Many aquatic species produce chemical alarm cues that serve as a warning to nearby conspecifics. In mixed‐species aggregations, individuals may also benefit by ‘eavesdropping’ on the chemical alarm cues of other species that are in the same prey guild. Rainbow Darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) are benthic fish that co‐occur with native Ozark Minnows (Notropis nubilus), recently introduced Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), and native Oklahoma Salamanders (Eurycea tyrnerensis), all of whom are vulnerable to the same predators. We tested the responses of darters to the damage‐released alarm cues of conspecifics (positive control), minnows, and mosquitofish; alarm cues from Bumblebee Gobies (Brachygobius doriae) served as a negative (allopatric) control. We also tested the response of sympatric and allopatric darters to the damage‐released alarm cues of Oklahoma Salamander. Darters exhibited a fright response to conspecific and minnow alarm cues, but not to cues from mosquitofish or gobies. Lack of response to mosquitofish cues could be because they are introduced or because they typically occur higher in the water column than darters. Darters that were sympatric with the salamander exhibited a fright response to the alarm cues of the salamander, while allopatric darters did not. Rainbow Darters can develop responses to the alarm cues of syntopic species (minnows and Oklahoma Salamander) within their prey guild.
Background: Regeneration of complex patterned structures is well described among, although limited to a small sampling of, amphibians. This limitation impedes our understanding of the full range of regenerative competencies within this class of vertebrates, according to phylogeny, developmental life stage, and age. To broaden the phylogenetic breath of this research, we characterized the regenerative capacity of the Texas blind salamander (Eurycea rathbuni), a protected salamander native to the Edwards Aquifer of San Marcos, Texas and colonized by the San Marcos Aquatic Resource Center. As field observations suggested regenerative abilities in this population, the forelimb stump of a live captured female was amputated in the hopes of restoring the structure, and thus locomotion in the animal. Tails were clipped from two males to additionally document tail regeneration.Results: We show that the Texas blind salamander exhibits robust limb and tail regeneration, like all other studied Plethodontidae. Regeneration in this species is associated with wound epithelium formation, blastema formation, and subsequent patterning and differentiation of the regenerate. Conclusions:The study has shown that the Texas blind salamander is a valuable model to study regenerative processes, and that therapeutic surgeries offer a valuable means to help maintain and conserve this vulnerable species.
We present a landmark success of a pilot study in the noninvasive, topical hormonal stimulation of reproduction of salamanders using Texas blind salamanders (Eurycea rathbuni) as a model species. Improved reproduction is a critical milestone in the conservation of imperiled species. Captive reproduction of amphibians is often challenging due to specific and ambiguous environmental cues for each species. The Texas blind salamander is a federally listed troglobitic amphibian found only in the Edwards Aquifer beneath San Marcos, Texas. This species is long-lived, paedomorphic, and obligately aquatic. As with other cave-dwelling organisms, Texas blind salamanders exhibits delayed reproductive maturity and low reproductive output. The US Fish & Wildlife San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center maintains a captive assurance population of wild individuals to supplement natural populations in the case of a catastrophic impacts on the wild population. Despite housing this species since the 1980s, unassisted reproductive events remain infrequent and unpredictable. In 2020, we developed the noninvasive use of the topical application of GnRH-A to stimulate reproduction in 12 females combined with 12 males during a pilot study, that resulted in 11 clutches over a five-month period.
Eurycea pterophila is a fully aquatic paedomorphic salamander species classified as under review for federal listing and distributed in restricted sections of the Comal River (Comal CO., TX). Unlike Eurycea sosorum, which constitutes the only documented wild sightings of Eurycea eggs in the region, no eggs of Eurycea pterophila have been documented in the wild. During a routine collection of Eurycea pterophila for a captive assurance population, two eggs were found in the Comal River, TX near Spring Island, and successfully raised in captivity. Captive Eurycea pterophila eggs were laid at the same time the wild eggs were found; thus, data are presented here for a comparison.
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