Variability of Structural and Biomechanical Parameters of Pelophylax Esculentus (Amphibia, Anura Limb Bones

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Broshko Ye. O.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Variability of Structural and Biomechanical Prameters of Pelophylax esculentus (Amphibia, Anura Limb Bones. Broshko Ye. O. — Structural and biomechanical parameters of Edible Frog, Pelophylax esculentus (Linnaeus, 1758, limb bones, namely, mass, linear dimensions, parameters of the shaft’s cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional area, moments of inertia, radiuses of inertia were investigated. Some coefficients were also estimated: diameters ratio (df/ds, cross-sectional index (ik, principal moments of inertia ratio (Imax/Imin.. Coefficients of variation of linear dimensions (11.9-20.0 % anrelative bone mass (22-35 % were established. Moments of inertia of various bones are more variable (CV = 41.67-56.35 % in relation to radii of inertia (CV = 9.68-14.67 %. Shaft’s cross-sectional shape is invariable in all cases. However, there is high individual variability of structural and biomechanical parameters of P. esculentus limb bones. Variability of parameters was limited by the certain range. We suggest the presence of stable norm in bone structure. Stylopodium bones have the primary biomechanical function among the elements of limb skeleton, because their parameters most clearly responsive to changes in body mass.

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS WHITHIN THE PRISTIMANTIS UNISTRIGATUS (ANURA, CRAUGASTORIDAE GROUP BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

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JULIO MARIO HOYOS

2014-06-01

Full Text Available We present a phylogenetic analysis within the Pristimantis unistrigatus group (Anura, Craugastoridae of Colombia . Characters from the superficial muscles of the hands and feet as well as external characters were taken for analysis. Most of the muscle characters were observed directly, and some were taken from the literature. Similarly, the external ones were taken mostly from the original descriptions and others from the literature as well. Two matrices were constructed, as the species belonging to this group have changed in recent years with respect to the initially proposed when the group was defined. The results lead us to conclude that the group is not monophyletic, although there are some relationships that are worth to survey because they are kept in the very last cladograms obtained for both proposals. It is suggested that these last relationships should be explored in particular, and the overall group in general, increasing the number of characters and taxa that belong to P. unistrigatus. An open question we left is whether actually is worth to keep these informal taxonomic hierarchy called group within the genera of anurans.

Structural diversity of nuptial pads in Phyllomedusinae (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae).

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Luna, Maria Celeste; Taboada, Carlos; Baêta, Délio; Faivovich, Julián

2012-07-01

We studied the morphological variation of the nuptial pads using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in 26 species of phyllomedusines (Anura: Hylidae), representing the five currently recognized genera. All phyllomedusines have single nuptial pads with dark colored epidermal projections (EPs). Spine-shaped EPs occur in Cruziohyla calcarifer, Phrynomedusa appendiculata and in one species of Phasmahyla. The other species have roundish EPs. The density of the EPs on the pad is variable. Species in the Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis Group have EPs with a density that varies between 764 ± 58/mm(2) and 923 ± 160/mm(2). In all other studied species (including the Phyllomedusa burmeisteri and Phyllomedusa perinesos groups, Phyllomedusa camba, Phyllomedusa boliviana, Phyllomedusa sauvagii, Phyllomedusa bicolor, and Phyllomedusa tomopterna) the density of EPs varies between 108 ± 20/mm(2) and 552 ± 97/mm(2). Pores were observed with SEM in C. calcarifer, Agalychnis lemur, Agalychnis moreletii, but its presence is confirmed through histological sections on several other species. Its visibility using SEM seems to be related with the level of separation between adjacent EPs. The pores in the four studied species of Agalychnis are shown with SEM and histological sections to have a characteristic epidermal rim, that is absent in the otherphyllomedusines. Unlike most previous reports on breeding glands, those of phyllomedusines are alcian blue positive, indicating the presence of acidic mucosubstances on its secretions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Liver Melanomacrophages and Gluthation S-Transferase Activity in Leptodactylus chaquensis (ANURA, LEPTODACTYLIDAE as Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress Due to Chlorpyrifos Exposition

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Ivan Huespe

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We quantified and compared the hepatic melanomacrophage (MM and glutathione S-transferase (GST enzyme activity (two oxidative stress biomarkers in the liver of Leptodatylus chaquensis adults (Anura, Leptodactylidae collected in a rice field (CA in San Javier department, Santa Fe (Argentina, seven days after the application of chlorpyrifos and in a reference site (SR. The histological analysis revealed a significant amount (p = 0.028 and area occupied by MM (p = 0.017 in livers of CA compared to SR. Furthermore, a significant inhibition of GST activity was recorded in the CA frogs compared to the SR (p = 0.030. The histopathological and enzymatic effects provide evidences of ecotoxicological risk for anurans in rice field with CPF application.

Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae related to Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae, Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia, Serpentes and Mabuya frenata (Reptilia, Lacertilia carcasses in Brasília, Brazil Sarcophagidae e Calliphoridae associados às carcaças de Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae, Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia, Serpentes e Mabuya frenata (Reptilia, Lacertilia em Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil

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Roger Maia Dias Ledo

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae related to Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae, Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia, Serpentes and Mabuya frenata (Reptilia, Lacertilia carcasses in Brasília, Brazil. This paper presents a list of necrophagous insects associated with small size carrions of two reptiles and one amphibian, found in areas of riparian forests and Cerrado sensu stricto physiognomies in a Conservation Unit located in Brasilia, Distrito Federal. We found seven species of insects related to these carcasses, being five Sarcophagidae, one Calliphoridae and one Braconidae parasitoid wasp. Lucilia eximia and Peckia (Pattonella intermutans were the most abundant species in the study, corroborating with other studies that suggests that these species have specializations for colonization of small size animal carcasses.Sarcophagidae e Calliphoridae associados às carcaças de Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae, Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia, Serpentes e Mabuya frenata (Reptilia, Lacertilia em Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil. Este trabalho apresenta uma lista de insetos decompositores associados a carcaças de pequeno porte de dois répteis e de um anfíbio, encontrados em áreas de matas de galeria e de cerrado sensu stricto em unidades de conservação do Distrito Federal. Foram encontradas sete espécies de insetos associados a essas carcaças, sendo cinco sarcofagídeos, um califorídeo e uma vespa parasitóide Braconidae. Lucilia eximia e Peckia (Pattonella intermutans foram as espécies mais abundantes, corroborando com outros estudos que sugerem que estas espécies apresentam especializações para a colonização de carcaças menores.

Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae related to Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae, Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia, Serpentes and Mabuya frenata (Reptilia, Lacertilia carcasses in Brasília, Brazil

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Roger Maia Dias Ledo

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae related to Rhinella schneideri (Anura, Bufonidae, Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia, Serpentes and Mabuya frenata (Reptilia, Lacertilia carcasses in Brasília, Brazil. This paper presents a list of necrophagous insects associated with small size carrions of two reptiles and one amphibian, found in areas of riparian forests and Cerrado sensu stricto physiognomies in a Conservation Unit located in Brasilia, Distrito Federal. We found seven species of insects related to these carcasses, being five Sarcophagidae, one Calliphoridae and one Braconidae parasitoid wasp. Lucilia eximia and Peckia (Pattonella intermutans were the most abundant species in the study, corroborating with other studies that suggests that these species have specializations for colonization of small size animal carcasses.

New species of Oswaldocruzia (Nematoda: Molineoidae), new species of Rhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae), and other helminths in Rana cf. forreri (Anura: Ranidae) from Costa Rica.

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Bursey, Charles R; Goldberg, Stephen R

2005-06-01

Oswaldocruzia costaricensis n. sp. (Strongylida: Molineidae) from the intestines and Rhabdias savagei n. sp. (Rhabditida: Rhabdiasidae) from the lungs of Rana cf. forreri (Anura: Ranidae) are described and illustrated. Oswaldocruzia costaricensis represents the 77th species assigned to the genus and differs from the other Neotropical species in the genus by possessing a Type II bursa and long cervical alae. Rhabdias savagei represents the 47th species assigned to the genus and differs from other Neotropical species in the genus by possession of 4 lips and a postequatorial vulva. Rana cf. forreri was also found to harbor the trematodes, Haematoloechus parcivitellarius and Megalodiscus temperatus, the nematodes, Aplectana incerta, Aplectana itzocanensis, Cosmocerca podicipinus, Foleyellides striatus, Subulascaris falcaustriformis, and a larva of the nematode Brevimulticaecum sp. Cosmocerca panamaensis is considered to be a synonym of Cosmocerca podicipinus.

Revisión taxonómica de Alytes grandis Brunner (Amphibia, Anura

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Sanchiz, B.

1986-12-01

Full Text Available The holotype and only existing remain referred to Alytes grandis Brunner, 1957, presumably a discoglossid frog from the German Pleistocene, is examined and compared with other living and fossil Palaearctic anurans. The analysis rejects its validity as an independent extinct species, as The material is clearly within the known variability of living Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758, of which it should be considered merely a sinonym.

Se examina el holotipo y único resto atribuido de Alytes grandis Brunner, 1957, un supuesto discoglósido del Pleistoceno alemán, comparándose con otros anuros actuales y fósiles del Paleártico. El análisis permite desechar su pertenencia a una especie extinta independiente, siendo en cambio atribuible con toda claridad a la viviente Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758, de la que debe considerarse sinónimo.
Zum systematischen Status von Alytes grandis Brunner, 1957 (Amphibia, Anura. Der bislang einzig bekannte und von Brunner (1957 beschriebene Rest zu Alytes grandis aus pleistozänen Ablagerungen der Breitenberghöhle bei Gössweinstein (Fränk, Alb wird beschrieben und aufgrund ausführlicher Vergleichsuntersuchungen der rezenten Art Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758, zugeordnet, Alytes grandis Brunner, 1957, ist somit als synonyrn zu Rana temporaria zu betrachten.

Reprodução de Pseudis minuta (Anura, Hylidae no sul do Brasil

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Janaine Melchiors

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Reproduction of Pseudis minuta (Anura, Hylidae in southern Brazil.This study was based on individuals of Pseudis minuta captured or observed in the municipality of Candiota, Campanha region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Sampling occurred along ten non-consecutive months in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The reproductive phases were characterized based on the gonadal development stage of39 males and 50 females, and on the observation, in nature, of the seasonal distribution of calling males, occurrence of amplectant pairs, and presence of larvae, juveniles and adults. Calls were recorded from August to April, amplectant pairs from October to February (except January, tadpoles from October to March (except February, and juveniles in all the sampled months (except January. Reproductive activity was not observed in late fall and early winter, even though females with post-vitellogenic oocytes and males with spermatozoa in the seminiferous tubules were recorded in allthe seasons. Mature females were statistically larger and heavier than mature males.The smallest female with post-vitellogenic oocytes had 32.0 mm of snout-vent length,and the smallest male with spermatozoa in its seminiferous tubules had 20.6 mm. The number of post-vitellogenic oocytes was directly proportional to the mass and to the snout-vent length of females, and the length of testis was directly proportional to the snout-vent length and to the mass of males.

A new species of Aplectana (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) parasite of Pleurodema nebulosum (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the Monte desert, Argentina, with a key to Neotropical species of the genus Aplectana.

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Gomez, Mauricio D Piñeiro; González, Cynthya E; Sanabria, Eduardo A

2017-03-27

Here we describe a new cosmocercid nematode, Aplectana nebulosa sp. nov., from the small and large intestines of Pleurodema nebulosum (Anura: Leptodactylidae), from the Monte desert of San Juan, Argentina. The new species belongs to the Aplectana group that possesses a gubernaculum and unpaired adcloacal papilla anteriorly to cloaca. It resembles A. membranosa, A. paraelenae and A. travassosi by the presence of four adcloacal papillae, but differs from those species by the following characters: number and arrangement of precloacal papillae; number and arrangement of postcloacal papillae; shape and size of spicules and gubernaculum, and by the presence of lateral alae in caudal region of males. The description of the new species is based on light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and we also provide a key to Neotropical species of Aplectana.

