Tail development and regeneration throughout the life cycle of the four‐toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum

Vaglia, Janet L.; Babcock, Sharon K.; Harris, Reid N.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-4687(199707)233:1<15::aid-jmor2>3.3.co;2-0

Cited by 16 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…Ontogenetic changes in tail function may explain variation in fitness associated with costs of tail damage and tail regeneration at different life stages. For many terrestrial urodeles, a pronounced change in the tail function occurs post-metamorphosis from a thrust-generating appendage to an energy storage reserve [29]. Regenerative outgrowth in a post-metamorphic urodele was found to depend on the longitudinal position of amputation (proximal versus distal) [47] and on tail width at the point of amputation [48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Tail Clipping on Larval Performance and Tail Regeneration Rates in the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata

et al. 2015

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Tail-tip clipping is a common technique for collecting tissue samples from amphibian larvae and adults. Surprisingly, studies of this invasive sampling procedure or of natural tail clipping – i.e., bites inflicted by predators including conspecifics - on the performance and fitness of aquatic larval stages of urodeles are scarce. We conducted two studies in which we assessed the effects of posterior tail clipping (~30 percent of tail) on Near Eastern fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata) larvae. In a laboratory study, we checked regeneration rates of posterior tail-tip clipping at different ages. Regeneration rates were hump-shaped, peaking at the age of ~30 days and then decreasing. This variation in tail regeneration rates suggests tradeoffs in resource allocation between regeneration and somatic growth during early and advanced development. In an outdoor artificial pond experiment, under constant larval densities, we assessed how tail clipping of newborn larvae affects survival to, time to, and size at metamorphosis. Repeated measures ANOVA on mean larval survival per pond revealed no effect of tail clipping. Tail clipping had correspondingly no effect on larval growth and development expressed in size (mass and snout-vent length) at, and time to, metamorphosis. We conclude that despite the given variation in tail regeneration rates throughout larval ontogeny, clipping of 30% percent of the posterior tail area seems to have no adverse effects on larval fitness and survival. We suggest that future use of this imperative tool for the study of amphibian should take into account larval developmental stage during the time of application and not just the relative size of the clipped tail sample.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few studies exist that assess the fitness effect of a truncated tail in urodele aquatic larval stages [27,28,29] and patterns seen in anurans may not necessarily be extrapolated to urodeles for several reasons. The kinematic patterns of swimming differ between urodele larvae and anuran tadpole [16,30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Tail Clipping on Larval Performance and Tail Regeneration Rates in the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata

et al. 2015

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“…Finally, the indication that, at least in one old regenerated tail, the cartilaginous axial skeleton may have developed pseudo-segmental calcification centres would signify a strong regeneration capacity that fits a primitive animal with a potent regeneration system, if confirmed in additional tails. In salamanders, the regenerated tail includes vertebrae, distinguishable through lacking the notochord (Holtzer H, Holtzer S & Avery, 1955;Vaglia, Babcock & Harris, 1997). We thus favour the hypothesis that tail autotomy in Sphenodon is imperfect due to remaining at an early evolutionary stage.…”

Section: Taxonomic and Evolutionary Aspectsmentioning

confidence: 69%

Morphological, functional and evolutionary aspects of tail autotomy and regeneration in the ‘living fossil’Sphenodon (Reptilia: Rhynchocephalia)

Seligmann

Moravec

Werner

2008

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Tail autotomy and regeneration are less known in Sphenodon ('Reptilia': Rhynchocephalia) than in Squamata. We examined museum specimens, Sphenodon guntheri (N = 8) and Sphenodon punctatus (N = 172), wild Sphenodon punctatus (N = 19) and Sphenodon sp. skeletons (N = 8). In S. punctatus, unlike in typical Squamata, sexes had similar relative (intact) tail lengths, and regeneration frequencies; tail and body growth was isometric. Tail breakage was usually intravertebral, usually followed by ablation of a variably sized terminal vertebral piece, partly deviating from lizards. Hypothetically, imperfect autotomy results from sphenodon's primitiveness. As in squamates, tail-losers were morphologically more left-side dominant than tail-retainers. Individual directional asymmetries in digit morphology and in digit injury were correlated (in lizards observed only at population level); tail-losers had more fluctuating asymmetry but their exclusion did not facilitate morphological taxonomic distinctions (no 'Seligmann effect'). In S. punctatus, extents and directions of sexual dimorphism paralleled differences between tail-retainers and tail-losers, females resembling tail-losers, also accounting for character interdependence (developmental constraints; employing a method similar to phylogenetic contrasts). The variation in the location of tail injury was correlated with the continuum of variation between injured and intact (pholidotic) morphotypes. These last two phenomena remain to be explored in Squamates.

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“…Hindlimb buds appear on day 25 (Stage 24) and digit formation begins just prior to hatching on day 45. Upon hatching, H. scutatum larvae have broad, keel shaped tails that continue to segment and elongate during morphogenesis through adulthood (Babcock and Blais, 2001;Vaglia et al, 1997). The highly pigmented larvae have laterally placed, lidless eyes and display tripartite gills with extensive branching and blood supply.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Normal table of embryonic development in the four-toed salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum

Hurney

Babcock

Shook

et al. 2015

Mechanisms of Development

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We present a complete staging table of normal development for the lungless salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Terrestrial egg clutches from naturally ovipositing females were collected and maintained at 15 °C in the laboratory. Observations, photographs, and time-lapse movies of embryos were taken throughout the 45-day embryonic period. The complete normal table of development for H. scutatum is divided into 28 stages and extends previous analyses of H. scutatum embryonic development (Bishop, 1920; Humphrey, 1928). Early embryonic stage classifications through neurulation reflect criteria described for Xenopus laevis, Ambystoma maculatum and other salamanders. Later embryonic stage assignments are based on unique features of H. scutatum embryos. Additionally, we provide morphological analysis of gastrulation and neurulation, as well as details on external aspects of eye, gill, limb, pigmentation, and tail development to support future research related to phylogeny, comparative embryology, and molecular mechanisms of development.

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Tail development and regeneration throughout the life cycle of the four‐toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum

Abstract: The salamander tail displays different functions and morphologies in the aquatic and terrestrial stages of species with complex life cycles.

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Effects of Tail Clipping on Larval Performance and Tail Regeneration Rates in the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata

Effects of Tail Clipping on Larval Performance and Tail Regeneration Rates in the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata

Morphological, functional and evolutionary aspects of tail autotomy and regeneration in the ‘living fossil’Sphenodon (Reptilia: Rhynchocephalia)

Normal table of embryonic development in the four-toed salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum

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