Ultrastructural studies of the epidermal leydig cell in larvae of Salamandra salamandra (caudata, salamandrida).

Epidermal Leydig cells observed in the ventral epidermis of Salamandra salamandra larvae from birth until metamorphosis are characterized by large vesicles and a supporting Langerhans net. They decline in number after birth and disappear entirely after metamorphosis. The cells change in structure and become larger, thus indicating a process of degeneration. The Leydig cells are continuously removed by macrophagelike cells after birth.