Uncovering the diversity in the Amazophrynella minuta complex: integrative taxonomy reveals a new species of Amazophrynella (Anura, Bufonidae) from southern Peru

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Rojas, Rommel R.; Chaparro, Juan C.; Carvalho, Vinícius Tadeu De; Ávila, Robson W.; Farias, Izeni Pires; Hrbek, Tomas; Gordo, Marcelo

2016-01-01

Abstract A new species of the genus Amazophrynella (Anura, Bufonidae) is described from the departments of Madre de Dios, Cusco and Junin in Peru. An integrative taxonomy approach is used. A morphological diagnosis, morphometrics comparisons, description of the advertisement call, and the phylogenetic relationships of the new species are provided. Amazophrynella javierbustamantei sp. n. differs from other species of Amazophrynella by: intermediate body-size (snout-vent length 14.9 mm in males, n = 26 and 19.6 mm in females, n = 20), tuberculate skin texture of body, greatest hand length of the Amazophrynella spp. (3.6 mm in males, n = 26 and 4.6 mm in females, n = 20), venter coloration yellowish, tiny rounded black points covering the venter, and thirteen molecular autapomorphies in the 16S RNA gene. Its distribution varies from 215 to 708 m a.s.l. This discovery highlights the importance of the remnant forest in preserving the biodiversity in Peru, and increase in seven the species formally described in the genus Amazophrynella. PMID:27047239

Thermoregulation in the hippopotamus on land

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1986-11-28

Nov 28, 1986 ... tadpoles (Anura: Bufonidae). Zool. Afr. 8:153-156. CHANNING, A. 1976. Rana johnstoni inyangae tadpoles from Rhodesia. Amoldia Rhod. 8: 1-4. CHANNING, A. 1978. A new bufonid genus (Amphibia: Anura) from Rhodesia. Herpetologica 34: 394-397. FROST, D.R 1985. Amphibian species of the world.

Diets of tadpoles from a temporary pond in southeastern Brazil (Amphibia, Anura

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Denise de C. Rossa-Feres

2004-12-01

Full Text Available The diet of tadpoles of 13 anuran species was determined to verify whether food resource partitioning occurs and whether the degree of diet similarity is related to taxonomic affinity. Tadpoles of all species studied were mainly herbivorous, except for these of Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799 which were mycophagous. Although some species had exclusive items in their diet, most tadpole species ingested the same items, but differed in the amount of each item consumed. Two guilds were found: tadpoles that feed on diatoms on the pond bottom, and tadpoles that feed on Oedogonium Link, 1820 algae in midwater. Diet similarity was related to the taxonomic relationship, microhabitat and feeding behavior of tadpoles indicating that the community organization is complex and resulting from the interaction of several parameters.Dieta dos girinos de um açude temporário no sudeste do Brasil (Amphibia, Anura. Determinou-se a dieta dos girinos de 13 espécies de anuros, com o objetivo de verificar se ocorre partilha de recursos alimentares e se o grau de similaridade na dieta é relacionado ao parentesco, inferido pela proximidade taxonômica. Os girinos de todas as espécies estudadas foram preponderantemente herbívoros, exceto os de Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799 que foram micófagos. Embora algumas espécies tenham apresentado itens exclusivos em sua dieta, os girinos da maioria das espécies ingeriram os mesmos itens, diferindo na quantidade consumida de cada item. Duas guildas foram encontradas: girinos que se alimentam de diatomáceas no fundo do corpo d'água e girinos que se alimentam de algas do gênero Oedogonium Link, 1820 à meia-água. A similaridade na dieta foi relacionada à proximidade taxonômica, ao microhabitat e ao comportamento de alimentação, indicando que a organização desta comunidade é complexa e resultante da interação entre vários fatores.

Environmental, land cover and land use constraints on the distributional patterns of anurans: Leptodacylus species (Anura, Leptodactylidae from Dry Chaco

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Regina Gabriela Medina

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Subtropical dry forests are among the most vulnerable biomes to land transformation at a global scale. Among them, the Dry Chaco suffers an accelerated change due to agriculture expansion and intensification. The Dry Chaco ecoregion is characterized by high levels of endemisms and species diversity, which are the result of a variety of climates and reliefs, allowing a wide variety of environments. The amphibian group exhibits a high richness in the Dry Chaco, which has been barely studied in relation to land cover changes. We used ecological niche models (ENMs to assess the potential geographic distribution of 10 Leptodactylus species (Anura, Leptodactylidae, which are mainly distributed within the Dry Chaco. We characterized these distributions environmentally, analyzed their overlap with land cover classes, and assessed their diversity of ecoregions. Also, we evaluated how these species potential distribution is affected by the transformation of land, and quantified the proportional area of the potential distribution in protected areas. We found that temperature seasonality is the main constraint to the occurrence of the species studied, whose main habitats are savannas, grasslands and croplands. The main threats to these species are the effects of climate change over spatial patterns of seasonality, which could affect their breeding and reproduction mode; the loss of their natural habitat; the exposure to contaminants used by intensive agriculture and their underrepresentation in protected areas.

DIET OF DENDROPSOPHUS MICROCEPHALUS AND SCARTHYLA VIGILANS (ANURA: HYLIDAE AT A LOCALITY IN NORTH-WESTERN VENEZUELA WITH NOTES ON MICROHABITAT OCCUPATION

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KIMBERLYN A. FONSECA-PÉREZ

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The coexistence of species with similar ecological requirements (food, space, time has typically drawn attention of researchers because competition for resources is expected to be high. The diet and microhabitat occupation of two morphologically and ecologically similar species of Hylidae (Anura, Dendropsophus microcephalus and Scarthyla vigilans, were analyzed at a locality in north-western Venezuela, with the aim of addressing the potential for space and food competition between them. Diet was estimated through the analysis of stomach contents and microhabitat occupation was estimated through recordings of perch type, height and horizontal distance to water. Thirty-six prey categories (32 families, 4 orders of arthropods were identified: 30 categories in D. microcephalus and 21 categories in S. vigilans. The most important prey (RII in D. microcephalus were Agelenidae (11.1%, Tachinidae (9.32% and Lepidoptera-larvae (7.96%. Gryllidae (14.13%, Cicadidae (9.1%, Cicadellidae (8.3% and Delphacidae (8.02% were the most important in S. vigilans. Diet overlap was relatively low (0.32. Both species have relatively generalist diets. Both species occupied the same type of perches (leaves and stems of Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons and heights (average: S. vigilans, 24 ± 16.2 cm; D. microcephalus, 22.7 ± 9.5 cm. The potential for space competition is high if perches are limited and food competition is expected to be low.

Derivation of hazardous doses for amphibians acutely exposed to ionising radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuma, Shoichi; Watanabe, Yoshito; Kawaguchi, Isao; Takata, Toshitaro; Kubota, Yoshihisa; Ban-nai, Tadaaki; Yoshida, Satoshi

2012-01-01

Derivation of effect benchmark values for each taxonomic group, which has been difficult due to lack of experimental effects data, is required for more adequate protection of the environment from ionising radiation. Estimation of effects doses from nuclear DNA mass and subsequent species sensitivity distribution (SSD) analysis were proposed as a method for such a derivation in acute irradiation situations for assumed nuclear accident scenarios. As a case study, 5% hazardous doses (HD 5 s), at which only 5% of species are acutely affected at 50% or higher lethality, were estimated on a global scale. After nuclear DNA mass data were obtained from a database, 50% lethal doses (LD 50 s) for 4.8 and 36% of the global Anura and Caudata species, respectively, were estimated by correlative equations between nuclear DNA mass and LD 50 s. Differences between estimated and experimental LD 50 s were within a factor of three. The HD 5 s obtained by the SSD analysis of these estimated LD 50 s data were 5.0 and 3.1 Gy for Anura and Caudata, respectively. This approach was also applied to the derivation of regional HD 5 s. The respective HD 5 s were 6.5 and 3.2 Gy for Anura and Caudata inhabiting Japan. This HD 5 value for the Japanese Anura was significantly higher than the global value, while Caudata had no significant difference in global and Japanese HD 5 s. These results suggest that this approach is also useful for derivation of regional benchmark values, some of which are likely different from the global values. - Highlights: ► A possible method was proposed for derivation of an effect benchmark value for each taxonomic group. ► 50% lethal doses were estimated from nuclear DNA mass in amphibian species. ► 5% hazardous doses (HD 5 s) were estimated by species sensitivity distribution. ► Respective HD 5 s were 5.0 and 3.1 Gy for Anura and Caudata globally. ► Respective HD 5 s were 6.5 and 3.2 Gy for Anura and Caudata inhabiting Japan.

Consideraciones ecológicas sobre la dieta, la reproducción y el parasitismo de Pseudopaludicola boliviana (Anura, Leptodactylidae de Corrientes, Argentina

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Arturo I. Kehr

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Ecological aspects of diet, reproduction, and parasitism of Pseudopaludicola boliviana (Anura, Leptodactylidae from Corrientes, Argentina.The main objectives of this paper were to update the distribution range of Pseudopaludicola boliviana in Argentina, to determine its diet composition and the feeding patterns, to analyze some reproductive variables as mature ova count and diameter in relation to female snoutvent length, to describe the advertisement call for Argentinean populations, and to identify and to localize its helminth parasites. Eleven prey types were identified; dipterans were more important both in number (23.53% and in volume (41.30%;other important preys were collembolans, arachnids and coleopterans. The trophic niche width was 7.15 and the standardized trophic niche value was 0.61. Ovarian complement (number of mature ova for female ranged from 50 to 319 (mean 175.3 ± 86.12, while ovum diameter ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 mm (mean 0.27 ± 0.062. The nuptial call is composed by five notes. The dominant frequency ranged from 3.488 to5.927 kHz; emphasized frequency fluctuated between 4.942 and 5.224 kHz. A total of 10 helminth species (larvae and adults were found in 54 (96% infected frogs. Helminths were represented by Trematoda (7 species, Cestoda (1, Nematoda (1, and Acanthocephala (1.

Dieta de Leptodactylus macrosternum (Amphibia; Anura; Leptodactylidae no Sertão da Paraíba, Brasil

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Dyego Francisco Silva da Costa

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Entender a ecologia alimentar de anuros é essencial para compreender a biologia de vida destes animais. Essas informações fornecem dados necessários sobre seu habitat, morfologia, fisiologia e comportamento. Nesse sentido objetivou-se analisar a dieta de uma população Leptodactylus macrosternum, da fazenda Cajueiro, município de Catolé do Rocha, Sertão paraibano. As coletas ocorreram mensalmente entre os meses de outubro de 2013 e junho de 2014, realizadas por meio de busca ativa auditiva/visual. Em laboratório, verificou- se os conteúdos alimentares até o nível taxonômico de Ordem. Foram identificadas 10 categorias alimentares, sendo sete pertencentes à classe Insecta, duas Arachinida e uma Gasthropoda, além de vegetais e terra/pedra. Os principais itens alimentares na dieta, segundo o Índice de Importância Alimentar, foram Coleoptera e Hymenoptera, seguidos de Odonata, Hemiptera e Orthoptera, não ocorrendo de modo geral modificações significativas no consumo dos itens alimentares. As alterações no consumo dos itens na dieta de L. macrosternum, possivelmente resultam da disponibilidade, associada a variações pluviométricas da região. Diet of Leptodactylus macrosternum (Amphibia Anura: Leptodactylidae in the backlands of Paraiba, BrazilAbstract: Understanding the frogs food ecology is essential to understand the biology of life of these animals. This information provides necessary data on their habitat, morphology, physiology and behavior. In the study we analyzed the diet of a Leptodactylus macrosternum population, of the farm Cajueiro, city of Catolé do Rocha, wilderness region of Paraíba. The gatherings were executed between October of 2013 and June of 2014, by hearing/visual active search. In the laboratory, the food contents were analyzed in the taxonomic categories of Order. Were identified 10 feeding categories, being 7 belonging to the class Insecta, 2 Arachinida, 1 Gasthropoda, in addition to vegetables and

A new species of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae) from the Sahamalaza Peninsula, northwest Madagascar, with acoustic monitoring of its nocturnal calling activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Penny, Samuel G; Andreone, Franco; Crottini, Angelica; Holderied, Marc W; Rakotozafy, Lovasoa Sylviane; Schwitzer, Christoph; Rosa, Gonçalo M

2014-01-01

A new species of treefrog of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae) is described from the Sahamalaza - Iles Radama National Park in northwest Madagascar. This new species is green in colour with bright red speckling across its head and dorsum; similar in morphology to other species of this group including: B. bottae, B. rappiodes, B. erythrodactylus and B. tasymena. The new species can be distinguished by its advertisement call and by a genetic divergence of more than 4.9% in the analysed mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragment. Its call consists of two note types: a trill and a click; although similar sounding to B. bottae, the trill note of the new species has a faster pulse rate while the click note is predominantly two-pulsed rather than three. All individuals were detected from the banks of two streams in Ankarafa Forest. The new species represents the only member of the B. rappiodes group endemic to Madagascar's western coast, with the majority of other members known from the eastern rainforest belt. Despite its conspicuous call, it has not been detected from other surveys of northwest Madagascar and it is likely to be a local endemic to the peninsula. The ranges of two other amphibian species also appear restricted to Sahamalaza, and so the area seems to support a high level of endemicity. Although occurring inside a National Park, this species is highly threatened by the continuing decline in the quality and extent of its habitat. Due to these threats it is proposed that this species should be classified as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

Do all frogs swim alike? The effect of ecological specialization on swimming kinematics in frogs

