Comparison of Skull Morphology in Two Species of Genus Liua（Amphibia:Urodela: Hynobiidae）,L.shihi and L.tsinpaensis

Jianli XIONGXiuying LIUXiaomei ZHANG

Animal Science and Technology College,Henan University of Science and Technology Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment,Ministry of Education,School of Life Sciences,Sichuan University School of Agriculture,Henan University of Science and Technology

摘要：Skull characteristics play an important role in the systematics of tailed salamanders. In this study, the skulls of Liua shihi and L.tsinpaensis were compared using a clearing and double-staining technique. The results showed that in L.tsinpaensis, the vomerine tooth rows are in a "⌒⌒" shape, the length of the inner vomerine tooth series is nearly equal to that of the outer series, the vomerine tooth rows do not extend beyond the choanae, an ossified articular bone is absent, the basibranchial is rod shaped, the radial loops exhibit a figure-eight shape, the cornua has two cylindrical branches, the urohyal is rod shaped, and the end of the ceratohyal is not ossified; these features differ considerably from those of L.shihi. The ossification of the posterior portion of the ceratohyal and the present or absent of ossified articular might represent ecological adaptation to feeding in different environments.

基金资助：

supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China（NSFC 30900138,31471971）；