plethodontidae

Thân thiện

A plethodontidae salamander crawls across a damp forest floor.

Definition

Proper noun A family of salamanders, known as lungless salamanders. These are mostly small, terrestrial salamanders found primarily in the New World (the Americas). A defining biological characteristic is that adults lack both lungs and gills, breathing instead through their skin and the tissues lining their mouth.

Usage

"Plethodontidae" is used as a formal, scientific taxonomic name. It is always capitalized.

Examples

• The Plethodontidae represent the largest and most diverse family of salamanders.
• This particular genus belongs to the family Plethodontidae.
• The evolution of lunglessness is a key feature of the Plethodontidae.

Advanced Usage

• The term is used in academic and scientific contexts such as biology, herpetology, zoology, and evolutionary studies.
• Members of this family are often referred to descriptively as "plethodontid salamanders" or simply "plethodontids."

Variants and Related Words

• Plethodontid (noun): An individual salamander belonging to the family Plethodontidae.
  • The stream is home to several species of plethodontid.
• Plethodontid (adjective): Of or relating to the family Plethodontidae.
  • They studied plethodontid ecology.

Synonyms

• Lungless salamanders (This is the common name for the family.)

Notes

This word has no idioms or phrasal verbs, as it is a specialized scientific term.

Học thuật

Noun

1. small mostly terrestrial New World salamanders having neither lungs nor gills as adults

Từ đồng nghĩa

• Plethodontidae
• family Plethodontidae