Lab Practical 2

Caecillian

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Gymnophiona

Family: Dermophiidae

Species: Dermophis mexicanus

• Caecilians have:

  • Annuli (ring-shaped folds that give a worm-like/segmented appearance)

  • Strong skull and teeth

Barred Tiger Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Ambystomatidae (mole salamanders)

Species: Ambystoma mavortium

• Ambystomatidae have an aquatic larval stage with gills

• Tiger salamander is one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in N. America

Marbled Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Ambystomatidae (mole salamanders)

Species: Ambystoma opacum

• Ambystomatidae have an aquatic larval stage with gills

Small-Mouthed Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Ambystomatidae (mole salamanders)

Species: Ambystoma texanum

• Ambystomatidae have an aquatic larval stage with gills

Eastern/Red-Spotted Newt

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Salamandridae (newts and true salamanders)

Species: Notophthalmus viridiscens

• Salamandridae:

  • Have an aquatic larval stage with gills

  • Are toxic

  • 4 distinct life stages: egg, aquatic larval stage, terrestrial juvenile stage, aquatic (but air-breathing) adult

Red Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders)

Species: Pseudotriton ruber

• Have direct development and hatch from terrestrial eggs as miniature adults

Van Dyke’s Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders)

Species: Plethodon vandykei

• Have direct development and hatch from terrestrial eggs as miniature adults

Western Tan-backed Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders)

Species: Plethodon dunni

• Have direct development and hatch from terrestrial eggs as miniature adults

Jemez Mountains Salamander

Species: Plethodon neomexicanus

Family: Plethodontidae

Order: Caudata

Brook Salamander

Superclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Amphibia

Order: Caudata (Urodela)

Family: Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders)

Species: Eurycea sp.

• Have direct development and hatch from terrestrial eggs as miniature adults

Ensatina Salamander

Species: Ensatina eschscholtzii

Family: Plethodontidae

Order: Caudata

Sacramento Mountain Salamander

Species: Aneides hardii

Family: Plethodontidae

Order: Caudata

Holbrook's Southern Dusky Salamander

Species: Desmognathus auriculatus

Family: Plethodontidae

Order: Caudata

Family: Amphiumidae (Amphiumas)

• large, aquatic eel-like salamanders

• 4 extremely reduced limbs

• adults retain single pair of gill slits but lack external gills and breath only with lungs

• no eyelids

• internal fertilization - females lay eggs on land/in moist sites

• fully aquatic salamanders that lost their legs

Sirens

Family: Sirenidae

• fully aqauatic an strongly eel-like

• forelimbs are present but small; hindlimbs are absent

• adults retain large external gills

• lack eyelids

Mudpuppy

Family: Proteidae

• fully aqautic salamanders

• paedomorphic: adults retain larval characteristics (external gills)

• 4 limbs with for toes on both fore- and hind limbs

Giant Salamander

Family: Cryptobranchidae

• fully aquatic

• broad, flattened head and body, short limbs, and long, compressed tails

• loose, folded skin

• respiration occurs primarily through skin, supplemented by lungs

• external fertilization (egg and sperm unite outside females body)

Coastal Tailed Frog

Species: Ascaphus truei

Family: Ascaphidae

Order: Anura

• moist, fast-moving mountain streams

• small, flattened bodies

• males have a cloaca (tail-like extension)

• internal fertilization

Couch’s Spadefoot Toad

Species: Scaphiopus couchii

Family: Scaphiopodidae

Order: Anura

• deserts, grasslands, and open woodlands (sandy, loose soil)

• stocky-bodies, short limbs, smooth skin

• hard spade on hind foot for digging

• external fertilization

Plains Spadefoot Toad

Species: Spea bombifrons

Family: Scaphiopodidae

Order: Anura

• deserts, grasslands, and open woodlands (sandy, loose soil)

• stocky-bodies, short limbs, smooth skin

• hard spade on hind foot for digging

• external fertilization

New Mexico Spadefoot Toad

Species: Spea multiplicata

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Texas Toad

Species: Anaxyrus speciosus

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

• forests, grasslands, desersts, and wetlands

• terrestrial

• stocky bodies, short hind limbs, dry-looking (warty skin, teeth absent)

• external fertilization

Woodhouse’s Toad

Species: Anaxyrus woodhousii

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Red-Spotted Toad

Species: Anaxyrus punctatus

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Great Plains Toad

Species: Anaxyrus cognatus

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Green Toad

Species: Anaxyrus debilis

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Marine/Giant Toad

Species: Rhinella marina

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Colorado River Toad

Species: Incilius alvarius

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Gulf Coast Toad

Species: Incilius nebulifer

Family: Bufonidae

Order: Anura

Gray Treefrog

Species: Hyla versicolor

Family: Hylidae

Order: Anura

• tropical forests, temperate woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands

• slender bodies, long limbs, smooth skin, enlarged toe pads

• external fertilization: eggs may be deposited in water, vegetations are specialized sites

Western Chorus Frog

Species: Pseudacris triseriata

Family: Hylidae

Order: Anura

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog

Species: Aeris blanchardi

Family: Hylidae

Order: Anura

Western Narrow-Mouthed Toad

Species: Gastrophryne olivacea

Family: Microhylidae

Order: Anura

Suriname Toad

Species: Pipa pipa

Family: Pipidae

Order: Anura

• freshwater environments (ponds, lakes, swamps, slow-moving streams)

• flattened bodies, broad heads, small eyes, fully webbed hind feet

• lack tongues and catch prey through suction

• fully aquatic

• external fertilization

Rio Grande Leopard Frog

Species: Lithobates berlandieri

Family: Ranidae

Order: Anura

• freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and moist terrestrial environments

• smooth, moist skin

• slender bodies, long hind limbs, webbed hind feet

• external fertilization: eggs deposited in gelatinous masses in water

Pig Frog

Species: Lithobates grylio

Family: Ranidae

Order: Anura

American Bullfrog

Species: Lithobates caresbeianus

Family: Ranidae

Order: Anura

Mexican Burrowing Toad

Species: Rhinophrynus dorsalis

Family: Rhinophrynidae

Order: Anura

Barking Frog

Species: Craugastor augusti

Family: Craugastoridae

Order: Anura