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Salamander Sci-ArtpeterR.warny1,stanleyK.sessions2,andbrandonballengée3

1biologicalResearchDivision,newyorkstatemuseum,Albany,newyork122302biologyDepartment,hartwickCollege,oneonta,newyork13820

3Redpathmuseum,mcGillUniversity,montréal,Quebec

Allscannedimagesbytheauthors.

“salamander”isthecommonnameforamphibianswithtails,and(withtheexceptionofthesirenidae)fourlegsofaboutequalsize.theyincludeallthemembersoftheorderCaudata,comprisingninefamiliesandover500species.thename“salamander”isderivedfromanoldArab/persianwordmeaning“livesinfire,”stemmingfromthebeliefthatthesalamanderwasborninfireorcouldwalkthroughfirewithoutbeingharmed(Khannaandyadav1998).thismythmighthaveoriginatedfromthebrightskincolorsthatresembleflamesinsomesalamanders,perhapsfromtheburningtasteonemightfeelwhiletryingtoeatsuchacreature,orobservationsofsalamandersemergingfromlogsthrownontoafire. salamandersof thenortheasternUnitedstates and southeasternCanadaareanecologicallyinterestinggroup.theirhabitatsincludeeasternmesophyticforestsandperiglacialfeatures,suchaswoodlandpooldepres-sions,rockywoodedhillsides,outcrops,talus,andravines(petranka1998).Includedamongnortheasternspeciesareenigmaticpermanentlyaquaticformsthatincludehellbenders(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)andthemys-teriousmudpuppy(Necturus maculosus).Also,almosteverypondisinhab-itedbyRed-spottedeasternnewts(Notophthalmus viridescens).

wehavebeenmonitoringhigh-diversityamphibiansitesoverthepastthreedecades,focusingontwomainissues:Decliningamphibianpopula-tionsanddevelopmentaldeformitiesamongwildstocks.wehavescoutedoverahundredamphibianbreedingpoolsandhabitatsacrossnewyork,pennsylvania,newengland,andQuebec,samplingpopulations,docu-mentingspecies,wetlands,andwoodlandsfrommarchthroughnovemberforwelloveradecade.wethenselecteda“top-tenlist”torevisitrepeatedlytomonitorwaterlevelsandcatchperunittimeeffortasrecordedondatasheets,fieldnotebooks,andspreadsheetsusingtwobasicsurveyingmeth-ods:timedsearchesperpersonhouraswellasareasearchesofaspecifichabitattype.the“goodnews”isthatmanyoftheremaininghabitatsweselectedhadrelativelydense,healthypopulations.the“badnews”isthatmanypreviouslyrecordedsalamandersitesnolongerexistorthehabitatisdegradedorseverelychanged.thebottomlineisthatfewerwildsalaman-

spottedsalamander(Ambystoma maculatum)at72hours.

supernumerarydigitsinanorthernDuskysalamander(Desmognathus fuscus)col-lectedinAlleghenyCounty,newyorkin2001.

Redeftsaretheintermediateterrestrialstageofdevelopmentineasternnewts(Notophthalmus viridescens).bothlarvaeandadultsareaquatic.

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dersarearoundnowthanwerehistoricallyandfewerhabitatspersisttosustainthesegreatcreatures. Apercentageof individualsfromallpopulationsshowedsignsoftraumasuchasinjury,infection,orfungalgrowth.occasionalmissinglimbsandotherinjuriescanbesurvivableandpartialregenerationcancreatepermanentdeformities(ballengéeandsessions2009).long-termsurveysandfurtherstudiesarestillneededtounderstandthenormalback-groundrateofdeformities,injuries,anddisease(sessionsandballengée2010).ourcurrentbiologicalresearchwillcontinueaslongasnecessary.

Inanefforttoinspirepeopletobecomeawareofthesevulnerablecrea-turesandtobetterappreciatetheirintrinsicvalue,wehavebeenincorporat-ingartinourresearch.“sci-Art”isthescientificpursuitofknowledgecom-binedwiththedesirefortheunderstandinginherentinart.Artandbiologyalwayshaveattemptedtodescribetheworldaroundus.FromneolithiccaverenderingstoGreekzoologicalaccountstoe.o.wilson’smodernconceptofbiophilia,humankind’sdesiretointerpretthenaturalworldhasneverceased—andemergingtechnologiesareexpandingourabilitytocomprehendthediversityoflifeonourplanet,fromthemicroscopictothecolossal.Artcanbeaneffectivetoolto“frame”currentecologicalissuesandbringthemtopublicmind(lippard2007). theaccompanyingimagesdepictavarietyofspeciesandindividuallifehistorystages,includingegg,larva,andadult.eachanimalwasgentlyexaminedforanyscarsorregenerationfrominjuries,fungi,ectoparasites,edema,andvisiblesignsofinfection.mostlookedhealthyandstrongwithgoodmuscletoneandbodyweight.wealsolookedforasymmetriesoftherightandlefteyes,mouthparts,limbs,digits,etc.AnuranlarvaewerestagedaccordingtoGosner’sstagesofembryologicaldevelopment(Gosner1960).theanimalsthenweregentlyplacedaliveontotheglassbedofascannerfordigitalrecordingat1,200–8,000dpi.thisisapproximately25timestheoutputofatypicalhomeorofficescanner.theappealoftheprocessistheincredibledetailthatcanberecordedintoadigitalfile.thesefilescanthenbeusedtogeneratebothscientificresearchimagesaswellasfineartprints. salamandersarebeautifulandintriguinganimalsthathavepersistedthroughmillionsofyearsofevolution,withstandingpastextinctionevents.theyarenowbeingsubjectedtothe“anthropocene”periodofhuman-wroughthabitatdestruction resulting frombulldozing,paving roads,buildingdamsacrossrivers,drainingwetlands,introdudinginvasivespe-cies,andotherafflictions.weareworkingtoincreasepublicawarenessof

sAlAmAnDeRsCI-ARt

northernslimysalamander(Plethodon glutinosus).

northernRedsalamander”(Pseudotriton ruber ruber). marbledsalamander(Ambystoma opacum).

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salamandersandtheirhabitatsinthehopesofreducingdetrimentalhumanimpacts.wehopethattheseimageswillinspirepeopletoappreciatenotonlythescientificandecologicalsignificanceofsalamandersbutalsotheiraestheticvalueintermsofbeautyandform.ourmainconceptualmissionistoincreasepublicawarenessandunderstandingofbiologicalphenomenaandenvironmentalconcernswhilechallengingpeoplebothaestheticallyandintellectually.

Literature Citedballengeéb.ands.K.sessions.2009.explanationformissinglimbsindeformed

amphibians.Journal of Experimental Zoology(molDevevol)312b:1–10

Gosner,K.l.1960.Asimplifiedtableforstaginganuranlarvaewithnotesoniden-tification. Herpetologica16:183–190.

Khanna,D.R.andp.R.yadav.1998.Biology of Amphibia.Discoverypublishinghouse,newDelhi.

lippard,l.R.2007.beyondthebeautystrip,pp.14–15.In:m.Andrews(ed.),Land, Art: A Cultural Ecology Handbook.RsA,london.

petranka, J.1998.Salamanders of the United States and Canada.smithsonianIntitutionpress,washington,D.C.

sessions,sK.andb.ballengée.2010.Developmentaldeformitiesinamphibians,pp.62–72.In:n.triscottandm.pope(eds.),Malamp: The Occurrence of Deformities in Amphibians, Brandon Ballengée.ArtsCatalyst,londonandyorkshiresculpturepark,wakefield,england.

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