Which salamander family is commonly called the lungless salamanders?

The salamander family commonly called the lungless salamanders is Plethodontidae.

Plethodontids are the largest salamander family, with more than 500 living species distributed across roughly 29 genera. Most occur in the Americas, although Speleomantes reaches Europe and Karsenia occurs in South Korea.

Adults lack lungs and normally lack gills, so they exchange gases mainly through their skin and the moist tissues lining the mouth. This dependence on cutaneous respiration means they generally need damp environments. Their specialized nasal grooves also help maintain chemical sensing when air cannot be pumped through lungs.

Many plethodontids reproduce entirely on land. In species with direct development, hatchlings emerge as miniature salamanders rather than passing through an aquatic tadpole-like larval stage. The name can cause confusion because a few other salamanders may also lack functional lungs, but Plethodontidae is the standard family-level answer to this question.