Practical Flashcards
Caecillians
- order: Gymnophiona
- Primarily fossorial (eyes beneath bone, hard head, limbless)
- Tentacles (chemosensory organs)
- internal fertilization through phallodeum
Salamanders (order and characteristics)
- Order: Caudata
- all are predators
- skin has granular (poison) and mucous glands
- paedomorphosis in some species (external gills, absence of eyelids)
Skeletal features of Caudata
- separate radius and ulna (same as humans)
- elongated spinal column
Sirens (family and characteristics)
- Family: Sirenidae
- Eel-like/slender
- Paedomorphic features
- no hindlimbs
Hellbenders and Asiatic giant salamanders (family and characteristics)
- family: Cryptobranchidae
- largest extant salamanders
- external fertilization
Hellbender (name, range, characteristics)
- Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
- 5 toes on hind limbs, 4 on fore limbs
- diet consists of crayfish
- largest salamander in western hemisphere by mass
- restricted to 2 specific watersheds
Newts and European salamanders (family and characteristics)
- Family: Salamandridae
- no costal grooves
- internal fertilization
- typically bright colors
Eastern (red-spotted) newt (name, range, characteristics
- Notophthalmus viridescens
- depostis eggs singly, wrapped in vegetation
- efts in forests, adults in ponds, lakes, slow-moving rivers
- obvious sexual dimorphism
- everywhere in NY
Mole salamanders (family and characteristics)
- Family: Ambystomatidae
- fossorial
- breed in late winter/early spring
- no nasolabial grooves
Spotted salamander (name, range, characteristics
- Ambystoma maculatum
- spectacular migrations on first rainy nights of spring
- Common throughout NY
Jefferson’s salamander (name, range, characteristics
- Ambystoma jeffersonianum
- larger than BSS with elongated legs and toes
- very patchy range throughout NY
Blue-spotted salamander (name, range, characteristics
- Ambystoma laterale
- smaller than JS with short legs
- prefers sandy or loamy soils
- statewide distribution but very patchy
Interesting/unusal things about hybrids of the JS and BSS
- unisex
- parthenogenetic reproduction
- polyploidy
What is the scientific name of the species complex that the BSS and JS belong to
-Ambystoma jeffersonium-laterale complex
Marbled salamander (name, range, characteristics
- Ambystoma opacum
- breed in fall, females guard nests
- range limited to S NY possibly due to severe weather
(Eastern) tiger salamander (name, range, characteristics
- Ambystoma tigrinum
- NY’s largest terrestrial salamander
- most widely distributed salamander in NA
- restricted to long island in NY
Waterdogs, mudpuppies, and the olm (family and characteristics)
- Family: Proteidae
- fully aquatic, paedomorphic
(common) mudpuppy (name, range, characteristics
- Necturus maculosus
- 4 toes on all 4 limbs
- External gills, breathes through skin
- spotty range in central/northern NY
Amphiumas or congo eels (family and characteristics)
- family: Amphiumidae
- heavy bodied eel-like with 4 tiny limbs
- paedomorphic
- survives droughts by burrowing and aestivation for 2+ years
- different species distinguished by amount of toes
Lungless salamanders (family and characteristics)
- Family: Plethodontidae
- most divers and species rich salamander family
- cutaneous respiration (breathes through skin)
- nasolabial grooves (aid in chemoreception)
Northern dusky salamander (name, range, characteristics
- Desmognathus fuscus
- keeled tail (improves swimming)
- eye strip
- distributed widely across NY
Allegheny mountain dusky salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Desmognathus ochrophaeus
- rounded tail
- ventures further from water than northern dusky
- wide range across NY, more popular in W NY
Northern two lined salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Eurycea bislineata
- small, slender
- females attach eggs to underside of submerged rocks in streams
- widely distributed acros NY
long-tailed salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Eurycea longicauda
- tail accounts of ~60% of total length
- breathes primarily though skin
- not popular in NY, only 15 reported occurances
Spring salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
- major predator of other salamanders
- largest plethodontid in NY
- good distribution in NY, more popular in SW NY
Four-toed salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Hemidactylium scutatum
- often found in sphagnum moss
- females guard nests
- can have communal nests
- very patchy range across NY
Eastern red-backed salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Plethodon cinereus
- most abundant salamander in NY
- several color morphs
- found everywhere in NY
Northern slimy salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Plethodon glutinosus
- called slimy because it can excrete a sticky, glue like substance from skin
- restricted range in S NY, found up to ADK, no further
Wehrle’s salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Plethodon wehrlei
- xeric habitat
- webbed feet
- found in one specific watershed at western PA/NY border
Red salamander (name, range, characteristics)
- Pseudotriton ruber
- golden eyes
- no white line across nasolabial grooves (diff from spring sal)
- found primarily in S NY, but not long island
Anuran skeletal characteristics
- fused radius and ulna (radioulna)
- fused tibia and fibula (tibiofibula)
- caudal vertebrae fusing into urostyle
What is the term taht describes the warning coloration on frogs?
