The fourth Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders was held at "The Mountain," in Highlands, North Carolina on June 12-14, 1998. Hosted by the Highlands Biological Station, and sponsored by the Highlands Biological Foundation, Inc., the conference afforded a state-of-the-art overview of these animals, as evidenced by the contents of the present volume and the credentials of the contributors. In the following pages, the reader will find the best current understanding of many aspects of plethodontid salamander evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology,...