Salamanders in the genus Plethodon have relatively homogenous skull morphology. This is partially due to their massive genomes, which have been associated with reduced skeletal complexity. Because of the wide variability in ontogeny and genome size in the family Plethodontidae, they represent a unique study system for examining how these traits can affect osteology. More specifically, I utilized microCT scans to examine skulls at an extremely high resolution and began quantifying the diversity present within the species found in Kentucky.

I received a $1000 grant from UK's College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment and generated over 70 salamander skull scans from Morehead State University's herpetology teaching collection. The scans I generated contained over 16 species and all seven genera of lungless salamanders in Kentucky. Check out some of the representatives on the left! This work was conducted in the lab of Dr. Phillip Skipwith at the University of Kentucky.

This project started as an undergraduate thesis for my roommate and current University of Miami PhD student, Aidan O'Brien. We set up a coverboard array in October of 2021 and checked it semi-weekly during the spring 2022 semester. Any salamanders that we captured were tagged with visual implant elastomer (VIE) and released. So far, we have tagged 18 P. dorsalis individuals. Once enough data is collected, we can use capture locations to construct models on how P. dorsalis utilizes space in the environment. Since Aidan graduated, I took over the project for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 field seasons. The boards are still out and serve as a site where undergraduates can get hands-on experience with herpetology fieldwork. This work was conducted in the lab of Dr. Steven Price at the University of Kentucky.