A new genus and species of lungless salamander (family Plethodontidae) from the Appalachian highlands of the south-eastern United States

Journal of Zoology

Volumn 279, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 86-94

  Camp, C D ^a   Peterman, W E ^b   Milanovich, J R ^c   Lamb, T ^d   Maerz, J C ^c   Wake, D B ^e  

^a PIEDMONT COLLEGE   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA   (United States)

^d EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^e UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

Dimorphism; Miniaturization; New genus; New species; Phylogeny; Plethodontid

Indexed keywords

AMPHIBIAN; DIVERGENCE; GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION; MITOCHONDRIAL DNA; MORPHOLOGY; NEW GENUS; NEW SPECIES; PHYLOGENY; SEXUAL DIMORPHISM; TAXONOMY; UPLAND REGION;

APPALACHIANS; NORTH AMERICA; UNITED STATES;

AMPHIBIA; EURYCEA; PLETHODONTIDAE; SALAMANDROIDEA;

EID: 69249152247     PISSN: 09528369     EISSN: 14697998     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00593.x     Document Type: Article

References (39)

1. Beamer, D.A. Lamb, T. (2008). Dusky salamanders (Desmognathus, Plethodontidae) in the Coastal Plain: multiple independent lineages and their bearing on the molecular phylogeny of the genus. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 47, 143 153.
2. Bishop, S.C. (1947). Handbook of salamanders: the salamanders of the United States, of Canada, and of Lower California. Ithaca : Comstock Publishing Co.
3. Bonett, R.M. Chippindale, P.T. (2004). Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Mol. Ecol. 13, 1189 1203.
4. Bruce, R.C. (1972). Variation in the life cycle of the salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus. Herpetologica 28, 230 245.
5. Bruce, R.C. (2000). Sexual size dimorphism in the Plethodontidae. In The biology of plethodontid salamanders : 243 260. Bruce, R.C., Jaeger, R.G. Houck, L.D. (Eds). New York : Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
6. Chippindale, P.T., Bonett, R.M., Baldwin, A.S. Wiens, J.J. (2004). Phylogenetic evidence for a major reversal of life-history evolution in plethodontid salamanders. Evolution 58, 2809 2822.
7. Chippindale, P.T., Price, A.H., Wiens, J.J. Hillis, D.M. (2000). Phylogenetic relationships and systematic revision of central Texas hemidactyliine plethodontid salamanders. Herp. Monogr. 14, 1 80.
8. Cope, E.D. (1869). A review of the species of the Plethodontidae and Desmognathidae. Proc. Acad. Natl. Sci. Phila. 21, 93 118.
9. Hanken, J. Wake, D.B. (1990). Miniaturization of body size: organismal consequences and evolutionary significance. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 24, 501 519.
10. Highton, R. (1961). A new genus of lungless salamander from the coastal plain of Alabama. Copeia 1961, 65 68.
11. Highton, R. (1995). Speciation in eastern North American salamanders of the genus Plethodon. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 26, 579 600.
12. Hillis, D.M., Chamberlain, D.A., Wilcox, T.P. Chippindale, P.T. (2001). A new species of subterranean blind salamander (Plethodontidae: Hemidactyliini: Eurycea: Typhlomolge) from Austin, Texas, and a systematic revision of central Texas paedomorphic salamanders. Herpetologica 57, 266 280.
13. Köhler, J., Vieites, D.R., Bonett, R.M., García, F.H., Glaw, F., Steinke, D. Vences, M. (2005). New amphibians and global conservation: a boost in species discoveries in a highly endangered vertebrate group. BioScience 55, 693 696.
14. Kozak, K.H., Blaine, R.A. Larson, A. (2006). Gene lineages and eastern North American palaeodrainage basins: phylogeography and speciation in salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata species complex. Mol. Ecol. 15, 191 207.
15. Lombard, R.E. Wake, D.B. (1976). Tongue evolution in the lungless salamanders, family Plethodontidae. I. Introduction, theory and a general model of dynamics. J. Morphol. 148, 265 286.
16. Lombard, R.E. Wake, D.B. (1977). Tongue evolution in the lungless salamanders, family Plethodontidae. II. Function and evolutionary diversity. J. Morphol. 153, 39 79.
