An Investigation into Tetrodotoxin (TTX) Levels Associated with the Red Dorsal Spots in Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) Efts and Adults

We investigated the concentration of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in sections of skin containing and lacking red dorsal spots in both Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) efts and adults. Several other species, such as Pleurodeles waltl and Echinotriton andersoni, have granular glands concentrated in brig...

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Published inJournal of toxicology Vol. 2018; no. 2018; pp. 1 - 4
Main Authors Brodie, Edmund D., Chapman, Trevor L., Stokes, Amber N., Spicer, Mackenzie M., Gall, Brian G.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2018
Hindawi
Hindawi Limited
Wiley
Subjects
Adults
Amphibians
Animal behavior
Evolution
Glands
Immunoassay
Immunoglobulins
Notophthalmus viridescens
Skin
Spots
Tetrodotoxin
Zoology
United States > US
Virginia
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Summary:We investigated the concentration of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in sections of skin containing and lacking red dorsal spots in both Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) efts and adults. Several other species, such as Pleurodeles waltl and Echinotriton andersoni, have granular glands concentrated in brightly pigmented regions on the dorsum, and thus we hypothesized that the red dorsal spots of Eastern newts may also possess higher levels of TTX than the surrounding skin. We found no difference between the concentrations of TTX in the red spots as compared to neighboring skin lacking these spots in either efts or adults. However, efts with more red dorsal spots had elevated TTX levels relative to efts with fewer spots.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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Academic Editor: Syed Ali
ISSN:1687-8191
1687-8205
DOI:10.1155/2018/9196865