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Robovská-Havelková, P.; Aerts, P.; Roček, Zbyněk; Přikryl, Tomáš; Fabre, A.-C.; Herrel, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 217, č. 20 (2014), s. 3637-3644 ISSN 0022-0949 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Anura * kinematics * locomotion * swimming Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 2.897, year: 2014

Fine scale gene flow and individual movements among subpopulations of Centrolene prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae

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Jeanne M Robertson

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Dispersal capabilities determine and maintain local gene flow, and this has implications for population persistence and/or recolonization following environmental perturbations (natural or anthropogenic, disease outbreaks, or other demographic collapses. To predict recolonization and understand dispersal capacity in a stream-breeding frog, we examined individual movement patterns and gene flow among four subpopulations of the Neotropical glassfrog, Centrolene prosoblepon, at a mid-elevation cloud forest site at El Copé, Panama. We measured male movement directly during a two year mark-recapture study, and indirectly with gene flow estimates from mitochondrial DNA sequences (mtDNA. Individuals of this species showed strong site fidelity: over two years, male frogs in all four headwater streams moved very little (mean = 2.33 m; mode = 0 m. Nine individuals changed streams within one or two years, moving 675-1 108 m. For those males moving more than 10 m, movement was biased upstream (p ST = 0.007, p = 0.325 but gene flow was more limited across greater distances (CT = 0.322, p = 0.065, even within the same drainage network. Lowland populations of C. prosoblepon potentially act as an important source of colonists for upland populations in this watershed. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (1: 13-26. Epub 2008 March 31.La capacidad de dispersión determina y mantiene el flujo genético local, y esto tiene implicaciones para la persistencia poblacional y/o la recolonización que sigue a perturbaciones ambientales. Examinamos patrones individuales de movimiento y flujo genético entre subpoblaciones de Centrolene prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae en un sitio de elevación media en El Copé, Panamá. Medimos directamente el movimiento de los machos durante un estudio de marcado-recaptura, e indirectamente con estimaciones de flujo genético a partir de secuencias de ADN mitocondrial (mtDNA. Los individuos mostraron fuerte fidelidad a su lugar: por más de dos a

Transformations of Aortic Arches During Metamorphosis of the Spade-Foot Toad, Pelobates fuscus

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Majorová, H.; Roček, Zbyněk

2004-01-01

Roč. 260, č. 3 (2004), s. 309 ISSN 0362-2525. [International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology /7./. 27.07.2004-01.08.2004, Boca Raton] Keywords : Anura * Circulatory System * Metamorphosis Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology

Los cromosomas meióticos de la rana arborícola Smilisca baudinii (Anura: Hylidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Hernández-Guzmán

2011-03-01

Full Text Available La rana arborícola mexicana Smilisca baudinii, es una especie de rana común en Centroamérica. Sin embargo, la biología y genética de la especie, es pobremente conocida a pesar de su importancia para mantener en equilibrio ecológico las selvas tropicales. Con el propósito de contribuir con el conocimiento biológico de esta especie, establecimos el cariotipo típico en meiosis en especímenes recolectados en Tabasco, México, mediante procedimientos citogenéticos estándares. El estudio, se fundamentó en el análisis de 131 dispersiones cromosómicas en estadio meiótico de dos adultos de la especie (una hembra y un macho. El análisis de las metafases, permitió establecer el número modal haploide de 1n=12 cromosomas bivalentes. La fórmula cromosómica del cariotipo haploide, se integró por 12 cromosomas birrámeos caracterizado por 12 pares de cromosomas bivalentes metacéntricos-submetacéntricos (msm. Los conteos en meiosis, hacen suponer como número diploide de cromosomas a un complemento integrado por 2n=24 cromosomas birrámeos. No fue posible observar presencia de cromosomas sexuales, entre las dispersiones meióticas del espécimen hembra y macho. Los resultados sugieren que la estructura cromosómica de S. baudinii, es compartida ampliamente entre las especies de la familia Hylidae y los cromosomas "B" son estructuras importantes en la diversificación de las especies.Meiotic chromosomes of the tree frog Smilisca baudinii (Anura: Hylidae. The Mexican tree frog Smilisca baudinii, is a very common frog in Central America. In spite their importance to keep the ecological equilibrium of the rainforest, its biology and genetics are poorly known. In order to contribute with its biological knowledge, we described the typical meiotic karyotype based in standard cytogenetic protocols to specimens collected in Tabasco, Mexico. The study was centered in the analysis of 131 chromosome spreads at meiotic stage from two adults of the

A new species of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae from the Sahamalaza Peninsula, northwest Madagascar, with acoustic monitoring of its nocturnal calling activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Penny

2014-08-01

Full Text Available A new species of treefrog of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae is described from the Sahamalaza – Iles Radama National Park in northwest Madagascar. This new species is green in colour with bright red speckling across its head and dorsum; similar in morphology to other species of this group including: B. bottae, B. rappiodes, B. erythrodactylus and B. tasymena. The new species can be distinguished by its advertisement call and by a genetic divergence of more than 4.9% in the analysed mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragment. Its call consists of two note types: a trill and a click; although similar sounding to B. bottae, the trill note of the new species has a faster pulse rate while the click note is predominantly two-pulsed rather than three. All individuals were detected from the banks of two streams in Ankarafa Forest. The new species represents the only member of the B. rappiodes group endemic to Madagascar’s western coast, with the majority of other members known from the eastern rainforest belt. Despite its conspicuous call, it has not been detected from other surveys of northwest Madagascar and it is likely to be a local endemic to the peninsula. The ranges of two other amphibian species also appear restricted to Sahamalaza, and so the area seems to support a high level of endemicity. Although occurring inside a National Park, this species is highly threatened by the continuing decline in the quality and extent of its habitat. Due to these threats it is proposed that this species should be classified as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

The Late Cretaceous frog Gobiates from Central Asia: its evolutionary status and possible phylogenetic relationships

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk

2008-01-01

Roč. 29, č. 4 (2008), s. 577-591 ISSN 0195-6671 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Amphibia * Anura * Gobiatidae * Cretaceous * Cretaceous (Mongolia) Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 0.938, year: 2008

“Lost” and rediscovered: Holotype of .i.Palaeobatrachus diluvianus./i. (GOLDFUSS, 1831).

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk

2016-01-01

Roč. 72, 1/2 (2016), s. 45-52 ISSN 2533-4050 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Anura, * Palaeobatrachidae * Palaeobatrachus diluvianus * holotype * osteology * Goldfuss * Orsberg Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy http://fi.nm.cz/collection/cislo-1-2-19/

Evolution of anuran assemblages in the Late Cretaceous of Utah, USA

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk; Eaton, J. G.; Gardner, J.; Přikryl, Tomáš

2010-01-01

Roč. 90, č. 4 (2010), s. 341-393 ISSN 1867-1594 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME08066 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Anura * evolution * Late Cretaceous * fossil frogs * stratigraphy * Utah Subject RIV: EG - Zoology

Njv Magazine 3 final

African Journals Online (AJOL)

En-Joy

diseases, including neoplasia (Done, 1996), viral (Buffetaut and Upton, 1997;. Jacopson, 1989), bacterial (Foggin, 1987) mycotic (Jacopson, 1989) and parasitic .... LECLAIR Jr., R and CASTANET, J. A. (1987): Skeletochronological assessment of age and growth in the frog Rana pipiens Schreber. (Amphibia, Anura) from.

Author Details

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Chromosomal rearrangements occurred repeatedly and independently during species diversification in Malagasy geckos, genus Paroedura Abstract · Vol 38, No 1 (2003) - Articles Molecular and bioacoustic divergence in Mantidactylus granulatus and M. zavona n.sp. (Anura: Mantellidae): bearings for the biogeography of ...

Notes on the herpetofauna of western Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nagy, Z. T.; Kusamba, C.; Collet, M.; Gvoždík, Václav

2013-01-01

Roč. 6, č. 6 (2013), s. 413-419 ISSN 2071-5773 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Anura * checklist * mangroves * Mayombe * Squamata * Testudines Subject RIV: EG - Zoology http://www.herpetologynotes.seh-herpetology.org/Volume6_PDFs/Nagy_HerpetologyNotes_volume6_pages413-419.pdf

Similarities and differences in the ilia of Late Cretaceous anurans and urodeles

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk; Gardner, J. D.; Eaton, J. G.; Přikryl, Tomáš

2012-01-01

Roč. 183, č. 6 (2012), s. 529-535 ISSN 0037-9409 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME08066 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Anura * Cretaceous * Ilium * North America * Postcranial skeleton * Urodela Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 1.182, year: 2012

Gigantism in tadpoles of the Neogene frog Palaeobatrachus

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk; Böttcher, R.; Wassersug, R.

2006-01-01

Roč. 32, č. 4 (2006), s. 666-675 ISSN 0094-8373 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA3013206 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Amphibia * Anura * Neogene * Germany * development Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 2.405, year: 2006

A new squeaker frog (Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis) from the mountains of Cameroon and Nigeria

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Blackburn, D. C.; Gvoždík, Václav; Leache, A. D.

2010-01-01

Roč. 66, č. 3 (2010), s. 335-348 ISSN 0018-0831 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC06073 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : Amplubia * Anura * Biodiveristy hotspot * Federal Republic of Nigeria Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.667, year: 2010

Burrow systems of mole-rats as refuges for frogs in the Miombo woodlands of south-east Africa

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šklíba, J.; Jirků, Miloslav; Šumbera, R.

2016-01-01

Roč. 32, MAR (2016), s. 158-161 ISSN 0266-4674 R&D Projects: GA ČR GB14-36098G Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : aestivation * Anura * Bathyergidae * commensalism * ecosystem engineer * Malawi * subterranean rodent * Zambia Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.041, year: 2016

Leptopelis boulengeri, Hyperolius fusciventris bourtoni, H. guttulatus

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fumnanya

Majority of H. guttulatus occupied leaves of shrubs and trees between 0.7-1.6m and a ... Southeastern (Cross River National Park and. Obudu Plateau) ..... as the savanna, deciduous forest and derived savanna .... December 1999, Washington D.C.. (Conservation ... (Anura: Hyperoliidae) in south-eastern Ivory. Coast, with ...

Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Biosciences; Volume 28; Issue 6. A skeletochronological study of growth, longevity, and age at sexual maturity in a population of Rana latastei (Amphibia, Anura). Fabio M Guarino Silvia Lunardi Michela Carlomagno Stefano Mazzotti. Articles Volume 28 Issue 6 December 2003 pp 775-782 ...

Goussia Labbé , 1896 (Apicomplexa, Eimeriorina) in Amphibia: Diversity, Biology, Molecular Phylogeny and Comments on theStatus of the Genus

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirků, Miloslav; Jirků, Milan; Oborník, Miroslav; Lukeš, Julius; Modrý, David

2009-01-01

Roč. 160, č. 1 (2009), s. 123-136 ISSN 1434-4610 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA206/03/1544 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Anura * coccidia * cryptic species * Goussia * phylogeny * ultrastructure Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 3.853, year: 2009

Fosilní pulci lokality Shanwang (spodní až střední miocén; provincie Shandong, Čína)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk; Dong, L.; Přikryl, Tomáš; Sun, Ch.; Li, J.; Wang, J.

2010-01-01

Roč. 2009, - (2010), s. 160-162 ISSN 0514-8057 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA300130705 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Miocene * Tadpoles * Anura * Shanwang (China) Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology http://www.geology.cz/zpravy/obsah/2009/2009-43.pdf

Patterns of larval development in Cretaceous pipid frogs

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk; van Dijk, E.

2006-01-01

Roč. 51, č. 1 (2006), s. 111-126 ISSN 0567-7920 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA3013206 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Anura * Pipidae * Cretaceous Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.076, year: 2006 http://app.pan.pl/archive/published/app51/app51-111.pdf

A Model for Taxonomic Work on Homoxenous Coccidia: Redescription, Host Specificity, and Molecular Phylogeny of Eimeria ranae Dobell, 1909, with a Review of Anuran-Host Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirků, Miloslav; Jirků, Milan; Oborník, Miroslav; Lukeš, Julius; Modrý, David

2009-01-01

Roč. 56, č. 1 (2009), s. 39-51 ISSN 1066-5234 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/03/1544 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Amphibia * Anura * experimental infections * metamorphosis * morphotypes * SSU rDNA sequence * tadpoles * ultrastructure Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 2.355, year: 2009

Another Chloromyxid Lineage: Molecular Phylogeny and Redescription of Chloromyxum careni from the Asian Horned frog Megophrys nasuta

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirků, Miloslav; Bartošová, Pavla; Kodádková, Alena; Mutschmann, F.

