WALTHALL, J.C.; ASHLEY-ROSS, M.A.; Wake Forest University; Wake Forest University: Postcranial myology of the California newt, Taricha torosa

Locomotor patterns of salamanders are of interest due to the group�s postural resemblance to primitive tetrapods. Dissection and description of the muscles of the forelimb, trunk, and hindlimb of Taricha torosa were undertaken as part of a larger study of the kinematics and motor patterns of locomotion in different environments in this species. Four formalin-fixed specimens were examined with a Zeiss stereomicroscope equipped with a camera lucida. Visibility of muscle fiber direction was enhanced by periodic application of Weigert�s variation of Lugol�s solution. We describe and illustrate muscles from the forelimb, hindlimb, and trunk of the California newt. Trunk and limb musculature does not differ substantially from that described for other species of salamanders. Most muscles in both the forelimb and hindlimb are gracile, with simple parallel fibered strap-like architecture. Hindlimbs differ from forelimbs in that the major muscles cross multiple joints, and thus are capable of complex actions during locomotion. We compare relative muscle sizes in Taricha to those of other salamander species, and relate the differences to life history traits.