TAXONOMY, LIFE-HISTORY, AND GENERAL 3 



account of the 'intra-uterine' development of this species, and shows 

 how the gills have become adapted to effect a gaseous exchange with 

 the maternal capillaries in the 'uterine' wall and to absorb nourish- 

 ment from the surrounding yolk mass formed by the degenerating 

 eggs which fail to develop. 



7. Salamandra salamandra. 



The name Salamandra is of ancient origin and is probably derived 

 from the Arabic samandar^ by which term the animal is still popularly 

 known in Arabia and Persia. It was applied to this species as a 

 generic term in quite early times (see Historical Introduction). 

 Nevertheless the tenth edition of the Linnaean Systema Naturae 

 (1754) from which all modern nomenclature starts — or is supposed 

 to start — describes the animal under the name Lacerta salamandra. 

 In 1768 Laurenti quite rightly removed it from the genus Lacerta 

 and re-established the older Salamandra^ but unfortunately the same 

 author also at the same time, and without any justification, changed 

 the specific name to maculosa^ and this name seems to have become 

 inseparably associated with the animal, since it still persists, although 

 by the rules of priority the Linnaean species should stand. A number 

 of authors have pointed out this discrepancy. One of the earliest of 

 these is Lonnberg (1896), and one may well echo his lament when, 

 in describing the Linnaean type-specimens of Birds, Batrachians, 

 and Fishes in the Zoological Museum of the Royal University in 

 Upsala, he says under the heading Salamandra maculosa^ Laurenti, 

 *It would seem provoking to change such an old name, but according 

 to the rules the name ought to be Salamandra salamandra (Linnaeus)'. 

 The species is characterized by the shape of the pre-vomerine teeth 

 coupled with the yellow markings on the body. A detailed considera- 

 tion of the external characters and chief varieties of the species is 

 given in the next section (p. 1 3). 



LIFE-HISTORY 



The general features of the life-history and development of the 

 Salamander, such as its habit of bringing forth fully developed 

 larvae (instead of eggs), which subsequently pass through an aquatic 

 phase before metamorphosing into the terrestrial phase characteristic 

 of the adult, have been fairly well known since early times. Never- 

 theless some puzzling details remained unexplained for a long time, 

 and, even now, further observations concerning fecundation would 

 not be superfluous. 



