Ebook: The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders

The fourth Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders was held at "The Mountain," in Highlands, North Carolina on June 12-14, 1998. Hosted by the Highlands Biological Station, and sponsored by the Highlands Biological Foundation, Inc. , the conference afforded a state-of-the-art overview of these animals, as evidenced by the contents of the present volume and the credentials of the contributors. In the following pages, the reader will find the best current understanding of many aspects of plethodontid salamander evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology, and field methodology. While the contents of this book consist of chapters developed from selected conference papers, their excellence is representative of the high overall quality of the conference presentations. The Highlands Biological Station is located on the Highlands Plateau in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. As these mountains are a present center of plethod­ ontid diversity, and are considered by some to be the center of origin of the group, the Highlands Biological Station has historically been important in the study of these animals. A list of visitors to the Station for the last 70 years would include a "who's who" of twentieth century North American herpetologists. The location and amenities of the Highlands Biological Station are unique. Within the city limits of Highlands at an elevation of nearly 1200 meters, the Station includes modern research laboratories, administrative offices, library facilities, as well as dormitory and living facilities.

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This volume offers a state-of-the-art overview of plethodontid salamanders. The reader will find the best current understanding of many aspects of the evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology, and field methodology of these animals. The book is divided into three sections. The first one features papers presented in honor of Richard Highton, a specialist in molecular systematics and speciation in plethodontids. This section, therefore, deals with amphibian systematics. The second section presents topics in evolutionary and comparative biology of plethodontids, and thus reflects the diversity of current research on plethodontid salamanders. Finally, the third section presents topics in behavioral ecology of small Plethodon (mainly P. cinereus), illustrating the usefulness of the smaller species of Plethodon as model organisms for investigation of a wide range of questions in behavioral ecology.
This is an important volume which conveys to readers the current status of research on plethodontids, and will stimulate interest of researchers in furthering investigation of the many unresolved questions pertaining to the biology of these animals.

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This volume offers a state-of-the-art overview of plethodontid salamanders. The reader will find the best current understanding of many aspects of the evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology, and field methodology of these animals. The book is divided into three sections. The first one features papers presented in honor of Richard Highton, a specialist in molecular systematics and speciation in plethodontids. This section, therefore, deals with amphibian systematics. The second section presents topics in evolutionary and comparative biology of plethodontids, and thus reflects the diversity of current research on plethodontid salamanders. Finally, the third section presents topics in behavioral ecology of small Plethodon (mainly P. cinereus), illustrating the usefulness of the smaller species of Plethodon as model organisms for investigation of a wide range of questions in behavioral ecology.
This is an important volume which conveys to readers the current status of research on plethodontids, and will stimulate interest of researchers in furthering investigation of the many unresolved questions pertaining to the biology of these animals.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xiii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Points of View on Defining and Naming Species of Plethodontid Salamanders....Pages 3-6
Species, Descriptive Efficiency, and Progress in Systematics....Pages 7-29
Geographic Protein Variation and Speciation in Salamanders of the Plethodon Jordani and Plethodon Glutinosus Complexes in the Southern Appalachian Mountains with the Description of Four New Species....Pages 31-93
Detecting Species Borders Using Diverse Data Sets....Pages 95-119
Systematics at the Turn of a Century....Pages 121-147
Front Matter....Pages 149-165
Ethological Isolation and Variation in Allozymes and Dorsolateral Pattern between Parapatric Forms in the Desmognathus ochrophaeus Complex....Pages 167-178
Phylogenetic Relationships Within the Lowland Tropical Salamanders of the Bolitoglossa Mexicana Complex (Amphibia: Plethodontidae)....Pages 179-179
Detecting Cryptic Species Using Allozyme Data....Pages 181-198
Sexual Size Dimorphism in the Plethodontidae....Pages 199-214
Skull Development in Two Plethodontid Salamanders (Genus Desmognathus) with Different Life Histories....Pages 215-241
Southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain Habitats of the Plethodontidae....Pages 243-260
Life History Evolution and Adaptive Radiation of Hemidactyliine Salamanders....Pages 261-276
Sperm Storage in Female Plethodontids with Especial Reference to the Desmognathinae....Pages 277-286
The Courtship of Plethodontid Salamanders....Pages 287-302
Front Matter....Pages 303-326
Divergence of Trophic Morphology and Resource Use Among Populations of Plethodon Cinereus and P. Hoffmani in Pennsylvania....Pages 327-343
Environmental Variation and Territorial Behavior in a Terrestrial Salamander....Pages 345-369
....Pages 371-380