The Ventral Gland in Female Salamander Eurycea bislineata (Amphibia: Plethodontidae)

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Abstract
The ventral gland in female Eurycea bislineata secretes a proteinaceous substance into the cloaca during a preovipository mating period. This is the first report of an exocrine gland in a female salamander that appears to be actively secreting a substance only during the mating season. Ventral glands similar in cytology are symplesiomorphic for salamanders, so an ancestral function of cloacal glands in salamanders may involve secretion during mating activity. Morphometric variation of ventral gland diameter is not related to secretory activity of the glands or reproductive status of the females. Sperm retention in the spermathecae following oviposition by female E. bislineata is reported, only the second instance known for salamanders.