Spermiophagy by the spermathecal epithelium of the salamander Eurycea cirrigera.

Distribution and Habitat of the Southern Two-Lined Salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, in Will County, Illinois: Implications For Population Management and Monitoring

Regionalization of Eccrine and Spermiophagic Activity in Spermathecae of the Salamander Eurycea cirrigera

The spermathecae of female Eurycea cirrigera are compound alveolar glands; narrow neck tubules connect the distal bulbs to a common tube that opens onto the roof of the cloaca. The common tube and neck tubules produce apical secretory vacuoles that contain a periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) + substance for merocrine export into the lumen. This substance is produced throughout the year, although secre...

Life History and Color Variants in a Matriline of Oklahoma Salamander (Eurycea tynerensis)

Until recently, two surface-dwelling species of multi-ribbed brook salamanders (i.e., the metamorphic Eurycea multiplicata griseogaster [Graybelly Salamander], and the strictly paedomorphic E. tynerensis [Oklahoma Salamander]) were recognized as living in the Missouri Ozarks. The current understanding is that a single species (Oklahoma Salamander) is resident in the Ozarks, and that this specie...

Sperm storage in the spermatheca of the red-back salamander, Plethodon cinereus (Amphibia: Plethodontidae).

In northern Indiana, the mating season of Plethodon cinereus occurs after hibernation from March until June, when oviposition begins. During the mating season, a female stores sperm in its spermatheca, a compound tubular gland in the roof of the cloaca. The apical cytoplasm of the spermathecal epithelium is filled with large secretory vacuoles whose product is released while sperm are stored. F...

The fate of larval chondrocytes during the metamorphosis of the epibranchial in the salamander, Eurycea bislineata.

The metamorphosis of the epibranchial cartilage, a skeletal component of the hyobranchial apparatus, in the salamander Eurycea bislineata entails a combination of the reabsorption of a larval cartilaginous element with the simultaneous genesis of an adult cartilage in the same place. In this study we focus on the fate of the larval chondrocytes. Two hypotheses are considered: one, larval cells ...