17. McCranie, J.R. Wilson, L.D. (1995). A new species of salamander of the genus Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from Parque Nacional El Cusuco, Honduras. J. Herpetol. 29, 447 452.
18. Min, M.S., Yang, S.Y., Bonett, R.M., Vieites, D.R., Brandon, R.A. Wake, D.B. (2005). Discovery of the first Asian plethodontid salamander. Nature 435, 87 90.
19. Moritz, C., Schneider, C.J Wake, D.B. (1992). Evolutionary relationships within Ensatina eschscholtzii complex confirm the ring species interpretation. Syst. Biol. 41, 273 291.
20. Mueller, R.L., Macey, J.R., Jaekel, M., Wake, D.B. Boore, J.L. (2004). Morphological homoplasy, life history evolution, and historical biogeography of plethodontid salamanders inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 13820 13825.
21. Nylander, J.A.A. (2004). MrModeltest, version 2.2, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala. Available at (accessed September 2008).
22. Parra-Olea, G., Canseco-Márquez, L. García-Paris, M. (2004). A morphologically distinct new species of Pseudoeurycea (Caudata: Plethodontiae) from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Puebla, México. Herpetologica 60, 478 484.
23. Rambaut, A. Drummond, A.J. (2003). Tracer, version 1.3, University of Oxford, Rambaut Research Group. Available at (accessed September 2008).
24. Ronquist, F. Huelsenbeck, J.P. (2003). MrBayes 3: Bayesian phylogenetic inference under mixed models. Bioinformatics 19, 1572 1574.
25. Shubin, N.H. Wake, D.B. (2003). Morphological variation, development, and evolution of the limb skeleton of salamanders. In Amphibian biology, Vol. 5. Osteology 1782 1808. Heatwole, H. Davies, M. (Eds). Chipping Norton, Australia : Surrey Beatty & Sons.
26. Sweet, S.S. (1977). Natural metamorphosis in Eurycea neotenes, and the generic allocation of the Texas Eurycea (Amphibia: Plethodontidae). Herpetologica 33, 364 375.
27. Trauth, S.E. (1983). Reproductive biology and spermathecal anatomy of the dwarf salamander (Eurycea quadridigitata) in Alabama. Herpetologica 39, 9 15.
28. Vences, M., Thomas, M., Bonett, R.M. Vieites, D.R. (2005). Deciphering amphibian diversity through DNA barcoding: chances and challenges. Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. Ser. B 360, 1859 1868.
29. Vences, M. Wake, D.B. (2007). Speciation, species boundaries and phylogeography of amphibians. In Amphibian biology, Vol. 7. Amphibian systematics : 2613 2669. Heatwole, H. Tyler, M. (Eds). Chipping Norton, Australia : Surrey Beatty & Sons.
30. Vieites, D.R., Min, M. Wake, D.B. (2007). Rapid diversification and dispersal during periods of global warming by plethodontid salamanders. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 19903 19907.
31. Wake, D.B. (1966). Comparative osteology and evolution of the lungless salamanders, family Plethodontidae. Mem. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4, 1 111.
32. Wake, D.B. (1991). Homoplasy: the result of natural selection or evidence of design limitations? Am. Nat. 138, 543 567.
33. Wake, D.B. (1996). A new species of Batrachoseps (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) from the San Gabriel Mountains, southern California. Contrib. Sci. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles 463, 1 12.
34. Wake, D.B. Lawson, R. (1973). Developmental and adult morphology of the vertebral column in the plethodontid salamander Eurycea bislineata, with comments on vertebral evolution in the Amphibia. J. Morphol. 139, 251 300.
35. Wake, D.B. Lynch, J.F. (1976). The distribution, ecology, and evolutionary history of plethodontid salamanders in tropical America. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Ang. Co. Sci. Bull. 25, 1 25.
36. Wiens, J.J. Hoveman, J.T. (2008). Digit reduction, body size, and paedomorphosis in salamanders. Evol. Dev. 10, 449 463.
37. Wilder, I.H. (1924). The developmental history of Eurycea bislineata in western Massachusetts. Copeia 1924, 77 80.
38. Wilder, I.H. Dunn, E.R. (1920). The correlation of lunglessness in salamanders with a mountain brook habitat. Copeia 84, 63 68.
39. Wynn, A.H., Highton, R. Jacobs, J.F. (1988). A new species of rock-crevice dwelling Plethodon from Pigeon Mountain, Georgia. Herpetologica 44, 135 143.