Hearing in Caudata?

Someone asked me about the hearing capabilities of caudata were. I thought I recalled a conversation I read on here where someone was saying that caudata can't hear so much as feel the vibrations, but I wanted to make sure I was remembering correctly.

Does anyone have any idea what the auditory capabilities of caudata are? Or any links to places where I could read up on them?

Coming soon to the big screen.... Robert (who?) in "The Newt Whisperer"

Good question, Rob. I confidently consulted my growing library of books on amphibians...but struck out They mostly dealt with hearing in Anura. There do appear to be some significant ear structure differences between sals and frogs, and even among frogs. I'm waiting for enlightenment, just as you are...

Here's an extract from Richard Griffiths: Newts and Salamanders of Europe. (1996)
"Unlike their highly vocal frog and toad relatives, newts and salamanders do not produce sounds for the purpose of communication. Some animals may emit a short squeak if stressed or roughly handled, but this is usually an involuntary response produced by the rapid expulsion from the lungs. With no voice, there is consequently no need for the detection of airborne sounds. Consequently there is no external ear or eardrum. An internal ear is present, though, and this controls the sense of balance, as well as detecting vibrations. The inner ear has a muscular connection with the shoulder girdle which supports the front legs. Vibrations along the ground can be detected by transmission through the legs and shoulder girdle to the inner ear. As they do not seem to have a well-developed apparatus for detecting airborne sounds, it is widely believed that salamanders are technically "deaf". However, physiological measurements suggest that the Fire Salamanders can detect sounds from a loudspeaker that are independent of simple vibrations. As salamanders do not use vocal communication, it is possible that such "hearing" may help with the identification and localisation of potential enemies (Himstedt 1994)"

Mike: Thanks, that was very helpful.

Tim: Good to see I'm not the only one who thinks of weird questions such as this!

Keegs: You're a weirdo man! LOL

I found this at http://www.livingunderworld.org/biology/caudata.htm

Auditory and Vocal Function

Salamanders lack eardrums and the middle ear cavity, but possess functional sensory reception areas in the inner ear. In adults, the columella is fused to the skull, but is motile in larvae. Primitive Cryptobranchid and Hynobiid salamanders possess basilar papilla and amphibian papilla, whereas the basilar papilla is absent or reduced in the advanced salamanders. The absence or reduction of the basil papilla appears to be related to the lack of a tympanic-middle ear sound transmission system, and the lack of communication by vocal sound. Low frequency sounds can be detected by salamanders due to a suitable suprascapular-opercular link.

Larvae and aquatic individuals possess mechanoreceptive neuromasts, or the lateral line system. The later line system is also present in most fish, and consists of hair cells appearing as pit-like depressions in the skin, running from the head to the tail. In dark colored salamanders and newts, and some larvae, the lateral line system can be seen as light colored, perforated lines running dorsolaterally along the individual. The hair cells register water current and pressure changes, allowing the animal to detect even slight water movements at, or under, the surface. In most aquatic caudates, ampullary organs are also present in the lateral line system, which function as electroreceptors.

All salamanders, with the exception of one species, are incapable of producing sounds due to the lack of vocal sacs, folds, and chords. Dicamptodon ensatus, the one exception, possesses vocal folds and has been noted as making squeeking sounds when disturbed. However, it is thought that the sounds actually result from air being forced through gill slits or nares, which creates a vacuum during inspiration.}}

Other salamanders can make sounds although they are not produced like Dicamptodon. There's a research article I read about Taricha. Aneides lugubris can at least make a startle sound as well as some other species in Ambystomatidae and Plethodontidae that escape my memory. If anyones interested I can dig up the citation for the newt article although the others I don't have a copy of off hand.