BI 461 Salamander Natural History

Do most salamanders use internal or external fertilization?

Internal fertilization

Male deposits spermatophore, female takes it up through vent

Some species can externally fertilize

Which salamanders are involved in the "Jefferson Salamander Complex"?

Ambystoma laterale (Blue-spotted), Ambystoma tigrinum (Eastern Tiger), and Ambystoma texanum (Small-mouthed)

Are all female and polyploid (more than 2 sets of chromosomes)

Depend on sympatric bisexual species for sperm to trigger egg development (gynogenesis)

Which salamander is the only host for the salamander mussel?

Necturus maculosus (Common Mudpuppy)

Which salamander family is known for having granular "poison" glands on their tail?

Ambystomatidae (Mole Salamanders)

Which salamander species has a morph that is thought to mimic the eft stage of Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt)?

Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed)

Which species of Ambystoma digs its own burrows?

Ambystoma tigrinum (Eastern Tiger)

Which salamander prefers to live near bogs or springs?

Hemidactylium scutatum (Four-toed)

Love to lay eggs in sphagnum moss near water

Which salamander species lays their eggs in dry ponds in the fall?

Ambystoma opacum (Marbled)

“Cheaters” of the breeding season

Breed in fall on land

Lay eggs in the bottom of dried vernal pools and guard them until fall/winter rain

Which species can make cocoons to survive drought?

Siren intermedia (Lesser Siren)

Ponds, ditches, backwaters

Can move overland to colonize

Survive drought by making cocoon out of mucus and skin layers

Which salamander species is known for having a symbiotic algae in their eggs?

Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted)

Which salamander species has an eft stage?

Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt)

Efts in wooded areas near breeding ponds

Elaborate courtship ritual that includes amplexus and body undulations

Which three species are endangered in MI?

Siren intermedia (Lesser Siren)

Ambystoma texanum (Smalled-mouthed)

Ambystoma opacum (Marbled)

What is the method of reproduction that unisexual salamander use called?

Gynogenesis: form of asexual reproduction where an egg cell develops into an adult using only maternal genetic material

Which salamanders are known for being ridiculously abundant?

Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed)

Which salamanders might use external fertilization?

Siren intermedia (Lesser Siren)

Which salamander produces tetrodotoxin (TTX)?

Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt)

Which salamander is able jump by using its tail for propulsion?

Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed)

What is a spermatophore?

A sperm capsule, which the male deposits, and a female will come and take it up through her vent/cloaca

Are unisexual salamanders all male or female?

Female

Which salamander has neotenic populations in the UP?

Ambystoma tigrinum (Eastern Tiger)

What is neoteny?

Neoteny, also called juvenilization, is the retention of juvenile features in the adult animal of a species