Smell Over Sight: Determining levels of olfactory gene expression between surface and subterranean Eurycea salamanders

Authors

• Sonia Cerrillo, St. Mary's University
• Iliana Melendez, St. Mary's University
• Naomi Ramirez, St. Mary's University

Files

Contributor

Tovar, Ruben (Faculty Mentor)

Digital Publisher

Digital Commons at St. Mary's

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Keywords

Salamanders, Central Texas, Environmental factors, Habitats, Evolution

Description

In the karst aquifers of central Texas, including the Edwards and Trinity systems, organisms live in an environment defined by constant temperatures, total darkness, and scarce food resources. These conditions have driven the evolution of salamanders in the genus Eurycea, particularly those that have adapted to subterranean life. Cave-dwelling species like Eurycea rathbuni exhibit hallmark “blind salamander” traits, including educed eyes, loss of pigmentation, and flattened head morphology. In contrast, surface-dwelling relatives such as Eurycea nana and Eurycea sosorum retain fully developed eyes and pigmentation, while some species like Eurycea latitans display both surface and subterranean forms across different populations.

Format

PDF

Size

1 poster

City

San Antonio, Texas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.