. The biology of the amphibia. Amphibians. THE INTEGUMENT 137 Odors.—Many frogs and salamanders have distinctive odors. The Mink Frog, Rana septentrionalis, receives its local name from its odor. The Marsupial Frog, Gastrotheca monticola, has a peculiar pungent smell, also reminiscent of that of a mink. It is noteworthy that while the two pelobatids Pelodytes and Pelo- bates, have the odor of onions (Boulenger 1911), the obviously unrelated Salamandra salamandra and Bufo vulgaris are both reported to smell like vanilla. The vanilla odor in Hydromantes. Fig. 52.—The naso-labial glands of pletho
. The biology of the amphibia. Amphibians. THE INTEGUMENT 137 Odors.—Many frogs and salamanders have distinctive odors. The Mink Frog, Rana septentrionalis, receives its local name from its odor. The Marsupial Frog, Gastrotheca monticola, has a peculiar pungent smell, also reminiscent of that of a mink. It is noteworthy that while the two pelobatids Pelodytes and Pelo- bates, have the odor of onions (Boulenger 1911), the obviously unrelated Salamandra salamandra and Bufo vulgaris are both reported to smell like vanilla. The vanilla odor in Hydromantes. Fig. 52.—The naso-labial glands of plethodontid salamanders. The naso- labial groove is a glandular furrow which serves to free the nostrils from water in the plethodontid salamanders. The head of the Purple Salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (B), shows both naso-labial groove and lateral line organs. On the left the skin (A) of the head of Desmognathus fuscus has been removed together with the naso-labial glands and is viewed from the under surface. , conjunc- tiva; L., labial glands; , lateral-line organ; , naso-labial glands; , naso-labial groove; , cut end of tubule which lies in the groove of the maxillary bone; , tubule of naso-labial gland within the premaxillary foramen. (A, after Whipple.) italicus is produced by the granular glands (Phisalix, 1918). The odor of Hydromantes genei is a sweetish, penetrating odor which arises from these salamanders even when they are not handled. All odors appear to arise from either the secretions of the granular or mucous glands. Odors have not been reported from tadpoles or salamander larvae, and in most of these the glands do not become functional until shortly before metamor- phosis. The mature tadpoles of Rana heckscheri, however, have a peculiar sweetish odor. On the other hand, it is highly prob- able that odors undetectable by our olfactory mechanisms are present in Amphibia and play an important role in the economy of some spec
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