title: The skull structure of six species of Mesoamerican plethodontid salamanders (Amphibia, Urodela).
abstract: The skulls of six species of plethodontid salamanders of the genus Bolitoglossa from Costa Rica and Panama, Bolitoglossa colonnea, B. dofleini, B. lignicolor, B. marmorea, B. schizodactyla and B. striatula are comparatively analysed. All species are terrestrial or slightly arboreal and show no life-mode-dependent skull characteristics. Heads cleared by transparent preparation and stained in toto were used for examination of the skull structure and paraffin sections of the gonads were prepared to confirm sexual maturity of each individual. Focussing on the size of the premaxillary pars dentalis, the degree of fusion of the processus dorsales praemaxillares and the presence or absence of the paired prefrontals we state that B. dofleini and B. striatula possess more ancestral characteristics, B. marmorea is situated in an intermediate position and B. colonnea, B. lignicolor and B. schizodactyla show more advanced characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Evolution and Ecology, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasse 1, D-48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ehmcke
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Clemen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003364:Costa Rica; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010176:Panama; D012455:Salamandridae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014562:Caudata / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification