
lacks the costal
grooves that are easily seen on other salamanders.Male and
female newts can be distinguished by their appearance, but it is difficult
to tell the sexes apart in other salamanders except early in the breeding
season. At this time, the female's body bulges with unlaid eggs. Males of
some salamanders have secondary
sexual features like enlarged cirri
(genus Eurycea), mental
glands (genus Plethodon), or enlarged cloacal
glands (genus Ambystoma). Identifying larvae
is challenging even to experts because the appearance of larvae changes
constantly as they grow.
Even
though most of our salamanders have lungs, the exchange of oxygen and
carbon dioxide for respiration
occurs mainly through their skin. The skin is kept moist for this function
by mucus
secreted by skin glands. Eight Illinois species of salamanders
(family Plethodontidae) lack lungs and rely entirely on the skin and mouth
lining for gas exchange. Larval
salamanders and the adults of the lesser siren and mudpuppy have external
gills. Other skin glands release chemicals that coordinate reproductive
behavior.
Return to ||
Reptiles & Amphibians
|| Wild About Animals
|| Stuff for Teachers &
Students ||
|
