Cave salamander (Proteus anguinus)

Species information

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Glossary

Capillaries: small blood vessels that form an intricate network throughout the body for the interchange of various substances, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, between blood and tissue cells.
Cloaca: a common opening into which the reproductive, alimentary and urinary systems open.
Crustaceans: diverse group of arthropods (a phylum of animals with jointed limbs and a hard chitinous exoskeleton) characterised by the possession of two pairs of antennae, one pair of mandibles (parts of the mouthparts used for handling and processing food) and two pairs of maxillae (appendages used in eating, which are located behind the mandibles). Includes crabs, lobsters, shrimps, slaters, woodlice and barnacles.
Karst formations: areas of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns.
Larvae: stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
Metamorphosis: an abrupt physical change from the larval to the adult form.
Spermatophore: gelatinous jelly cone with a sperm cap deposited by a male during courtship and picked up by the cloacal lips of the female.
Subterranean: living underground, in caves or groundwater.

References

IUCN Red List (May, 2009)
http://www.iucnredlist.org
Halliday, T. and Adler, K. (2002) The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians.Oxford University Press, Oxford.
AmphibiaWeb (November, 2003)
http://amphibiaweb.org//index.html