2011-01-01

Roč. 58, č. 1 (2011), s. 50-59 ISSN 1066-5234 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/10/2330 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Amphibia * Anura * Chloromyxum careni * LSU rDNA * Megophrys nasuta * molecular phylogeny * Myxozoa * redescription * SSU rDNA * ultrastructure Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 2.659, year: 2011

Ultrastructure and localisation of late-sporogonic developmental stages of Sphaerospora ranae (Myxosporea: Sphaerosporidae)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirků, Miloslav; Bartošová, Pavla

2014-01-01

Roč. 61, č. 4 (2014), s. 311-321 ISSN 0015-5683 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/10/2330; GA ČR(CZ) GPP506/11/P724 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Amphibia * Anura * Europe * kidneys * myxospore * Myxozoa * Rana * sporogony * synchronisation * in situ hybridisation Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.147, year: 2014

Early Pliocene anuran fossils from Kanapoi, Kenya, and the first fossil record for the African burrowing frog Hemisus (Neobatrachia: Hemisotidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Delfino, Massimo

2017-07-13

Isolated amphibian bones from the early Pliocene of Kanapoi (West Turkana, Kenya) help to improve the scarce fossil record of the late Neogene and Quaternary amphibians from East Africa. All currently available 579 bones are referable exclusively to the Anura (frogs and toads). More than half of the remains (366) are identified as Hemisus cf. Hemisus marmoratus, an extant species that still inhabits Kenya, but apparently not the northwest of the country and the Turkana area in particular. The rest of the remains are identified simply as Anura indet. because of poor preservation or non congruence with the relatively few African extant taxa whose osteology is known in detail. The Hemisus material represents the first fossil record for Hemisotidae, an endemic African family of peculiar, head-first burrowing frogs, whose sister taxon relationships indicate a divergence from brevicipitids in the Late Cretaceous or early Paleocene. The ecological requirements of extant H. marmoratus suggest that the Kanapoi area surrounding the fluvial and deltaic settings, from where the fossil remains of vertebrates were buried, was likely a grassland or relatively dry, open low tree-shrub savanna. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Seuratascaris numidica (Seurat, 1917) (Ascaridida: Ascarididae).

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hui-Xia; Zhang, Kuang; Zhang, Lu-Ping; Li, Liang

2018-03-26

Seuratascaris numidica (Seurat, 1917) is a specialized nematode species parasitizing amphibians only. In the present study, the detailed morphology of this poorly known species was studied using light and scanning electron microscopy based on the newly material collected from Hoplobatrachus chinensis (Osbeck) (Amphibia: Anura) in China. We found that the relative length of intestinal caecum in our male specimens (representing 68.4-71.1% of oesophageal length) is slighter longer than the previously reported data (not over 60.0% of oesophageal length). Our SEM observations also revealed the presence of ca. 64-76 small conical denticles on each lip. In addition, Angusticaecum wuyiensis Wang, 1981, collected from Rana schmackeri Boettger (Amphibia: Anura) from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, China was considered as a new synonym of S. numidica. The ITS and cox1 sequences of S. numidica were also sequenced for the first time and there is no nucleotide variability detected in both regions. The present supplementary morphological and molecular data (especially the ITS and cox1 sequences) obtained herein is extremely important and useful to determine the morphological variability, population genetics and phylogenetic position of S. numidica in the future.

ANURA: RANIDAE

African Journals Online (AJOL)

response to auditory rather than visual cues. In situations where closely spaced calling males were separated by a dense grass tussock and thereby effectively screened from one another, the call was believed to be aurally elicited. Outright aggression has not been observed in this species. The can type here designated as ...

Ecología trófica en larvas de Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae en agroecosistemas y sus posibles implicaciones para la conservación Trophic ecology in tadpoles of Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae in agroecosystems and their possible implications for conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clarisa Bionda

2012-06-01

Full Text Available El crecimiento de la agricultura produce perdida del habitat natural, con consecuencias para la biodiversidad de los anfibios. Se analizo la dieta y condición corporal de larvas de anuros de Rhinella arenarum que habitan agroecosistemas. Los muestreos fueron realizados en dos agroecosistemas y en un tercer sitio, no afectado por cultivos. Las larvas capturadas fueron anestesiadas, fijadas y preservadas en formaldehido, se realizaron medidas corporales y se analizo la dieta de las larvas. Se registro diversidad en la oferta alimenticia proporcionada por los distintos ambientes. La dieta tuvo una predominancia de algas Bacillarophyceae, seguidas por Cyanophyceae. Particularmente, los géneros Navicula, Nitzschia, Hantzschia y Gomphonema (clase Bacillarophyceae, fueron importantes en los agroecosistemas. Los géneros Osillatoria, Euglena y Strombomonas (clases Cyanophyceae y Euglenophyceae, predominaron en la dieta de las larvas de anuros en el sitio menos alterado. Las larvas de los sitios más alterados consumen menor cantidad de alimento y registran una menor condición corporal. La presencia de determinadas algas, indicarían un mayor grado de contaminación en los agroecosistemas. La eutrofización de lagunas podría alterar la disponibilidad de alimento para larvas de anuros que podría tener consecuencias poblacionales negativas. Se sugiere el análisis de dietas larvarias como un potencial bioindicador de salubridad ambiental.Trophic ecology in tadpoles of Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae in agroecosystems and their possible implications for conservation. The progress of the agriculture border has led an important loss of natural habitats, with significant consequences for biodiversity. In this sense, the studies in anuran amphibian tadpoles inhabiting these environments are relevant, because the larval stage is a phase of population regulation. The aim of this study was to analyze the body condition and diet in Rhinella arenarum

Registro histórico de Gastrotheca ovifera (Anura: Hemiphractidae: evidencias de disminución en selvas nubladas de la Cordillera de la Costa venezolana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Valera-Leal

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Gastrotheca ovifera es una rana marsupial que habita en el dosel arbóreo de bosques nublados y ribereños del Tramo Occidental y Ramal Litoral de La Cordillera de la Costa venezolana (CCV entre 820-2 000m de altitud. De acuerdo con la Lista Roja de la UCN se encuentra En Peligro (EN y su evaluación fue realizada de acuerdo a apreciaciones anecdóticas, por lo que su situación de amenaza no ha sido comprobada por muestreos sistemáticos. Con el objetivo de estudiar el estado de las poblaciones de la especie en el Parque Nacional Henri Pittier (PNHP en el Ramal Litoral de la CCV, realizamos una revisión histórica en museos nacionales y extranjeros y encontramos que la especie fue registrada en 1996 por última vez en el PNHP. Acumulamos 646 horas/persona de muestreo sistemático en localidades históricas y adicionales de la especie en el parque durante los años 2006 y 2007 y no obtuvimos registro de la especie. Adicionalmente, realizamos asociaciones entre datos promedios de precipitación anual y el registro histórico de la especie durante el periodo 1941-1997 (r s=- 0.054, p=0.820, n=19. Discutimos sobre su estado de conservación con base a la distribución, fluctuación y cambios poblacionales de la especieHistoric record of Gastrotheca ovifera (Anura: Hemiphractidae: decline evidence in Venezuelan coastal cloud forests. G. ovifera is a marsupial frog of the cloud and riparian forest from Western and Litoral sections of the Venezuelan Cordillera de la Costa (820-2 000m. This amphibian is considered as an endangered species by the IUCN Species Red List, due to its population decline in pristine and well preserved environments. This conservation status is based on anecdotic interpretations. We collected disperse data from museum records (national and international and explored the possible association between collection records and precipitation data available for the Henri Pittier National Park (PNHP. Likewise, we carried out a

Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea

OpenAIRE

San Mauro, D.; Vences, M.; Alcobendas, M.; Zardoya, R.; Meyer, A.

2005-01-01

The origin and divergence of the three living orders of amphibians (Anura, Caudata, Gymnophiona) and their main lineages are one of the most hotly debated topics in vertebrate evolution. Here, we present a robust molecular phylogeny based on the nuclear RAG1 gene as well as results from a variety of alternative independent molecular clock calibrations. Our analyses suggest that the origin and early divergence of the three living amphibian orders dates back to the Palaeozoic or early Mesozoic,...

Evolution of anuran assemblages in the Tertiary and Quaternary of Europe, in the context of palaeoclimate and palaeogeography

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rage, J.C.; Roček, Zbyněk

2003-01-01

Roč. 24, č. 2 (2003), s. 133-167 ISSN 0173-5373 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA6013701 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z3013912 Keywords : Anura * evolution * Palaeogeography and palaeoclimatology Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 0.417, year: 2003 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=3&hid=13&sid=290992f1-8204-46f5-8d76-b6960b2d1be8%40SRCSM1

Predação oportunista de Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823 e Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae por marsupiais e anuro na APA do Rio Curiaú, Amapá, Brasil Opportunistic predation of Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823 and Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae by marsupials and anuran in the APA do Rio Curiaú, Amapá State, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isai Jorge de Castro

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Durante estudos com morcegos em floresta de várzea na APA do Rio Curiaú, Amapá, Brasil, observamos três casos de predações oportunistas de morcegos frugívoros capturados em redes de neblina. Duas destas predações ocorreram por marsupiais e uma por anuro. Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae foi predado por Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758 e Philander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758 (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae. Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae foi predado por Leptodactylus pentadactylus (Laurenti, 1768 (Anura, Leptodactylidae. A vocalização dos morcegos provavelmente atraiu os marsupiais para a rede, onde estes os predaram aproveitando que estavam presos. Este tipo de interação pode ocorrer naturalmente, no entanto, com maior dificuldade de registro.We observed three occasional predations of bats captured in mist nets by marsupials and a frog during studies in a várzea forest in the Amapá state. Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae was preyed upon by Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758 and Philander opossum (Linnaeus, 1758 (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae. Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae was preyed on by Leptodactylus pentadactylus (Laurenti, 1768 (Anura, Leptodactylidae. The bats vocalizations probably attracted the marsupials and a frog to the mist nets where they preyed. This interaction form can occur naturally, however, are more difficult to observed.

Species complexes and phylogenetic lineages of Hoferellus (Myxozoa, Cnidaria) including revision of the genus: A problematic case for taxonomy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Alama-Bermejo, Gema; Jirků, Miloslav; Kodádková, Alena; Pecková, Hana; Fiala, Ivan; Holzer, Astrid S.

2016-01-01

Roč. 9, JAN 11 (2016), č. článku 13. ISSN 1756-3305 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP505/12/G112; GA ČR GAP506/10/2330; GA ČR(CZ) GP14-28784P Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) M200961205 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Amphibia * Anura * fish * Carassius * Cyprinus carpio * ITS cloning * mode of attachment * Teleostei * ultrastructure Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 3.080, year: 2016

Phylogenetic relationships among anuran trypanosomes as revealed by riboprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, C G; Martin, D S; Diamond, L S

1995-01-01

Twenty trypanosome isolates from Anura (frogs and toads) assigned to several species were characterized by riboprinting-restriction enzyme digestion of polymerase chain reaction amplified small subunit ribosomal RNA genes. Restriction site polymorphisms allowed distinction of all the recognized species and no intraspecific variation in riboprint patterns was detected. Phylogenetic reconstruction using parsimony and distance estimates based on restriction fragment comigration showed Trypanosoma chattoni to be only distantly related to the other species, while T. ranarum and T. fallisi appear to be sister taxa despite showing non-overlapping host specificities.

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DA MICROBIOTA CUTÂNEA DE Aplastodiscus leucopygius DO PARQUE MUNICIPAL NATURAL AUGUSTO RUSCHI

OpenAIRE

Laryssa Nolasco; Mariana Maykot Serafim; Claudineia Aparecida da Silva Araujo; Jonatas Alves Ferreira Neto; Matheus de Toledo Moroti; Cristina Pacheco Soares; Flavia Villaça Morais

2017-01-01

A Aplastodiscus leucopygius é um anfíbio da ordem Anura pertencente à família Hylidae, espécie endêmica do Brasil, encontrada em áreas de Mata Atlântica do planalto e serras do Mar e da Mantiqueira, nos Estados de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar e caracterizar a microbiota de A. leucopygius encontrados no Parque Municipal Natural Augusto Ruschi, Unidade de Conservação de Proteção Integral da cidade de São José do Campos no estado de São Paulo. Para is...

Chromosomes of South American Bufonidae (Amphibia, Anura Chromosomes of South American Bufonidae (Amphibia, Anura

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Brum Zorrilla N.

1973-09-01

Full Text Available Karyotypes of eight of South American Bufonidae were studied: B.ictericus, B. spinulosus spinulosus, B. arenarum, B. g. fernandezae, B. g. d'orbignyi, B. crucifer, B. paracnemis and B. marinus. In all species 2n = 22 chromosomes were found. Neither heteromorphic pairs of chromosomes nor bivalents with characteristic morphology and behavior of sex chromosomesduring male meiosis were observed in any species.Karyotypes of eight of South American Bufonidae were studied: B.ictericus, B. spinulosus spinulosus, B. arenarum, B. g. fernandezae, B. g. d'orbignyi, B. crucifer, B. paracnemis and B. marinus. In all species 2n = 22 chromosomes were found. Neither heteromorphic pairs of chromosomes nor bivalents with characteristic morphology and behavior of sex chromosomesduring male meiosis were observed in any species.

