Biofluorescent sexual dimorphism revealed in a southern Appalachian endemic salamander, Plethodon metcalfi

Biofluorescence occurs when a living organism absorbs high energy light and reemits it at longer wavelengths. Many species within clades of vertebrates are known to fluoresce including mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Most, if not all, amphibians exhibit biofluorescence when exposed to either blu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2023-03, Vol.13 (1), p.3588-3588, Article 3588
Main Authors: Cox, Jonathan L., Fitzpatrick, Benjamin M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/1647/527/1819
631/601/2721
Amphibians
Animals
Appalachian Region
Camouflage
Caudata
Cheek
Chemoreception
Communication
Ecological function
Endemic species
Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Grasshoppers
Humanities and Social Sciences
Mammals
Mimicry
multidisciplinary
Plethodon jordani
Plethodon metcalfi
Reptiles
Reptiles & amphibians
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sex Characteristics
Sexual dimorphism
Urodela
Wavelengths
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Summary:Biofluorescence occurs when a living organism absorbs high energy light and reemits it at longer wavelengths. Many species within clades of vertebrates are known to fluoresce including mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Most, if not all, amphibians exhibit biofluorescence when exposed to either blue (440–460 nm) or ultra-violet (360–380 nm) wavelengths of light. Salamanders (Lissamphibia: Caudata) appear to consistently fluoresce in green wavelengths (520–560 nm) when excited by blue light. Biofluorescence is theorized to have many ecological functions including mate signaling, camouflage, and mimicry. Despite the discovery of their biofluorescence, its role in salamander ecology and behavior remains unresolved. In this study we present the first case of biofluorescent sexual dimorphism within Amphibia and the first documentation of the biofluorescent pattern of a salamander within the Plethodon jordani species complex. This sexually dimorphic trait was discovered in the southern Appalachian endemic species, Southern Gray-Cheeked Salamander ( Plethodon metcalfi , Brimley in Proc Biol Soc Wash 25:135–140, 1912), and may extend into other species within the Plethodon jordani and Plethodon glutinosus species complexes. We propose that this sexually dimorphic trait could be related to fluorescence of ventral modified granular glands used in plethodontid chemosensory communication.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-29051-8