Comparative studies on the hemoglobins of representative salamanders of the families Cryptobranchidae, Proteidae and Hynobiidae.

Almtract--1. Properties of hemoglobins in the blood of the salamanders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, Necturus maculosus and Hynobius tsuensis were examined by starch gel electrophoresis and peptide mapping. 2. Multiple hemoglobin components were found in individual specimens of N. maculosus and H. tsuensis, but a single component was observed in C. alleganiemis. 3. Sedimentation coefficients of 4"8 S were found for the N. maculosus and C. alleganiensis hemoglobins. 4. Cryptobranchus hemolysates exhibited a relatively low oxygen affinity, a Hill constant of 2"7 and an absence of a Bohr effect at pH near neutrality whereas N. maculosus hemolysates showed a higher oxygen affinity, a Hill constant of 1.7 and a Bohr effect.