Ontogenetic polychromatism in marsupial frogs (Anura: Hylidae Ontogenetic polychromatism in marsupial frogs (Anura: Hylidae

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Duellman William E.

1986-12-01

Full Text Available Color polymorphism is common in many species of marsupial frogs.  Extreme cases of pattern polymorphism are documented in four species. In Amphignathodon guentheri, Castrotheca aureomaculata, G. qriswoldi, and G. helenae juveniles are known to have only one color morph, where as two or more patterns exist in adults. In these species, polymorphism apparently develops ontogenetically. El polimorfismo cromático es común a algunas especies de sapos marsupiales. Casos extremos del modelo de polimorfismo son evidentes en cuatro especies Amphignathodon guentheri, Gastrotheca aureomaculata, G. griswoldi, y G. helenae. En estas especies, se sabe que los juveniles tienen sólo un morfo de color; el polimorfismo, al parecer, se desarrolla ontogenéticamente.

Pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in marbled water frog Telmatobius marmoratus: first record from Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.

Science.gov (United States)

Cossel, John; Lindquist, Erik; Craig, Heather; Luthman, Kyle

2014-11-13

The pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been associated with amphibian declines worldwide but has not been well-studied among Critically Endangered amphibian species in Bolivia. We sampled free-living marbled water frogs Telmatobius marmoratus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Isla del Sol, Bolivia, for Bd using skin swabs and quantitative polymerase chain reactions. We detected Bd on 44% of T. marmoratus sampled. This is the first record of Bd in amphibians from waters associated with Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. These results further confirm the presence of Bd in Bolivia and substantiate the potential threat of this pathogen to the Critically Endangered, sympatric Titicaca water frog T. culeus and other Andean amphibians.

Abundancia relativa y uso de microhábitat de la rana Geobatrachus walkeri (Anura: Strabomantidae en dos hábitats en Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

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Vera Martínez Baños

2011-06-01

Full Text Available La rana Geobatrachus walkeri pertenece a un género monotípico y endémico del área de San Lorenzo, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. La especie habita en el bosque secundario natural y en una plantación de pino (dominada por Pinus patula. Para comparar la abundancia relativa y el uso del microhábitat en estos dos hábitat y durante los períodos de máxima y mínima precipitación, se distribuyeron aleatoriamente 30 cuadrantes en cada bosque sobre los que se registraron el número de individuos y los microhábitats ocupados. Además se reconocieron otros aspectos de la historia natural mediante muestreo por encuentros casuales (VES, se incluye en los dos hábitats áreas no muestreadas por los cuadrantes. La mayor abundancia de ranas se obtuvo en la plantación de pino y durante la época de lluvias. El microhábitat más usado fue la hojarasca de pino. Geobatrachus walkeri es una especie exitosa en las plantaciones de pino, asociada permanentemente a su hojarasca en donde parece desarrollar todo su ciclo de vida. Las claras modificaciones derivadas de la introducción de las plantaciones de pino en el suelo y el agua, parecen no haber afectado la supervivencia y mantenimiento exitoso de esta especie categorizada como en peligro de extinción.Relative abundance and microhabitat use by the frog Geobatrachus walkeri (Anura:Strabomantidae in two habitats of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Geobatrachus walkeri belongs to a monotypic frog genus endemic to the San Lorenzo area, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. This species has been categorized as endangered because of its small distribution area and the decline in the extent and quality of its habitat. It inhabits two forest types with different composition and structure, the native secondary forest and a pine plantation (dominated by Pinus patula. To compare the relative abundance and microhabitat use of this species in these habitat types, 30 quadrants/environment were

Nueva especie de rana (Atelopus de Los Farallones de Cali, Cordillera Occidental de Colombia

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Kattan Gustavo

1986-06-01

Full Text Available Durante la realización de colecciones herpetológicas en el Departamento del Valle del Cauca, fue encontrada una especie no descrita de Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae en los farallones de Cali, a 2600 m de altura. Esta es la primera especie en este género que se encuentra a elevaciones superiores a 2000 m en la Cordillera Occidental. Se conocen varias especies de Atelopus en las Cordilleras Central y Oriental de Colombia y en los Andes ecuatorianos (COCHRAN y GOIN 1970; PETERS 1973; RIVERO 1963 y probablemente futuras colecciones herpetológicas continuaran revelando nuevas especies en las partes altas de la Cordillera Occidental.

Effect of sublethal doses of radiation and cystamine on the dynamics of Rana temporaria L. larvae development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popov, D.V.

1979-01-01

The longevity of Rana temporaria L. larvae in the 45th stage of development is studied after irradiation in sublethal doses (10.000-20.000 R) and irradiation with preliminary cystamine protection. It has been shown that the protective effect of cystamine is revealed in partial normalization of the larvae development rate but does not eliminate the typical anomalies of extremity development and does not prolong the time of animal survival. It has been found that LD 50/30 dose for R. temporaria tadpoles in the 45th stage of development is slightly higher than 10.000 R. The selective effect of X-radiation on the formative bonds at cornea induction in Anura larvae is concluded

Hematología y citoquímica de las células sanguíneas de Rhinella fernandezae (Anura: Bufonidae en Espinal y Delta-Islas del río Paraná, Argentina

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Mariana C Cabagna Zenklusen

2011-03-01

Full Text Available La descripción de la hematología de los anfibios anuros es escasa, habiéndose realizado la mayoría de los trabajos en especies de Norteamérica, Asia y Europa. Con el propósito de obtener datos hematológicos para Rhinella fernandezae, fueron estudiados 23 especímenes provenientes de zonas protegidas de las provincias de Santa Fe y Entre Ríos. Se les extrajo sangre por punción cardíaca y se realizaron hemogramas. En los extendidos sanguíneos, se efectuaron la descripción morfológica y citoquímica de las células sanguíneas y búsqueda de parásitos. Se observaron cinco tipos de leucocitos, donde predominaron los linfocitos pequeños. Heterófilos y eosinófilos resultaron positivos para PAS, Sudan B y peroxidasa; contrariamente, los eritrocitos y sus precursores fueron negativos. Los puntajes de las reacciones citoquímicas fueron variables para basófilos, linfocitos, monocitos y trombocitos. Las frecuencias de micronúcleos y de alteraciones nucleares fueron escasas. No se observaron diferencias significativas (p>0.05 entre sexos en el hemograma ni en la morfología sanguínea. Los únicos hemoparásitos encontrados fueron microfilarias (Nematoda: Filaroidea, cuya prevalencia e intensidad de infección fueron bajas. Las características hematológicas estudiadas fueron semejantes a los valores reportados para otros anfibios, pudiendo inferir que los individuos de R. fernandezae estudiados se encuentran en un buen estado nutricional e inmunológico.Hematology and blood cell cytochemistry of Rhinella fernandezae (Amphibia: Anura from Espinal and Delta-Islands of Paraná River, Argentina. The description of amphibian hematology is scarce and most of these studies have been done in species from North America, Asia and Europe. With the purpose to obtain basic hematological information of Rhinella fernandezae, 23 blood samples from Santa Fe and Entre Ríos natural reserves were studied. Blood of each individual was extracted by cardiac

Premios para la Ciencia Médica: Suicidio celular, sida en niños y otras investigaciones.

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Alfredo Jácome Roca

2007-11-01

Las menciones honoríficas en el área de básicas fueron dos y ambas correspondieron a profesores de la facultad de medicina de la Universidad Javeriana en Bogotá. La primera de ellas la recibió en grupo de ciencias fi siológicas, liderado por el doctor Gabriel Pascual, con la colaboración de los doctores Henry Adolfo Aceros y Darío Riascos Bernal, y fue presentada como tesis de grado por la bióloga Catalina Celis Borrero, investigadora en este campo. Se tituló “Evaluación del efecto del extracto de alcaloides de la piel de Dendrobates truncatus –DT– (Anura: Dendrobatidae sobre la unión neuromuscular en una preparación frénico-diafragma de rata”...

Kin discrimination in tadpoles of Hylarana temporalis (Anura: Ranidae and Sphaerotheca breviceps (Anura: Dicroglossidae hydroperiod and social habits

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Amrapali P. Rajput

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Kin discrimination ability was studied in tadpoles of Hylarana temporalis and Sphaerotheca breviceps, which live in two distinctly different habitats; the former shows social aggregation and the latter live scattered. Early in development, tadpoles of H. temporalis are found in small aggregations in the streams of Western Ghats but in later stages they are generally seen in isolated pools cut off from the main channel following drying up of the stream. Sphaerotheca breviceps breed during south-west monsoons in rain-filled puddles and its tadpoles are always found scattered. We hypothesized that the tadpoles living in aggregation exhibit kin discrimination while those not living in aggregation may not exhibit kin discrimination. Further, tadpoles that face desiccation threat may also not exhibit kin discrimination behavior. Tests were conducted on tadpoles of the above two species at two developmental stages (Gosner Stages 28-30 and 34-36 to reveal their association choice with sibs and non-sibs. Tadpoles of H. temporalis associated with both familiar (reared with sibs and unfamiliar (reared in isolation sibs in early but not in later stages of development. Tadpoles of S. breviceps showed no association preference with sibs (familiar or unfamiliar in both early and later stages. The findings on H. temporalis suggest that kin discrimination between sib from non-sib may be benficial during early stages of development that takes place in flowing streams and it may be less important in later stages of development taking place in pools of water bodies that face desiccation. Absence of kin recognition in S. breviceps is associated with their lack of natural aggregation and perennial desiccation threat of the ephemeral ponds. We suggest that kin discrimination behavior in tadpoles is related to their social habits and hydroperiod of their habitat.

Espermiogênese em Eupemphix nattereri (Anura, Leiuperidae: aspectos ultra-estruturais Spermiogenesis in Eupemphix nattereri (Anura, Leiuperidae: ultrastructural aspects

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Rodrigo Zieri

2008-06-01

Full Text Available A maturação dos espermatozóides envolve um extenso e complexo processo que começa com a proliferação e diferenciação das espermatogônias, passa pela meiose e finaliza com a espermiogênese. Nessa fase, eventos envolvendo alterações morfológicas e bioquímicas transformam espermátides em espermatozóides. Aspectos ultra-estruturais da espermiogênese e do espermatozóide do anuro Eupemphix nattereri (Steindachner, 1863 foram analisados através de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. A espermiogênese envolve condensação da cromatina e alongamento nuclear, com visível eliminação de citoplasma. Nesse estágio, grande quantidade de microtúbulos e glicogênio podem ser visualizados no citoplasma das células de Sertoli, rodeando cada espermátide. O espermatozóide é fusiforme e o acrossomo forma uma capa na região anterior do núcleo. A bainha mitocondrial é encontrada ao redor da porção proximal da cauda. A cauda apresenta o axonema com o modelo 9+2, uma fibra axonemal, a membrana ondulante e ausência de bastão axial. Esta organização apresenta algumas similaridades com espécies do gênero Physalaemus (Leiuperidae como P. biligonigerus (Cope, 1861, P. gracilis (Boulenger, 1883 e P. fuscomaculatus (Steindachner, 1864.Spermatozoon maturation involves an extense and complex process beginning with proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonia, passing through meiosis, and ending with spermiogenesis. The later event involves morphological and biochemical changes in order to transform spermatids into spermatozoa. Ultrastructural aspects of the spermiogenesis and testicular spermatozoa of the anuran Eupemphix nattereri (Steindachner, 1863 were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Spermiogenesis involves chromatin condensation and nuclear elongation, with visible cytoplasmic elimination. At this stage, a large amount of microtubules and glycogen can also be seen in Sertoli cell cytoplasm, surrounding each spermatid. The spermatozoon is fusiform and the acrossome forms a cap in the anterior region of the nucleus. A mitochondrial sleeve is found around the proximal portion of the tail. The tail presents an axonema with a 9+2 pattern, a justaxonemal fiber, an undulating membrane, and the absence of axial rod. This organization shows some similarities with species of the genus Physalaemus (Leiuperidae such as P. biligonigerus (Cope, 1861, P. gracilis (Boulenger, 1883 and P. fuscomaculatus (Steindachner, 1864.

Polystomatidae (Monogenea) of southern African Anura: Polystoma ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sp. parasitic in two closely related Cacosternum species. ... The prevalence of infection with P. channingi n.sp. was 25% for C. nanum and 40% for C. boettgeri, while the mean intensity of infections in adult frogs was 1.5 for C. boettgeri and 1.0 ...