Amposematism
How do frogs feed
- adhesive tongue attached in front of mouth
- jaws and teeth usually play minor role in prey capture
Term for frog humping
Amplexus
Feature for toad ID
- cranial crest
- Parotoid glands
- Warts
New Zealand Frogs & Tailed Frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Leiopelmatidae
- Voiceless
- Copulatory organ -> coplexus
Fire-bellied toads, flat headed frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Bombinatoridae
- Common in pet trade
- has a sp of frog with no lungs
African Clawed Frog, Suriname Toads (family and characteristics)
- Family: Pipidae
- Tend to have an elaborate mating system
- Eggs embedded in females
Nearctic spadefoots (family and characteristiscs)
- Family: Scaphiopodidae
- Fossorial
- warty, but soft skin
Eastern Spadefoot (name, range, characteristics)
- Scaphiopus holbrookii
- vertical pupils
- sickle-shaped spade on underside of each foot
- prefers well drained, sandy soil
- Only in long island
Glass Frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Centrolenidae
- transparent abdominal skin
- mostly arboreal
- lay eggs on leaves and branches above streams
Posion frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Dendrobatidae
- lipophilic alkaloids sequestered from feeding on ants
- Aposematic
True toads, harlequin frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Bufonidae
- Parotoid glands
- Pelvic patch for rapid water uptake from a substrate
American toad (name, range, characteristics)
-Anaxyrus americanus
-spots on belly
parotoid glads dont touch cranial crest
-breed in spring
-extremely common in NY
Fowlers toad (name, characteristics, range)
- Anaxyrus fowleri
- unspotted belly
- prefers sandy soils
- Southern NY, long island range
Tree frogs (family, characteristics)
- Family: Hylidae
- high diversity in tropics
- most arboreal, some ground dwelling
Gray tree frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Hyla versicolor
- tree-dwelling
- identical to copes gray treefrog
- common in most parts of NY
Copes gray tree frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Hyla chrysoscelis
- call speed varies with temp
- faster call than H. versicolor
Spring peeper (name, range, characteristics)
- Pseudacris crucifer
- dark X on back
- breed in late winter/early spring
- found everywhere in NY
Western chorus frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Pseudacris triseriata
- poorly developed toe discs
- no webbing between toes
- Found in W NY south of Lake Ontario
Why is there an open spot between in the W chorus frog range
- two separate species that were usually treated as one
- Boreal chorus frog
True frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Ranidae
- typically found in ponds
- long legs with webbing between toes
Bullfrog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates catesbeianus
- largest frog in NY
- no dorsolateral fold
- breed in summer
- common everywhere in NY
Green frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates clamitans
- one of the most common frogs in NY
- permanent water bodies
Mink frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates septentrionalis
- musky, mink like odor
- breed in summer
- webs on feet go past toes
- only in ADK region
Pickerel frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates palustris
- rectangle spots on back
- slow, shallow moving waters
- last frog to enter habitation
- common throughout NY
Northern leopard frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates pipiens
- light borders around spots on back
- dorsolateral fold (white) runs down entire length
- common in everywhere except S NY and ADK
Southern leopard frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates sphenocephalus
- light dot in middle of tympanum
- prefers wetlands
- only in long island, and one watershed in central NY
Atlantic coast leopard frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates kauffeldi
- open and vegetated wetlands
- lass varied coloration than southern
Wood frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Lithobates sylvaticus
- dark eye mask
- prominent dorsal folds
- freeze tolerant
- explosive breeders in early spring
- common everywhere in NY
Toxins associated with toads
-Bufotoxins in parotoid glands
Function of the tympanum
-transmits sound vibrations to inner ear
Side-necked turtles (family and characteristics)
- Suborder: Pleurodira
- 3 families
- restricted primarily to Southern Hemisphere