1084 The American Naturalist. [December, 
LIFE-HISTORY OF THE VERMILION-SPOTTED 
NEWT (Diemyctylus viridescens Raf.) ? 
BY SIMON HENRY GAGE. 
HE working out of the complete life-history of this newt hsa 
extended from 1819—1820, when Say and Rafinesque first 
considered it, until the present year (1891). During this period 
of seventy-two years it has been the subject of numerous inves- 
tigations ; but from the striking changes in coloration, habit, and 
structure passed through in its various stages of development it 
has proved unusually puzzling to the naturalist and physiologist. 
The phases in its life-history are briefly as follows : 
1. The ova are laid in water, and give rise to larve with well- 
developed gills. In course of development these larve assume 
the vermilion spots and general viridescent coloration of the adult. 
2. The gills are absorbed, the viridescent coloration changes to 
a yellowish-red of varying brightness, the vermilion spots remain, 
the oral epithelium changes from a stratified non-ciliated to a 
ciliated epithelium, and the respiration and life become wholly 
terrestrial. | 
3. In from two to three years the newt changes its red for a 
viridescent coloration, returns to the water, loses its ciliated and 
regains a stratified non-ciliated oral epithelium, and reassumes a 
partial aquatic respiration, and during the remainder of its life is 
properly an aquatic form. 
Historical —In Vol. I. of the American Journal of Science, Say 
(719, p. 264) under the name of Salamandra punctata Gml. gives 
1 Synonymy, modified from Cope ('87 207): Triturus (Diemyctylus) Sung 
Raf. ‘a Gml. 
» P- 
('20), Triturus (Notophthalmus) adultes Raf. ('20), Salamandra punc 
Say ('19, p. 264), Salamandra dorsalis Harlan ('27, Vol. VI., p. tor), pesa sym- 
DeKay ('42, p. 81), Triton dorsalis Holbr, ('42, Vol. V., p. 77), Triton millepunctatus 
- DeKay ('42, p. 84), Notophthalmus kiese Baird ('50, p. 264), Notophthalmus minia- 
tus Baird ('50, p . 284), Triton n punc nctatissimus Dum. Bibr. (41, p. 154), Triton symmetri- 
cus Dum. Bibr. ('41, p. 154), Diem seas miniatus Hallowell (’ <6, pp. 6-11), Kelley (’78, 
P- 399), Triton viridescens Strauch ('70, p. 50), Molge viridescens Boulanger (’82, p. 21). 
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