Habitat

1
Habitat

• Tropical lowlands
• Frequently found on wet leaves
• Plants that have waxy leaves

2
Arboreal- wood or tree climbing salamanders
characterized by palmate, fully webbed feet.

• Arboreality is rare among salamanders
• feet are seen as adhesive structures enabling
  the salamanders to climb smooth surfaces

3
Adaptation

• Adaption of arboreal found to be used for
  increasing the sticky ability of the animals to
  the wet and waxy leaves that constitute the
  habitats of these organisms
• Occurs by means of suction

4
Paedomorphosis

• The feet of the arboreal salamander results from
  Paedomorphis retention by an organism of
  juvenile into later life
• In this case it appears that the salamander has
  maintained its foot to stay in embryonic form

5
Paedomophosis

• Leads to a decrease in digits, thus a decrease in
  the elaboration of the epidermis
• The epidermis stays smooth

6
Webbed feet
7
cntd.

• Webbed feet lead to reduced digits
• The outer epidermis is poorly organized squamous
  epithelium yet very smooth
• Glands are abundant, specifically mucous glands
  (sm. cuboidal cells)
• The density of mucous pores increase dramatically
  in webbed feet

8

• Feet are concave making a suction cup
• Reduction of cell surface sculpturing a
  characteristic of a morphological change

9
Waxy and wet leaves
10
Conclusion

• Adaptations of the salamander
• Smooth epithelium instead of rough
• Reduction of surface sculptures
• Increased number of mucosal glands
• Loss of digits.. to increase surface area

11
Skin Morphology in Neotropical Salamanders