The Evolution of Courtship Behavior in New World Salamanders with Some Comments on Old World Salamandrids

Arnold, Stevan J.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-6781-0_5

Cited by 131 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(81 reference statements)

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“…The mechanics of courtship (22) argue against mating between species with extremely different morphology. Furthermore, hybridization has been demonstrated only once within the entire tropical bolitoglossine clade, and that occurred between two close relatives with different ecologies after habitat modification by humans (23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme morphological and ecological homoplasy in tropical salamanders

Parra‐Olea

Wake

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

129

119

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Fossorial salamanders typically have elongate and attenuated heads and bodies, diminutive limbs, hands and feet, and extremely elongate tails. Batrachoseps from California, Lineatriton from eastern Mé xico, and Oedipina from southern Mé xico to Ecuador, all members of the family Plethodontidae, tribe Bolitoglossini, resemble one another in external morphology, which has evolved independently. Whereas Oedipina and Batrachoseps are elongate because there are more trunk vertebrae, a widespread homoplasy (parallelism) in salamanders, the genus Lineatriton is unique in having evolved convergently by an alternate ''giraffe-neck'' developmental program. Lineatriton has the same number of trunk vertebrae as related, nonelongated taxa, but individual trunk vertebrae are elongated. A robust phylogenetic hypothesis, based on sequences of three mtDNA genes, finds Lineatriton to be deeply nested within a clade characterized by generalized ecology and morphology. Lineatriton lineolus, the only currently recognized taxon in the genus, shows unanticipated genetic diversity. Surprisingly, geographically separated populations of L. lineolus are not monophyletic, but are sister taxa of different species of the morphologically generalized genus Pseudoeurycea. Lineatriton, long thought to be a unique monospecific lineage, is polyphyletic. Accordingly, the specialized morphology of Lineatriton displays homoplasy at two hierarchical levels: (i) with respect to other elongate lineages in the family (convergence), and (ii) within what is currently recognized as a single taxon (parallelism). These evolutionary events are of adaptive significance because to invade the lowland tropics salamanders must be either arboreal or fossorial; the repeated evolution of elongation and attenuation has led to multiple lowland invasions. T ropical plethodontid salamanders form a monophyletic clade of more than 200 species that display diverse body forms, including extreme elongation accompanied by limb reduction associated with fossorial habits (1). All lowland tropical plethodontids are either fossorial or arboreal, and fossoriality has been an important factor in the invasion of lowlands by these more typically cool-adapted upland animals. The fossorial Oedipina has many species that range south and east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, from southern México into northwestern South America; these differ from all other tropical plethodontids in having 18-22 rather than an invariable 14 trunk vertebrae. The other fossorial lineage, the equally attenuate and elongate Lineatriton lineolus, is found only in restricted parts of eastern México, north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Oedipina evolved elongation from a more generalized morphology by increasing the number of body segments, and hence vertebrae, a developmental mechanism that has evolved repeatedly within salamanders as a whole, and even within the clade (Bolitoglossini) to which the tropical species belong. Lineatriton, in contrast, is unique among all salamanders in having evolved an entirely differ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme morphological and ecological homoplasy in tropical salamanders

Parra‐Olea

Wake

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

129

119

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“…The male courts by tail-fanning in front of the female (in the genera Cynops, Neurergus, Pachytriton, Paramesotriton and Triturus) or captures the female and engages in dorsal, ventral or tail capture as a precursor to spermatophore deposition (Chioglossa, Euproctus, Mertensiella, Notophthalmus, Pleurodeles, Salamandra, Taricha and Tylototriton). How these various behaviours have evolved is under debate (Salthe, 1967;Salthe and Mecham, 1974;Arnold, 1977Arnold, , 1987Halliday, 1990;Titus and Larson, 1995), but the discussion is hampered by poor, incomplete or absent ethograms. We here describe the courtship behaviour and spermatophore transfer in Echinotriton chinhaiensis, the Chinhai salamander.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive behaviour of the Chinhai Salamander (Echinotriton chinhaiensis) (Caudata: Salamandridae)

Sparreboom¹,

Xie²,

Liang³

2001

Amphib Reptilia

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Abstract. The Chinhai Salamander, Echinotriton chinhaiensis, mates on land. The male of a courting pair marks a trail by a mucous excretion from his cloaca. The pair follows an ellipsoid track during which manoeuvre a spermatophore is deposited. Partners align their bodies such that the female is led over the spermatophore. Clasping was not observed. The female traces the spermatophore with her cloaca through shifting movements with the pelvic region. A male may deposit several spermatophores on one evening. The courtship is compared to that in the genus Tylototriton.

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“…In the field, male salamanders detect and follow pheromone trails of females [Gergits and Jaeger, 1990]. Once a male approaches a female to initiate courtship, he rubs or slaps his chin glands directly on the female's nares [Arnold, 1977;Gergits and Jaeger, 1990;Houck et al, 1998]. The pheromones from these glands, which are present only in males, enhance female receptivity to courtship by decreasing the amount of time to reach the next stages of courtship [Houck et al, 1998].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Cell Proliferation in the Chemosensory Epithelium and Brain of Red-Backed Salamanders, <i>Plethodon cinereus</i>

Dawley¹,

Fingerlin²,

Hwang³

et al. 2000

Brain Behav Evol

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The chemosensory epithelium of vertebrates retains the ability to produce new receptor neurons throughout life, presumably as a mechanism to replace aging or damaged receptors. We examined cell division in the main olfactory and vomeronasal epithelia of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) because previous studies had shown that the volume of sensory epithelia changes seasonally. Cell division was compared throughout the year by injecting salamanders once with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), which is incorporated into the DNA of cells during DNA synthesis, and sacrificing them one hour after injection. We used immunocytochemistry to locate cells that had arisen from cell division since BrdU injection and compared the number of labeled cells per area among animals. Animals collected in May had significantly more labeled nuclei than animals collected in any other month. However, proliferation rates among the other months were not significantly different and were quite low. Labeled nuclei also were found around the cerebral ventricles of salamanders collected in May, but rarely in any other month, although other tissues in the head often were heavily labeled. Cell proliferation appears to be up-regulated in the chemosensory epithelia and in the telencephalon during May, and we hypothesize that new receptors, and perhaps their interneurons in the telencephalon, are being generated in anticipation of seasonal events that are mediated by chemoreception.

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The Evolution of Courtship Behavior in New World Salamanders with Some Comments on Old World Salamandrids

Cited by 131 publications

References 45 publications

Extreme morphological and ecological homoplasy in tropical salamanders

Extreme morphological and ecological homoplasy in tropical salamanders

Reproductive behaviour of the Chinhai Salamander (Echinotriton chinhaiensis) (Caudata: Salamandridae)

Seasonal Cell Proliferation in the Chemosensory Epithelium and Brain of Red-Backed Salamanders, <i>Plethodon cinereus</i>

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