froggy
Site Contributor
I was reading through Gray's (absolutely useless) description of Paramesotriton chinensis and came across a second salamander described in the same publication. It is very short and reads as follows:
'PLETHODON PERSIMLIS:
Black, white-speckled, the specks closer and more abundant on the sides; the hind toes elongate, nequal. Tail compressed.
Habitat: Siam (=Thailand)
The only character that i can find between the two specimnes recieved from Siam, and some twenty more of Plethodon glutinosum [=P. glutinosus from different parts of the United States in the Museum collection is that the toes of the hind feet appeared rather longer, more slender and unequal in length, and the tail much more compressed'
There is a drawing of the specimen (diorama style) that I will scan later.
What on earth can these specimens represent? Are they mislabelled Plethodon from the US - the tail is laterally compressed, which is not the case for plethodontids....
Is it a Hynobiid - these could be confused with plethodontids by the casual glance Gray appears to have given the specimens? If so, it is very important as no hynobiid has been described from Thailand.
Any ideas?
'PLETHODON PERSIMLIS:
Black, white-speckled, the specks closer and more abundant on the sides; the hind toes elongate, nequal. Tail compressed.
Habitat: Siam (=Thailand)
The only character that i can find between the two specimnes recieved from Siam, and some twenty more of Plethodon glutinosum [=P. glutinosus from different parts of the United States in the Museum collection is that the toes of the hind feet appeared rather longer, more slender and unequal in length, and the tail much more compressed'
There is a drawing of the specimen (diorama style) that I will scan later.
What on earth can these specimens represent? Are they mislabelled Plethodon from the US - the tail is laterally compressed, which is not the case for plethodontids....
Is it a Hynobiid - these could be confused with plethodontids by the casual glance Gray appears to have given the specimens? If so, it is very important as no hynobiid has been described from Thailand.
Any ideas?