Osteology of Batrachuperus londongensis (Urodela, Hynobiidae): study of bony anatomy of a facultatively neotenic salamander from Mount Emei, Sichuan Province, China.

ABSTRACT: The Longdong Stream Salamander Batrachuperus londongensis, living in a mountain stream environment at Mt. Emei in Sichuan Province, China, represents a rare species that is facultatively neotenic in the family Hynobiidae. Although the species has been known to science for some 40 years since its initial discovery in the late 1970s, anatomical details of its osteology remain poorly understood and developmental information is still lacking for the species. This study (1) provides a detailed osteological account of B. londongensis based on micro-CT scanning and clearing and staining of multiple specimens from the type locality; (2) provides a discussion of intraspecific variation related to life-history differences; and (3) presents a discussion on limb features related to morph

SUBMITTER: Jiang JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5878659 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature