Open AccessLoss of traditional mucous glands and presence of a novel mucus‐producing granular gland in the plethodontid salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii
Author(s) -
FONTANA MARY F.,
ASK KIMBERLY A.,
MACDONALD RYAN J.,
CARNES AMANDA M.,
STAUB NANCY L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00592.x
Subject(s) - mucus , biology , salamander , anatomy , mucous membrane , dermis , exocrine gland , toluidine , pathology , zoology , secretion , endocrinology , ecology , immunology , chemistry , medicine
All amphibians are thought to possess two distinct types of dermal gland: mucous and granular. Mucous glands typically produce an acidic, flocculent and carbohydrate positive secretion that keeps skin moist and helps maintain homeostasis. In this study, we use a battery of histochemical tests to identify these traditional mucous glands in the dermis of the plethodontid salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii . The periodic acid‐Schiff, alcian blue, toluidine blue and carmine reactions reveal the absence of both acidic glycosaminoglycans and traditional mucous glands. Instead, E. eschscholtzii produces neutral mucus in specialized granular glands, which we name mucus‐producing granular glands (MPGGs). The loss of traditional mucous glands is a derived trait for Ensatina . © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 87 , 469–477.