Plethodontidae
Plethodontidae
Plethodontidae is the family of the lungless salamanders . There are 4 species in Peru , 1 in the Madre de Dios department and 1 in the Manu area of which we include 1 species in this guide . They are the largest and most diverse family of salamanders and none possess lungs , relying instead on gas exchange through the skin . They are short limbed with four fingers and five toes and possess tails of varying lengths . The genus Bolitoglossa contains the largest number of species , and all of them possess webbing between the fingers and toes . Identification poses a challenges , as most species in the genus are very similar and differ in very small morphological features .
Their ecology quite variable , with some plethodontids being solely terrestrial laying their eggs on land , whilst other have an aquatic larval phase and terrestrial adult phase . and other species are completely aquatic . Bolitoglossa species are tipically arboreal or semiarboreal . They can be found in a variety of habitats from lowland tropical forests to the highlands up to 4000 m asl . The absence of lungs in these salamanders has left space in the body cavity which has enabled them to evolve rapid projectile tongues for prey capture . In some species these can extend as much as 80 % of their body length . Their diet is comprised of invertebrates including insects , spiders and worms .
Bolitoglossa cf . altamazonica