North American Fossil Cryptobranchid Salamanders

Meszoely, Charles A. M.

doi:10.2307/2423407

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The above described specimens share several characteristics with all crown cryptobranchids: large body size; massive bones; bilateral asymmetric kinetics of the lower jaw; trochanter fused with the proximal head of the femur (e.g. Westphal 1958;Meszoely 1966;Cundall et al 1987;Vasilyan and Böhme 2012;Vasilyan et al 2013). The rough inner surface of pars facialis (with ridges and depressions), the strong curvature of dentaries (e.g.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The previous descriptions of the specimens of the wellknown species A. scheuchzeri are referenced in the synonym list. The anatomical nomenclature in the systematic part follows Meszoely (1966), Miklas (2002), Ratnikov and Litvinchuk (2009), Gardner et al (2010), Vasilyan and Böhme (2012), and Vasilyan et al (2013).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This ridge separates two pads of elastic cartilage within the (inter)mandibular joint, which enables high mobility of the mandibular symphysis in giant salamanders (Cundall et al 1987). In lingual view, the pars dentalis lies above the subdental self (sulcus dentalis sensu Meszoely 1966) and is composed of dental and subdental laminae of nearly equal depth that are arranged parallel to each other. Pedicels of pleurodont teeth are discernible along the dental laminae.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rough inner surface of pars facialis (with ridges and depressions), the strong curvature of dentaries (e.g. Westphal 1958;Meszoely 1966;Tempfer 2004) and the arrangement and features of the teeth (e.g. Greven and Clemen 1980) are characters typical for Andrias.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, late Oligocene to late Pliocene representatives of Andrias occurred in large ponds or lakes as well. Their fossils were unearthed at vertebrate sites of Germany: Upper Oligocene of Rott, Middle Miocene of Öhningen, Middle and Upper Miocene of Wartenberg, Upper Miocene of Reisenburg and Upper Pliocene of Willershausen; of the Czech Republik: Lower Miocene of Břeštany; and of Austria: Upper Miocene of Götzendorf, Brunn-Vösendorf and Mataschen (Papp et al 1953;Thenius 1954;Meszoely 1966;Westphal 1970;Böttcher 1987;Miklas 2002;Tempfer 2004;Böhme et al 2012). All European Miocene findings of giant salamanders belong to the species Andrias scheuchzeri (Westphal 1958;Roček 1997;Tempfer 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Giant salamander from the Miocene of the Mecsek mountains (Pécs-Danitzpuszta, southwestern Hungary)

Szentesi

Sebe

Szabó

2019

PalZ

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The Late Miocene fossil locality Pécs-Danitzpuszta (Mecsek Mts., Hungary) has yielded cranial and postcranial bones of giant salamanders. Based on taxonomical studies, these relatively well-preserved, isolated bones belong to the cryptobranchid species Andrias scheuchzeri. Whereas the species is well documented from Neogene of Central Europe, this is the first record of the genus Andrias from Hungary, representing the sole record of giant salamanders from the country. The fossils were found in Upper Miocene sands deposited in the brackish Lake Pannon, but their late Miocene age is uncertain, because they occur together with vertebrate remains reworked from older sediments. The mild and humid climate and the presence of freshwater wetlands on the mainland indicated by the fossil flora, the syn-depositional uplift of the mountains providing for a rugged topography, and the intense clastic sediment input into Lake Pannon indicative of a fluvial network on the Mecsek Island and of sufficient precipitation support that conditions were convenient for the giant salamanders in the early late Miocene. Together with three other late Miocene localities in Austria, the Pécs-Danitzpuszta site is the fourth Miocene occurrence of Andrias in the Pannonian Basin System. It resembles the first three localities in lying at the foot of elevated terrain and in having freshwater input, conditions thought to be necessary for giant salamander habitats.

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Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Giant salamander from the Miocene of the Mecsek mountains (Pécs-Danitzpuszta, southwestern Hungary)

Szentesi

Sebe

Szabó

2019

PalZ

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Morphology and behavior of the feeding apparatus in Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Amphibia: Caudata)

Elwood

Cundall

1994

Journal of Morphology

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Cine and high-speed videographic analyses of feeding in Cryptobranchus alleganiensis demonstrate that prey are captured by either inertial suction or a strike combined with suction. Movements of cephalic elements during capture are generally similar to those of other suction-feeding vertebrates but more variable than those of most aquatic salamanders. Following capture, prey frequently are manipulated and transported into and out of the buccal cavity across the teeth. Specific features of the skull, mandibles, hyoid apparatus, and cephalic musculature of Cryptobranchus correlate directly with behavior. Although the skull is massive, sutures of the anterior braincase permit limited torsion, the maxillae move on their attachments to the braincase, and left and right mandibles are separated by elastic connective tissues. These features provide flexibility and permit asynchronous and asymmetric movements of the mandibles. Equivalent asymmetry and asynchrony of hyobranchial movements are also correlated with specific structural arrangements that may be neither paedomorphic nor primitive. Its feeding mechanics suggest that Cryptobranchus represents a unique and highly derived condition among salamanders. Its ability to modulate movements of the left and right sides of its head argues strongly for the existence of bilaterally asynchronous motor patterns, and patterns of force generation, similar to but much faster than those employed in mammalian mastication. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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