Salamandra gutto-lineata Holbrook, 1838a:61

Pyron, R. Alexander & Beamer, David A., 2022, A nomenclatural and taxonomic review of the salamanders (Urodela) from Holbrook’s North American Herpetology, Zootaxa 5134 (2), pp. 151-196 : 155

Salamandra gutto-lineata Holbrook, 1838a:61 , pl. 12

In the third and final salamander account in the first version of the second volume of the first edition, Holbrook provided the original description of the Three-lined Salamander ( Eurycea guttolineata ) with a crude illustration by J. Sera. The account is based on four specimens (primary syntypes) collected by him in “ Carolina , where I have observed them in the middle country,” and by “Dr. Wurdeman” (John George F. Wurdemann [1810–1849] of Charleston, S.C.; Stephens 1997) from “Greenville [S.C.], near the mountains, where he says they are numerous.” Holbrook noted the presence of cirri in one specimen and compared it to Salamandra cirrigera Green, 1831 (= E. cirrigera ). Following Holbrook’s description, this species was later considered a subspecies of S. longicauda Green, 1818 (= E. longicauda ), apparently beginning with Bailey (1937) until Carlin (1997). Holbrook (1838b) himself considered S. longicauda to be a distinct species. Holbrook (1842e:29, pl. 7) reprinted the account with a slightly expanded description and new but little-improved drawing by J. Queen.

Two extant specimens (ANSP 716–717) were listed as syntypes by Fowler and Dunn (1917), Dunn (1926), and Malnate (1971). The two specimens differ in condition; ANSP 716 is in modest shape for a 180-year-old salamander but is very soft and was likely never fixed in formalin ( Fig. 1 ; see Simmons 2014). In contrast, ANSP 717 is very degraded, missing its left arm and tail, its right leg in poor condition, and most head tissue removed and the skull partially exposed. We did not photograph it, though it did appear to be a Eurycea guttolineata of similar size to ANSP 716. Dunn (1926) regarded ANSP 716–717 as Wurdemann’s specimens from Greenville (seemingly without evidence), and therefore restricted the type locality to “Greenville, S.C.,” later followed by Schmidt (1953). We cement this by designating ANSP 716 as the lectotype, rendering ANSP 717 a paralectotype and the type locality as Greenville, South Carolina . While Dunn’s identification of the specimens as Wurdemann’s from Greenville is not explicitly justified, it was also reiterated by Malnate (1971), who listed the ANSP 716– 7 in his catalog of ANSP types as “ South Carolina , Greenville; Dr. Wurdeman. ” Whether Malnate had additional information is unknown, but we accept this for the sake of historical stability.

A third specimen of Holbrook’s is still extant in Paris (MNHN-RA 0.4688, cataloged as a Holbrook specimen on p. 123), from “Caroline de Sud,” but does not seem to be listed in the MNHN donations ledger as part of Holbrook’s gifts or the Hallowell exchange from Philadelphia in 1856–1858. Holbrook visited Paris with his wife Harriott Pinckney Rutledge in the 1840s after completing North American Herpetology ( Stephens 2000), and may have hand delivered this specimen, along with others such as MNHN-RA 0.4666 (see below) and MNHN-RA 0.7256 (see Burbrink et al. 2021; Pyron et al. 2021). Therefore, we doubt that MNHN-RA 0.4688 is a primary syntype, based on its different preservation style and later origin. Consequently, the location and disposition of the third and fourth syntypes mentioned by Holbrook is unknown, and none of the three extant Holbrook specimens of this species have visible cirri.

The preceding three accounts were the only salamanders Holbrook cataloged in the first version of the second volume of the first edition. The initial print runs of the first and second volumes sold quickly, but Holbrook was dissatisfied with their illustrations and recalled and destroyed most remaining copies. He later reprinted them, crucially with several corrections and additions, at an uncertain date after the first version of the second volume in 1838 and before the fourth volume in 1840. Contemporary references place this sometime around June 1839 ( Worthington and Worthington 1976). This affects the publication date of several species described by Holbrook ( Adler 1976), but luckily, no salamanders. Holbrook added two accounts of previously described salamanders to the second version of the second volume. These are:

Figures

FIGURE 1. One of Holbrook’s primary syntype specimens (ANSP 716) of Salamandra gutto-lineata Holbrook, 1838a in dorsal (a) and ventral (b) views, here designated as the lectotype. Consequently, ANSP 717 and the two other primary syntypes of unknown location and disposition (one of them a male with cirri) thereby become paralectotypes. Of these two missing paralectotypes, we cannot be certain if MNHN-RA 0.4668 is one of them. We were unable to match the handwriting on the label; it may be Cope, Fowler, Dunn, or another worker. Ruler is in mm.