Data from: Normal table of embryonic development in the four-toed salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum

We present a complete staging table of normal development for the lungless
salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum (Caudata: Plethodontidae). Terrestrial
egg clutches from naturally ovipositing females were collected and
maintained at 15 °C in the laboratory. Observations, photographs, and
time-lapse movies of embryos were taken throughout the 45-day embryonic
period. The complete normal table of development for H. scutatum is
divided into 28 stages and extends previous analyses of H. scutatum
embryonic development (Bishop, 1920; Humphrey, 1928). Early embryonic
stage classifications through neurulation reflect criteria described for
Xenopus laevis, Ambystoma maculatum and other salamanders. Later embryonic
stage assignments are based on unique features of H. scutatum embryos.
Additionally, we provide morphological analysis of gastrulation and
neurulation, as well as details on external aspects of eye, gill, limb,
pigmentation, and tail development to support future research related to
phylogeny, comparative embryology, and molecular mechanisms of
development.