Morphology of the prometamorphic larva of the spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus intermontanus (Anura: Pelobatidae), with an emphasis on the lateral line system and mouthparts.

We provide a detailed description of the larval morphology of the Great Basin spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus intermontanus), a species with documented morphological variability in larval structures associated with feeding. We based our findings on laboratory-raised individuals fed a herbivorous diet. We characterized the morphology of the prometamorphic larva (limited to developmental stages 37 and 38) and then related our findings to the larval ecology of the species.

Structure and function of the hyolingual system in Hynobius and its bearing on the evolution of prey capture in terrestrial salamanders.

The Hynobiidae is generally regarded as the most phylogenetically basal and least derived extant family of terrestrial salamanders. As in the other families of terrestrial salamanders, prey capture in the Hynobiidae is accomplished by lingual prehension. In Hynobius, the prey capture system appears to be a mosaic of derived and primitive features.

Breeding and post-breeding structure of the vas deferens of the long-toed salamander Ambystoma macrodactylum.

The vas deferens of Ambystoma macrodactylum is composed of a peritoneal epithelium, connective tissue layer with fibroblasts, circular smooth muscle, capillaries, cells containing lipid, and a luminal epithelium composed of a single layer of cuboidal cells covered by a net of interconnected ciliated squamous cells. The cuboidal cells have abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and PAS + secretory vesicles. Squamous cells of breeding males consistently have tufts of ∼100 cilia located at one end of the long axis of each cell.

Ontogenetic alterations in the gross tooth morphology of Dicamptodon and Rhyacotriton (amphibia, urodela, and dicamptodontidae).

During ontogeny, the apical and basal components of dicamptodontid teeth exhibit three major developmental stages: nonpedicellate, subpedicellate, and pedicellate. Premetamorphic larvae tend to have nonpedicellate teeth, incompletely or recently metamorphosed individuals tend to have subpedicellate teeth, and fully transformed adults usually have pedicellate teeth. In concert with this transition, cusp morphology is modified from a larval monocuspid, to an incipiently bicuspid, to definitive adult bicuspid, and finally to an adult monocuspid condition.

Interspecific, ontogenetic, and life history variation in the tooth morphology of mole salamanders (Amphibia, Urodela, and Ambystomatidae).

As revealed by scanning electron microscopy, three basic cusp shapes are found on the premaxillary teeth of mole salamanders: disc, cone, and club. In fully metamorphosed adults, tooth crowns are subdivided into labial and lingual cusps. Except for species of Linguaelapsus, the labial cusps of all adult bifid teeth are disc shaped; lingual cusp shape is more variable, but the taxonomic distribution of the various configurations is generally consistent within the subgroups Rhycosiredon, Ambystoma, and Linguaelapsus.

The feeding system of terrestrial tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum baird).

High speed cinematography was used to record the feeding activities of terrestrial Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum. A description of these activities based on films of more than 50 feeding sequences is presented, and the mechanical units involved are defined, described, and functionally analyzed. Evolutionary implications of the feeding system are discussed.