Osteological differentiation among Iberian Pelodytes (Anura, Pelodytidae

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Sánchez-Herráiz, M. J.

2002-12-01

Full Text Available The morphological differentiation among Pelodytes species is analysed based on a sample of disarticulated bones from the main osteological regions of the male adult skeleton. A set of 35 interspecifically diagnostic characters, analysed under different outgroup hypotheses, clearly shows that P. ibericus and P. punctatus are a sister-group with respect to P. caucasicus. The Caucasian species retains a very primitive morphology, with only 17-23 % derived character-states, while both living Iberian species reach percentages of derivation over 68 %. There is little difference between P. ibericus and P. punctatus in their relative degree of evolutionary transformation, and when using P. caucasicus as the outgroup the percentage of derived character-states is 45 and 60 % respectively. Differentiation rates are calculated in darwin units for several characters, and we show that the skull components have higher rates than the traits directly related with locomotion. Several adult growth trajectories, different between species, are described and identified as diverse allometric heterochronies. Three factors have been detected that might have grouped several characters as coevolutionary units. These factors are: a an ontogenetic factor, operating through heterochronic processes, expressed as a tendency to reduce ossification; b a functional morphological integration, detected in the elements involved in skull size and proportions; and c an ecomorphological factor, presumably an adaptive response, can be assumed for characters related to limb shape.Se analiza la diferenciación morfológica en Pelodytes mediante el análisis comparado de una muestra de elementos óseos desarticulados procedentes de las principales regiones del esqueleto macho adulto. Un conjunto de 35 rasgos interespecíficamente diferenciales, analizada bajo diversos grupos externos, permite inferir que P. ibericus y P. punctatus forman un grupo hermano frente a P. caucasicus. La especie caucásica mantiene una morfología muy primitiva, con sólo 17-23% de estados derivados, en tanto que las especies ibéricas son ambas muy derivadas, con porcentajes superiores al 68 % de los rasgos. Hay poca diferencia entre P. ibericus y P. punctatus en cuanto a su grado relativo de transformación evolutiva, y utilizando a P. caucasicus como grupo externo presentan porcentajes de estados derivados del 45 y 60 % respectivamente. Se calculan las tasas de diferenciación de varios caracteres en darwines, presentando los componentes craneales tasas más altas que los rasgos directamente relacionados con la locomoción. Se describen e identifican en términos de alometrías heterocrónicas diversas trayectorias de crecimiento adulto, diferenciales entre especies. Se han detectado tres factores que permiten agrupar los caracteres en unidades de evolución conjunta. Estos factores son: a un factor ontogenético producido mediante procesos heterocrónicos, apreciable en una tendencia a la disminución de la osificación; b una integración morfológica funcional, detectable en los elementos implicados en el tamaño y proporciones del cráneo; y c un factor ecomorfológico, presumiblemente una respuesta adaptativa, puede inferirse en rasgos relacionados con la robustez de las extremidades.

Chromosome evolution in Cophomantini (Amphibia, Anura, Hylinae)

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez, Pablo; Boeris, Juan M.; Blasco-Zúñiga, Ailin; Barbero, Gastón; Gomes, Anderson; Gazoni, Thiago; Costa, William; Nagamachi, Cleusa Y.; Rivera, Miryan; Parise-Maltempi, Patricia P.; Wiley, John E.; Pieczarka, Julio C.; Haddad, Celio F. B.; Faivovich, Julián; Baldo, Diego

2018-01-01

The hylid tribe Cophomantini is a diverse clade of Neotropical treefrogs composed of the genera Aplastodiscus, Boana, Bokermannohyla, Hyloscirtus, and Myersiohyla. The phylogenetic relationships of Cophomantini have been comprehensively reviewed in the literature, providing a suitable framework for the study of chromosome evolution. Employing different banding techniques, we studied the chromosomes of 25 species of Boana and 3 of Hyloscirtus; thus providing, for the first time, data for Hyloscirtus and for 15 species of Boana. Most species showed karyotypes with 2n = 2x = 24 chromosomes; some species of the B. albopunctata group have 2n = 2x = 22, and H. alytolylax has 2n = 2x = 20. Karyotypes are all bi-armed in most species presented, with the exception of H. larinopygion (FN = 46) and H. alytolylax (FN = 38), with karyotypes that have a single pair of small telocentric chromosomes. In most species of Boana, NORs are observed in a single pair of chromosomes, mostly in the small chromosomes, although in some species of the B. albopunctata, B. pulchella, and B. semilineata groups, this marker occurs on the larger pairs 8, 1, and 7, respectively. In Hyloscirtus, NOR position differs in the three studied species: H. alytolylax (4p), H. palmeri (4q), and H. larinopygion (1p). Heterochromatin is a variable marker that could provide valuable evidence, but it would be necesserary to understand the molecular composition of the C-bands that are observed in different species in order to test its putative homology. In H. alytolylax, a centromeric DAPI+ band was observed on one homologue of chromosome pair 2. The band was present in males but absent in females, providing evidence for an XX/XY sex determining system in this species. We review and discuss the importance of the different chromosome markers (NOR position, C-bands, and DAPI/CMA3 patterns) for their impact on the taxonomy and karyotype evolution in Cophomantini. PMID:29444174

The sperm of Hylodinae species (Anura, Leptodactylidae ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Madhu

from the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e Recursos. Naturais Renováveis .... Note the globular shape of the axial fiber (af) and the short extension of the juxtaxonemal fiber (jf). ..... Ultraestructura comparada; Medio Ambiente 5. 45–57.

The Tadpoles of Hyla rufitela (Anura: Hylidae

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Heinz Hoffmann

2005-09-01

Full Text Available The validity of the published description of Hyla rufitela is questioned because the origin of the described tadpoles does not correspond to the distribution of this species. The present description, based on tadpoles that were hatched from two egg masses from the Caribbean lowland of Costa Rica, includes tadpoles raised to adult frogs to verify the species. The newly described tadpoles differ from the previously described and illustrated ones not only in color but also by its more slender body shape (body height:body length, 0.43:0.47, the more slender tail (% tail length of total length, 69%:63%, the more conspicuous spiracle and its position, as well as by the larger oral disk width (oral disk width:body width, 0.44:~0.33. The young tadpoles continually ingest mud as is typical of bottom feeders. Nevertheless, older larvae feed on plant material like rotting mellow leaves of Piper auritum. The tadpoles metamorphosed between 44 and 114 days (x=80.3 days under the described breeding conditions. Rev. Biol. Trop. 53(3-4: 561-568. Epub 2005 Oct 3.La existencia de dudas sobre la validez de la descripción de las larvas de Hyla rufitela realizada por Duellman en 1970 motivaron una nueva descripción con base en renacuajos criados de dos masas de huevos de H. rufitela de la zona caribeña de Costa Rica. Algunos se criaron hasta la edad adulta para verificar la identidad de la especie. Los renacuajos difieren de la descripción e ilustración original por su color, la esbeltez (proporción entre altura y longitud del cuerpo 0.43 vs. 0.47, la cola más delgada (% longitud de la cola de la longitud total del renacuajo 69% vs. 63%, por la posición y forma conspicua del espiráculo, por el disco oral más ancho (ancho del disco: ancho del cuerpo 0.44 vs. ~ 0.33 y por algunos datos alométricos. Las larvas pequeñas permanecen en el fondo alimentándose con materia orgánica del lodo. Los renacuajos mayores se alimentan de material vegetal en descomposición. En cautiverio las renacuajos terminaron su desarrollo en 44-114 días (promedio 80.3 días.

A DESCRIPTION OF BUFO PARDALIS TADPOLES (ANURA ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tadpoles of Bufo parda/is Hewitt from Kei Road, Cape Province, are described. INTRODUCTION. Although tadpoles of B. pardalis have been included in Van Dijk's (1971) key to the genus Bufa, no adequate description of this taxon has yet been published. Further studies on variability depend upon a complete description ...

BUFO PARDALIS (ANURA: BUFONIDAE): MATING CALL AND ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

the calls of one of these species, Bufo pardalis. Hewitt, were not analysed by Tandy & Keith. (1972). Furthennore there is some confusion in the literature regarding the mating call of this species. For these reasons this mating call is here clarified. The mating call of B. pardaiis was first described by Ranger (in Hewitt 1935) as ...

The Skull of Phyllomedusa sauvagii (Anura, Hylidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Monachesi, Mario R; Lavilla, Esteban O; Montero, Ricardo

2016-05-01

The hylid genus Phyllomedusa comprises charismatic frogs commonly known as monkey, leaf or green frogs, and is the most diverse genus of the subfamily Phyllomedusinae, including about 31 species. Although there is some information about the anatomy of these frogs, little is known about the osteology. Here the adult skull of Phyllomedusa sauvagii, both articulated and disarticulated, is described and the intraspecific variation is reported. Additionally, cartilage associated with the adult skull, such as the nasal capsules, auditory apparatus, and hyobranchial apparatus, are included in the analysis. Further examination of disarticulated bones reveals their remarkable complexity, specifically in the sphenethmoid and of the oocipital region. The description of disarticulated bones is useful for the identification of fossil remains as well as providing morphological characteristics that are phylogenetically informative. When comparing the skull morphology with the available information of other species of the genus, Phyllomesusa sauvagii skull resembles more that of P. vaillantii and P. venusta than P. atelopoides. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chromosome evolution in Cophomantini (Amphibia, Anura, Hylinae.

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Juan M Ferro

Full Text Available The hylid tribe Cophomantini is a diverse clade of Neotropical treefrogs composed of the genera Aplastodiscus, Boana, Bokermannohyla, Hyloscirtus, and Myersiohyla. The phylogenetic relationships of Cophomantini have been comprehensively reviewed in the literature, providing a suitable framework for the study of chromosome evolution. Employing different banding techniques, we studied the chromosomes of 25 species of Boana and 3 of Hyloscirtus; thus providing, for the first time, data for Hyloscirtus and for 15 species of Boana. Most species showed karyotypes with 2n = 2x = 24 chromosomes; some species of the B. albopunctata group have 2n = 2x = 22, and H. alytolylax has 2n = 2x = 20. Karyotypes are all bi-armed in most species presented, with the exception of H. larinopygion (FN = 46 and H. alytolylax (FN = 38, with karyotypes that have a single pair of small telocentric chromosomes. In most species of Boana, NORs are observed in a single pair of chromosomes, mostly in the small chromosomes, although in some species of the B. albopunctata, B. pulchella, and B. semilineata groups, this marker occurs on the larger pairs 8, 1, and 7, respectively. In Hyloscirtus, NOR position differs in the three studied species: H. alytolylax (4p, H. palmeri (4q, and H. larinopygion (1p. Heterochromatin is a variable marker that could provide valuable evidence, but it would be necesserary to understand the molecular composition of the C-bands that are observed in different species in order to test its putative homology. In H. alytolylax, a centromeric DAPI+ band was observed on one homologue of chromosome pair 2. The band was present in males but absent in females, providing evidence for an XX/XY sex determining system in this species. We review and discuss the importance of the different chromosome markers (NOR position, C-bands, and DAPI/CMA3 patterns for their impact on the taxonomy and karyotype evolution in Cophomantini.

Amphibians in the Environmental Park Chico Mendes, Rio Branco – Acre, Brazil

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Nathocley Mendes Venâncio

2016-02-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2016v29n1p85 Acre’s amphibian fauna, although poorly known, is regarded as one of the most diversified. This study aimed to inventory the amphibian fauna in the Environmental Park Chico Mendes, a 57 ha forest fragment, located 7 km far from downtown Rio Branco. The study was conducted between August 2008 and July 2010, by using a visual and auditory search methodology. All tracks and temporary forest pools in the park were inventoried, where the individuals visualized or those using vocalization were registered. A total of 51 taxa were found, distributed into the orders: Anura, with 50 species, and Caudata, with 1 species. Amphibians in the park showed seasonality in reproduction, where the rainiest months were those with the highest number of species in reproductive activity.

The vertebrate fauna from the stipite layers of the Grands Causses (Middle Jurassic, France

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Fabien eKnoll

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The stipites are Bathonian (Middle Jurassic coals that formed in an everglades-like environment and are now exposed in the Grands Causses (southern France. The vertebrate assemblage of the stipites and of the transitional layers to the carbonates in which they are interspersed are reviewed. To date, only small-sized and isolated vertebrate bones, teeth, and scales have been recovered. These record the presence of sharks (Hybodus, Asteracanthus, bony fishes (Lepidotes, Pycnodontiformes, Caturus, Aspidorhynchus, amphibians (Anura, Albanerpetontidae, and reptiles (Crocodylomorpha, Ornithischia, Theropoda. Despite its relatively limited taxonomic diversity, the vertebrate assemblage from the stipites and from their associated layers is notable for being one of the few of this age with both terrestrial and marine influences. Compared to other approximately coeval formations in Western Europe, the stipites vertebrate assemblage is surpassed in diversity only by those from the British Isles.

