The feeding apparatus of the salamander Amphiuma tridactylum: Morphology and behavior

Anatomical studies of cephalic bones and muscles combined with cine and high-speed videographic analyses of feeding demonstrate that Amphiuma tridactylum uses two distinct types of suction feeding. Small or relatively immobile prey generally elicit a stationary capture mode in which mouth opening precedes buccal expansion and there is no forward movement of the head of the salamander. Actively moving prey are captured by a rapid strike during which mouth opening and buccal expansion are synchronous and the extent of buccal expansion is greater than in stationary feeding. Differences between these feeding modes may be due to differences in the timing of contraction of the rectus cervicis muscle. Synchronous hyoid and mandibular excursions during the strike are probably generated by simultaneous contractions of the depressor mandibulae and rectus cervicis, whereas delay of hyoid excursions during stationary capture suggests sequential contraction of the depressor and rectus cervicis.