A Brief Look
at the

Plethodontidae

Introduction

The Plethodontidae are the largest family of salamanders, constituting about twenty genera and over 160 species. Their distribution is mainly in the New World, predominantly in the North but with Bolitoglossa and a few other genera found throughout Central and South America as far as 20 deg S of the Equator. A single family, the cave-dwelling Speleomantes [Hydromantes], are found in France and Italy. Their presence there has been used to claim Europe as the original source of the family: however, the centre of their modern-day distribution now appears to be the Appalachians.

Plethodontid species are considered the most advanced members of the Caudata. All are characterised by the following: lungs usually absent: gills usually absent: nasolabial groove present. They are small in size for the most part (this increasing the available body area for respiration) and their cutaneous respiration (ie breathing through the skin) requires a moist environment. For this reason also, many if not all are normally encountered on cool wet nights. Their life cycles and habitats are however very variable. Although the Bolitoglossini are found in tropical latitudes, the individual salamanders will normally be found in damp, moist and not hot microhabitats.

The family is divided into two subfamilies. The Desmognathinae (three genera , all based in the southern Appalachians) are characterised by the primitive mechanism for opening the mouth: the head is raised together with the upper jaw, while the lower jaw is relatively immobile [Grzimek]. The muscles on the back of the head are well developed. The larvae have gill arches.

The Plethodontinae (all others) open their mouths in the more usual manner, and during early development have fewer than four gill arches. The Plethodontinae are further subdivided into three tribes, based on anatomical differences, as follows:

• The Bolitoglossini or Neo-Tropical Salamanders, whose development is completely terrestrial;
• The Hemidactylini, whose juveniles develop as aquatic larvae;
• The Plethodontini, whose development is independent of water, there being no aquatic larval stage.

Subfamily Desmognathinae

Subfamily Plethodontinae

Bibliography - Plethodontidae

There seems to be no one single work (at least outside academic circles) dealing with the family Plethodontidae in its entirety. However, there is information both in print and on the Internet on the individual species and genera, both natural history and captive husbandry, especially of North American species.

Newts & Salamanders - a complete pet owner's manual, Frank Indiviglio, Barrons 1997. Excellent overview of the subject, including remarks on and captive care of several plethodont species.

Keeping and Breeding Amphibians, Chris Mattison, Blandford Press. Good introduction to the subject, including remarks on some of the plethodontids.

The Proper Care of Amphibians, John Coborn, TFH, 1992. Although I have been often critical of Coborn's books in the past - some, notably on lizards, have contained erroneous information - this is not a bad one. It is very useful for an oversight of all the amphibian families and contains some information on many species which are rarely seen in captivity.

A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, R Conant and J T Collins, Peterson Field Guides, Houghton Mifflin, Boston/New York 1998.

Links

Index of newt- and salamander-related articles from herpetological magazines.

Tree of Life has a very useful entry on the Family Salamandridae, including the anatomical characteristics.

AmphibiaWeb is a useful source for species lists and has information on some if not most of the species.

LivingUnderworld.org also has a well-organised and informative set of pages on the Plethodontidae.

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