Contributions to the knowledge of amphibians and reptiles from Volta Grande do Xingu, northern Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaz-Silva, W; Oliveira, R M; Gonzaga, A F N; Pinto, K C; Poli, F C; Bilce, T M; Penhacek, M; Wronski, L; Martins, J X; Junqueira, T G; Cesca, L C C; Guimarães, V Y; Pinheiro, R D

2015-08-01

The region of Volta Grande do Xingu River, in the state of Pará, presents several kinds of land use ranging from extensive cattle farming to agroforestry, and deforestation. Currently, the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant affects the region. We present a checklist of amphibians and reptiles of the region and discuss information regarding the spatial distribution of the assemblies based on results of Environmental Programmes conducted in the area. We listed 109 amphibian (Anura, Caudata, and Gymnophiona) and 150 reptile (Squamata, Testudines, and Crocodylia) species. The regional species richness is still considered underestimated, considering the taxonomic uncertainty, complexity and cryptic diversity of various species, as observed in other regions of the Amazon biome. Efforts for scientific collection and studies related to integrative taxonomy are needed to elucidate uncertainties and increase levels of knowledge of the local diversity.

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DA MICROBIOTA CUTÂNEA DE Aplastodiscus leucopygius DO PARQUE MUNICIPAL NATURAL AUGUSTO RUSCHI

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Laryssa Nolasco

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A Aplastodiscus leucopygius é um anfíbio da ordem Anura pertencente à família Hylidae, espécie endêmica do Brasil, encontrada em áreas de Mata Atlântica do planalto e serras do Mar e da Mantiqueira, nos Estados de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar e caracterizar a microbiota de A. leucopygius encontrados no Parque Municipal Natural Augusto Ruschi, Unidade de Conservação de Proteção Integral da cidade de São José do Campos no estado de São Paulo. Para isso foram coletadas e analisadas amostras biológicas da microbiota cutânea de indivíduos de A. leucopygius. Dentre os microorganismos encontrados estão Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus sp., além da presença de fungos da ordem Eurotiales.

Amphibians of the Simbruini Mountains (Latium, Central Italy

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Pierangelo Crucitti

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Little attention has been paid to the herpetological fauna of the Simbruini Mountains Regional Park, Latium (Central Italy. In this study, we surveyed 50 sites in the course of about ten years of field research, especially during the period 2005-2008. Nine amphibian species, four Caudata and five Anura, 60.0% out of the 15 amphibian species so far observed in Latium, were discovered in the protected area: Salamandra salamandra, Salamandrina perspicillata, Lissotriton vulgaris, Triturus carnifex, Bombina pachypus, Bufo balearicus, Bufo bufo, Rana dalmatina, Rana italica. Physiography of sites has been detailed together with potential threatening patterns. For each species the following topics have been discussed; ecology of sites, altitudinal distribution, phenology, sintopy. Salamandra salamandra and Bombina pachypus are at higher risk. The importance of the maintenance of artificial/natural water bodies for the conservation management of amphibian population of this territory is discussed.

Algunos digéneos de Rhinella marina (Anura: Bufonidae en Colombia Some digeneans of Rhinella marina (Anura: Bufonidae in Colombia

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Mauricio Bechara

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Se estudiaron 40 sapos Rhinella marina Linnaeus, 1758 (24 machos y 16 hembras del Valle de Aburrá, Antioquia, Colombia, 8 de los cuales se encontraron parasitados por 2 especies de digéneos: Pseudosonsinotrema chabaudi (Caballero y Caballero, 1969 Sullivan, 1974 (Pleurogenidae (primer registro para Colombia y para el hospedero y Mesocoelium monas (Rudolphi, 1819 Freitas, 1958 (Brachycoeliidae, previamente registrado para este país. De las 2 especies de helmintos recolectadas, la que alcanzó los mayores niveles de prevalencia (40% y abundancia media (14.7 fue P. chabaudi en San Antonio de Prado, y la intensidad promedio más elevada fue para M. monas, en los sapos de Barbosa (46.7.Eight of 40 Rhinella marina Linnaeus, 1758 (24 males and 16 females from Aburrá Valley, Antioquia, Colombia, were infected with 2 digenea species: Pseudosonsinotrema chabaudi (Caballero y Caballero, 1969 Sullivan, 1974 (Pleurogenidae, which represents new host and country records, and Mesocoelium monas (Rudolphi, 1819 Freitas, 1958 (Brachycoeliidae, which was previously reported for the country. Pseudosonsinotrema chabaudi in San Antonio de Prado reached the highest prevalence levels (40% and mean abundance (14.7, whereas the highest mean intensity was recorded for M. monas in cane toads from Barbosa (46.7.

Status Sistematico del Género Geobatrachus Ruthven 1915 (amphibia: Anura Status Sistematico del Género Geobatrachus Ruthven 1915 (amphibia: Anura

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Ardila Robayo María Cristina

1979-06-01

Full Text Available Se recopilan las diferentes asignaciones en cuanto a familia que han sido formuladas hasta la fecha para el género Geobatrachus. Mediante la recolección de una serie de topótipos virtuales de este género monotípico, endémico del sector noroeste del macizo de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Departamento del Magdalena, Colombia, se elaboró una descripción detallada y se procedió a un análisis de 67 características morfológicas, a las cuales se adicionó el numero cromosómico (2n = 20, seleccionadas conforme a las utilizadas por LYNCH y HEYER en sus estudios sobre clasificación y filogenia de los Leptodactylidae, las cuales, después de un examen inicial, se consideraron significativas, a fin de precisar las afinidades de este género, Simultáneamente con la recolección del material se adelantaron observaciones ecológicas que permitieron establecer que su distribución se opera en el área de bosques húmedos, frecuentemente nublados entre los 1.750 y 3.000 metros, y que la especie tolera situaciones paraclimácicas (plantaciones artificiales de Cupressus sp., Pinus sp. y piso cubierto de Pennisetum clandestinum y que sus hábitos son netamente terrestres y semifosoriales. De los caracteres externos cabe destacar una gran variabilidad cromática individual; el integumento desprovisto de adaptaciones xeromorfas y de complejos glandulares especializados, indica una adaptación hacia un hábitat higrófilo, añadidos a la extremada reducción del primer dedo pedial. Las características esqueléticas determinadas mediante disección y tinción diferencial, muestran un tipo generalizado sin reducción pronunciada de elementos craneales, con presencia de dientes no pedicelados en la arcada maxilar, sin evidencias de adaptaciones fragmóticas ni fosoriales ni ornamentación epicraneal o exóstosis, aparato hioideo generalizado, 8 vértebras presacras sin fusión ni imbricación y con procesos transversos especializados, sacro con diapófisis no dilatadas, astrágalo y calcáneo fusionados, tarsales reducidos a dos.  Es llamativa la presencia de falanges terminales en forma de T, lo cual podría sugerir una pre adaptación hacia un régimen arborícola (o bien la derivación a partir de un antecesor arborícola, Una condición firmisternal plena de la cintura escapular y la notable reducción de la clavícula insinuarían una aparente relación con los Microhylidae.  La musculatura muestra un M. intermandibularis con rafé medial, la inserción del M. adductor mandibularis subexternus de tipo "S", el tendón distal del M. semitendinosus con recorrido ventral a los Mm. graciles; el M. adductor longus con inserción en la rodilla, y la ausencia de una cabeza accesoria o tendón del M. glutaeus magnus (carácter único dentro de los Neobatrachia, pero verosímilmente debido a pérdida secundaria. Una de las características más llamativas (en contra de registros previos de renacuajos atribuidos tentativamente a esta especie es la confirmación de un desarrollo directo que a priori podría suponerse dada la reducida postura de huevos megalecitales en lugares protegidos y que corresponde a una adaptación hacia ambientes de montaña con escasa oportunidad para un desarrollo larvario acuático.  Los 68 caracteres utilizados fueron codificados numéricamente según sus condiciones primitivas o derivadas, según criterios aceptados en la literatura reciente, tanto para facilitar las comparaciones como para intentar reconstruir la filogenia según principios de taxonomía numérica.  Fácilmente por exclusión se descartó la posibilidad de que Geobatrachus representase conforme a la firmisternia un elemento de los Microhyloidea, y la ausencia de elementos esqueléticos interfalangeales, excluyen cualquier posible afinidad con los Centrolenidae, Hylidae y Pseudidae, aun cuando ninguna característica, salvo la ausencia del tendón accesorio del M. glutaeus magnus (interpretada como pérdida secundaria excluye la asignación de Geobatrachus a los Bufonoidea. Ninguna característica en particular permite referir el genero a los Myobatrachidae ni a los Heleophrynidae, la ausencia de órgano de Bidder (única característica diagnóstica entre Leptodactylidae y Bufonidae elimina, aparte de la afinidad mostrada por cladogramas experimentales, la familia Bufonidae de toda su consideración adicional. En cuanto a los Brachycephalidae (sensu McDIARMID 1969, si bien aparentemente derivados de los Leptodactylidae, diferencias tales como la estructura de la cintura escapular  y el desarrollo de osteodermos dorsales los excluyen de consideración.  El análisis combinatorial realizado mediante cladogramas confirma que los Phyllobatinae (= Dendrobatidae son derivados de los Elosiini, y que los acreditan mejor en el rango de subfamilia dentro de los Leptodactylidae que como familia separada. Aun cuando la firmisternia en particular puede sugerir afinidades con Geobatrachus, ciertamente este género al igual que Rhinoderma no pueden ser asignados a los Phyllobatinae. El análisis de los caracteres de Rhinoderma indica que este género se derivó del antecesor inmediato de los Leptodactylinae o de elementos antiguos de este grupo y que, al igual que en el caso de los Phyllobatinae, bien pueden involucrarse dentro de los Leptodactylidae como una sub familia, a menos que se recurra a dividir dicha familia en varios grupos de jerarquía familiar. No obstante Geobatrachus difiere ampliamente de los Rhinodermatinae y, como lo indican los cladogramas elaborados, muestra su máxima afinidad con los Eleutherodactylini, si bien representa un género bien diferenciado dentro de la tribu quizás como resultado de la evolución in situ de un "stock" antiguo de aislamiento desde el Terciario, que ha sobrevivido en condiciones favorecidas por la ecuabilidad climática, Hipótesis basadas en las evidencias paleogeográficas y paleoclimáticas  disponibles, así como con forme a la posible dicotomía fundamental de los llamados grupos ,.Alpha" y “Beta" de los Eleutherodactylus son discutidas.  Con exclusión de Euparkerella y Holoaden los Eleutherodactylini (cuya diferenciación inicial quizás tuvo lugar en el S. E. de Brasil, los restantes géneros del grupo se hallan estrechamente relacionados entre sí, aun cuando una revisión exhaustiva de Eleutherodactylus que eventualmente puede llegar a subdividir este género, puede llevar a conclusiones que si bien no se aparten substancialmente de las interpretaciones aquí ofrecidas, si conduzcan a una interpretación mejor fundada de la que las hipótesis planteadas o incluso a una reducción del número de géneros actualmente reconocidos.  Tanto la firmisternia como la pérdida del tendón accesorio del M. glutaeus magnus y el número comparativamente reducido de cromosomas con ausencia de acrocéntricos, sugieren que Geobatrachus represente una línea extrema de especialización dentro de los Eleutherodactylini.  La evidencia aportada por el análisis cladístico no favorece considerar a los Eleutherodactylinae como derivados de Adenomera o de un antecesor inmediato común con este género y, por tanto, la adquisición del desarrollo directo dentro de los Leptodactylidae parece haber ocurrido independientemente al menos en dos líneas filéticas. The different familial assignations proposed until now for Geobatracbus are compiled. Through the collection of a virtual topotypical series of this monotypic genus, which is endemic of the NW section of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Massif (Departamento del Magdalena, Colombia, a detailed description was made.  67 morphological characters were selected according to the criteria used by Lynch and Heyer in their studies on the philogeny and classification of the leptodactylid frogs, and such characters, compled with the chromosome number (2n =20 were analysed, after initial examination of their meaning in order to ascertain the affinities of the genus. Field work carried on in the region showed that its distribution cover the area of humid forest, with frequent mists, at. 1.750-3.000 m., and pointed also that the species tolerates paraclimacic situations (in plantations of Cupressus sp., and Pinus sp. , and their habits are exclusively terrestrial and semifossorial.  Among the external characters it can be emphasized the high degree of chromatic individual variation, the absence of xeromorphic adaptations and specialized glandular complexes in the skin, which point towards an adaptation towards a hygrophilic habitat, added to the extreme reduction of the first pedial digit. The skeleton characters, studied through dissection and differential staining, show a generalized type without pronounced reduction in the cranial elements, the occurrence of non-pedicellated teeth in the maxillary arch, the absence of either phragmotic or fossorial adaptations, or epicraneal ornamentation exostosis; a generalized hyoid apparatus; 8 presacral vertebrae without fusion or imbrication, and with specialized transverse processes; no expanded sacral diapophyses, fused talus and calcaneus and only two tarsalia. The T-shaped terminal phalanges might suggest a preadaptation towards an arboreal way of life (or, conversely, an arboreal ancestor; also the full firmisternal condition of the pectoral girdle and the striking clavicular reduction which would show an apparent relationship with the Microhylids. The following muscular characters are noteworthy: M. intermandibularis with medial raphe, the type "s" insertion of the M. adductor mandibularis subexternus, the distal tendon of M. semitendinosus passing ventral to the Mm. graciles, the insertion over the knee of the M. adductor longus, and the absence of an accessory head (or tendon in the M. glutaeus magnus (an unique condition among the Neobatrachia, presumably due to secondary loss.  In contrast with previous wrong assertions, a direct development (without free larval stages was confirmed, a condition expected a priori since the eggs are megalecythal and laid in reduced numbers in protected places, in accordance with the scare opportunities for aquatic larval development in mountain environments.  Each of the 68 used characters were codified according to their primitive or derived represented stages, following criteria adopted in the recent literature, with the aim of using principles of numeric taxonomy to at temp the reconstruction of the phylogeny. The possibility that Geobatrachus could belong to the Microhyloidea due to its firmisternal condition, was easily discarded, and the absence of intercalary skeletal pieces in the digits, prevent also any possible close relationship with the Centrolenidae, Hylidae and Pseudidae, although there are no characters (except for the absence of an accessory tendon in the M. glutaeus magnus, regarded as a secondary loss that might exclude the inclusion of Geobatrachus in the Bufonoidea. No particular characters allow the inclusion of the genus either in the Myobatrachidae or the Heleophrynidae.  The absence of Bidder's organ (which is the only diagnostic difference between the Leptodactylidae and the Bufonidae eliminate the family Bufonidae from any further consideration, a conclusion that is supported also by experimental cladograms. Distinctive features such as the morphology of the pectoral girdle and the presence of dorsal osteoderms, characteristic of the Brachycephalidae (sensu McDIARMID, 1969 also exclude this family from consideration.   The combinational analysis made through cladograms confirms the presumptive derivation of the Phyllobatinae (= Dendrobatidae from the Elosiini, and leads to the conclusion that this group might be better regarded as a subfamily of the Leptodactylidae than as a family of their own. Although, in particular the firmisternal condition might suggest affinities of Geobatrachus with the Phyllobatinae, neither this genus or Rhinoderma can be referred to this subfamily. The analysis of the characters of Rhinoderma shows rather conclusively that this genus was derived from the immediate anc estor of the Leptodactylinae or from early members of this group, and under such circumstances Rhinoderma can equally be included in the Leptodactylidae as a representative of a monotypic subfamily. Otherwise, the Leptodactylidae should be divided in several groups of familial hierarchy. However, Geobatrachus widely differs from the Rhinodermatinae, and, as its clearly shown by the cladograms, shows its greater affinity with the Eleutherodactylini, although Geobatrachus is rather outstandingly different from the other genera of this tribe. This condition might be due to the in situ evolution of an early stock, isolated since the Tertiary, that has survived in favored conditions due to climatic equability. Several hypothesis based on the available paleogeographic and paleoclimatic evidence are discussed, in conjunction with the possible fundamental dichotomy of the" Alpha" and" Beta" groups of the genus Eleutberodactylus. With the noticeable exceptions of the genera Euparkerella and Holoaden, the Eleutherodactylini (perhaps originally issued in S. E. Brazil represent a group of closely related genera, although an exhaustive review of Eleutherodactylus might eventually lead to the splitting of this genus, and to conclusions that agreeing essentially with the conclusions here offered, could otherwise provide basis for a better interpretation of the facts here presented, or even to a reduction of the currently recognized genera for this tribe.  Both, the firmisterny, the loss of the accessory tendon of the M. glutaeus magnus, and the caryotipe (with comparatively reduced number of chromosomes and the lack of acrocentrics, suggest that Geobatrachus represents an extreme line of specialization among the Eleutherodactylini. The evidence afforded by the cladistic analysis gives no support to regard the Eleutherodactylini are derived from Adenomera or an immediate common ancestor with this genus, and so the acquisition of the direct development among the Leptodactylidae seens to have occurred independently at least in two phyletic lines.

