Spotted Salamander
California Tiger Salamander
Life Cycle
Salamanders first appeared in the Jurassic. It is believed that they evolved from lpospondyles such as the microsauria. Salamanders are considered to be the least specialized of amphibians - mainly due to their conservative body plan. One interesting feature in salamander evolution is the secondary loss of bone and it's replacement with cartilage.
Cladogram
Salamander 2 fossil
Recently, a large number of salamander fossils have been found in volcanic ash in China. The preservation was excellent -including many details of soft tissue anatomy.
Salamander 1 fossil
Amphibians and Reptiles in Great Lakes Wetlands
California Tiger Salamander
China Ash Yields Salamander Evolution Secrets
Salamander
Evolution: Library: Ring Species: Salamanders
Evolution of salamander life cycles: A major effect QTL ...
Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and ...
Evolving Before Our Eyes / Songbirds and salamanders bolster Darwin's theory that change in habitat can create 2 species from one
Major fossil find reveals Asian origins of salamanders
University of Chicago Hospitals: New species of earliest-known salamanders found in China
Article 1 - Evolution of Modern Amphibians, by Lenny Frank