Cutaneous respiration, or respiration through moist skin, is characteristically found in which one of the following animals?

Introduction / Context:
Animals use different organs for respiration depending on their habitat and evolutionary adaptations. Some have lungs, some have gills, and some can even respire through their skin. The term cutaneous respiration refers to gas exchange that occurs directly across the skin surface. This question asks you to identify which listed animal characteristically exhibits cutaneous respiration as an important mode of breathing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Cutaneous respiration requires a moist, well vascularised skin surface.
• The options include cockroach, salamander, crab, parrot, and earthworm.
• We assume typical representatives of each group: an amphibian salamander, an insect cockroach, a crustacean crab, a bird parrot, and an annelid earthworm.
• We are looking for the animal for which cutaneous respiration is a recognised, significant respiratory mechanism.

Concept / Approach:
Amphibians, such as salamanders and frogs, commonly use cutaneous respiration, especially when under water or during certain life stages. Their skin is thin, moist, and richly supplied with blood vessels, allowing oxygen and carbon dioxide to diffuse across it. In contrast, cockroaches respire through a tracheal system, crabs use gills, parrots use lungs with air sacs, and earthworms also use their skin but are not usually highlighted in such exam questions when an amphibian option is present. Among the given choices, salamander is the classic example taught for cutaneous respiration.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that amphibians are known for using their skin as a respiratory surface, especially in water.Step 2: Identify salamander as an amphibian with moist, glandular skin adapted for gas exchange.Step 3: Cockroach breathes using a network of tracheae and spiracles, not through the skin.Step 4: Crabs respire primarily using gills, extracting oxygen from water.Step 5: Parrots are birds with lungs and air sacs and do not use the skin for respiration.Step 6: Earthworms do use their skin for gas exchange, but when a vertebrate amphibian like salamander is an option, most textbook MCQs highlight salamander as the standard example of cutaneous respiration, so we choose Salamander.

Verification / Alternative check:
Zoology texts discuss cutaneous respiration in both amphibians and some invertebrates. Amphibians like salamanders are often given as primary examples because their survival can depend heavily on skin breathing, especially in aquatic or moist habitats. While earthworms also respire through their moist skin, they are invertebrates; in this mixed list, the question is clearly framed toward the more famous amphibian example. This standard pattern supports salamander as the accepted exam answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Cockroach uses a tracheal respiratory system and does not depend on skin for gas exchange.Crab uses gills to absorb oxygen from water rather than cutaneous respiration.Parrot, as a bird, breathes using lungs and air sacs; its skin is covered with feathers and is not a respiratory surface.Earthworm does show skin breathing but is generally cited in separate questions specifically about annelids; in this mixed vertebrate and invertebrate question, salamander is the more precise exemplar of cutaneous respiration taught in basic zoology.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may choose earthworm because they remember that earthworms breathe through their skin; this is biologically correct but does not match the usual pattern of this specific question style, where amphibians are highlighted. Others may mark any animal living in water, such as crab, without considering the actual respiratory organs. To avoid confusion, link the term cutaneous respiration particularly with amphibians like salamanders and frogs in standard exam contexts.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Salamander.