Hyperolius argus (Anura) in Natal: taxonomy, biogeography and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

South African frogs of the genus. Hyperolius in the Museum of Comparative Zoology,. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ann. Transv. Mus. 20: 283 - 291. PARKER, H.W. 1930. A collection of frogs from Portuguese East. Africa. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1930: 897 - 905. PASSMORE, N.I. & CARRUTHERS, V.C. 1979. South African.

Biodiversity Change: Preliminary Monitoring of Anura Species in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

anuran species between 2007–2009 applying the transect sampling method. These study ... clearing land for agriculture. ... technique allows recording of cryptic species .... Variation in the maximum temperature patterns in southwest Nigeria.

Reproductive biology of Pleurodema guayapae (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae

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Julián Alonso Valetti

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Pleurodema guayapae is a species that inhabits saline environments and semidesert zones from central Argentina. To date, the knowledge about the reproductive biology of this species is very poor, and our aim is to contribute to its knowledge with the description of some important reproductive aspects. For this, field work was undertaken in an area near to Patquía, La Rioja province. Sampling was undertaken during three summer periods (2006-2007; 2007-2008; 2008-2009 in Chamical-Patquía area, where we could find reproductively active populations. We observed and described breeding sites, type of clutch, process of foam nest construction, clutch and egg number and sizes, and hatching time and stage. Behaviour observations were performed from the time that males began to call until the pairs ended up the foam nests building, and layed the eggs. Additionally, one amplected pair was observed and filmed in the process of foam nest construction, and four amplectant pairs were collected and separatelly placed in plastic containers, for nests observations in the laboratory. Hatching time was based on three different foam nests of known age. We found that P. guayapae populations were acoustically active only after a rainfall. Its breeding sites were represented by ephemeral ponds of fresh water, product of rains. The males emitted their calls inside or outside these ponds. A detailed description of the foam nest construction process by both females and males was made. The clutches were in dome-shaped foam nest type of 6-9cm in diameter and 1-3cm in height, some of which were in communal nests. The nests had an average of 1 137 pigmented eggs. This species showed a short hatching time. Our results allow us to conclude that this species should be considered an extreme explosive breeder. Our results are discussed with others obtained for related species.

Hyperolius argus (Anura) in Natal: taxonomy, biogeography and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A high degree of variation in the colour pattern of. Hyperolius argus Peters, including sexual dichromatism and a marked cline, has led to much taxonomic confusion. This. East African species extends down the Natal coastal lowlands as far south as Durban. It has been assigned to. H. punctlculatus (Pfeffer) in Natal.

Xenopus iaevis (Anura: Pipidae) Mating systems - A preliminary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

was inhibited if the frogs were injected with saline to simulate ripe ovaries. Russel (1954) described a low frequency tremor given by males when in amplexus with females. This behaviour was also noted by Grimm (1952). Although many authors have provided verbal or phonetic descriptions of the calls of Xenopus laevis, ...

Alsodes pehuenche (Anura: Cycloramphidae: Past, present and future

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Corbalán, Valeria

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Alsodes pehuenche es una especie endémica del Valle Pehuenche, en los Andes centrales de la Argentina, en el límite con Chile. Su biología es pobremente conocida y, en consecuencia, ha sido incluida en la categoría de Datos Insuficientes por la UICN. En esta contribución se proporcionan nuevos datos para la especie y se describen las amenazas que está sufriendo. La pavimentación de la ruta nacional 145 ha modificado los cursos de agua de los arroyos habitados por A. pehuenche, produciendo una alteración del hábitat y una mortalidad cercana al 25% de la población. Se cita por primera vez a A. pehuenche para Chile, aumentando su distribución geográfica conocida que alcanza los 9 km2. En el futuro, partículas contaminantes provenientes del tránsito vehicular podrían alcanzar los arroyos modificando seriamente la calidad del agua. Tanto la alteración de los cursos de agua como la contaminación, junto a otras amenazas importantes como el ganado doméstico, eventos de crecidas naturales y el cambio climático, podrían afectar severamente la supervivencia de la especie, especialmente si se tienen en cuenta sus hábitos acuáticos y su peculiar ciclo de vida con un período metamórfico que dura varios años. Se están llevando a cabo acciones de conservación, pero el éxito de las mismas aún no está garantizado. El esfuerzo conjunto de investigadores y gobierno es esencial para lograrlo. Consideramos que en la actualidad hay datos suficientes para realizar un cambio de categoría de amenaza, de Datos Insuficientes a especie Críticamente Amenazada. Alsodes pehuenche is an endemic species of the Pehuenche Valley in the Central Andes of Argentina, on the border with Chile. Its biology is poorly known, and in consequence, has been categorized as Data Deficient by IUCN. In this contribution, we give new data on the species, and describe the threats it is facing. The paving of national route 145 modified the courses of the streams inhabited by A. pehuenche, producing habitat alteration and mortality of nearly 25% of the population. For the first time, A. pehuenche is cited for Chile, expanding its known geographical distribution area that reaches 9 km2. In the future, contaminant particles from vehicle traffic could arrive in the streams modifying water quality. Alteration of watercourses and contamination, as well as other important threats like domestic livestock, natural flooding events and climate change, could severely affect survival of the species, especially taking into account their aquatic habits and their peculiar life cycle with a metamorphic period that lasts many years. Conservation actions are in progress, but success is not yet guaranteed. A partnership between researchers and government is essential for success. We believe that information about P. pehuenche is now enough to make a category change from Data Deficient to Critically Endangered.

Alimentación en Melanophryniscus stelzneri (Anura: Bufonidae

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Fillipelo, Ana María

1994-01-01

Full Text Available The alimentary categories of a population of Melanophryniscus stelzneri are studied cuantitatively and cualitatively utilizing a sample of 57 specimens obtained from "El Trapiche", province of San Luis, Argentine, in order to know the grade of trophic overlap and predation strategies. The main alimentary categories for males and females are: Formicidae, Collembola, Acari, Coleoptera, Isoptera and larvae. Although the diets of both sexes show a high grade of trophic overlap, males and females differ in the amount of each resource used. Adults and juveniles present a low grade of trophic overlap. The juveniles follow the "widely foraging" strategy and the adults follow an intermidiate one, between "sit and wait" and "widely foraging".

Hyperolius argus (Anura) in Natal: taxonomy, biogeography and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There is some evidence that populations of argus intergrade with semidiscus Hewitt in Natal, and the occurrence of semidiscus on the periphery of the argusrange is discussed in relation to the 'central-marginal' model of biogeographical patterning. It has not been possible to determine the relative vulnerability to habitat ...

[Population demography in Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae) and Physalaemus biligonigerus (Anura: Leiuperidae) in agroecosystems in the province of Córdoba, Argentina].

Science.gov (United States)

Bionda, Clarisa; Lajmanovich, Rafael; Salas, Nancy; Martino, Adolfo; di Tada, Ismael

2013-09-01

The advancing agricultural frontier has led to an important loss of natural habitats, with significant consequences for biodiversity. The demography for two species of anurans, Physalaemus biligonigerus and Rhinella arenarum, both associated with agricultural systems in the central region of the C6rdoba Province, were analyzed and compared in this study. Four sites were sampled: three agroecosystems with different alteration degrees (C1, C2 and SM1) and a fourth site not cultivated (SM2). The sampling was conducted during two reproductive periods, from September 2008 to April 2009 and September 2009 to April 2010. Individuals were captured using live pitfall traps for the metamorphic, juveniles and adults; and visual encounter survey, for the capture of eggs and larvae. With the abundance data, the survival for each age class was estimated using the KNM method (Kiritani Nakasuki Manly). With survival rates and fertility population, Leslie matrices were elaborated to obtain a quantitative projection of the population size. Altered environments showed lower eggs and larvae survival. Population projections were favorable in the site SM2 and were less favorable and a tendency to extinction, in sites dominated by crops. This study showed that the agroecosystems of this region are possibly inhospitable environments for reproduction and survival of the species studied. The aquatic stages in the life cycle of both species would be the more affected, since water bodies deterioration is present or may occur in those areas. We can recognize species-specific effects of agricultural ecosystems; P. biligonigerus was the most affected species, possibly because of their life histories and habitat requirements. We suggested that environmental degradation caused by the cropland in the central region of Argentina would impact on the demographics of the anuran populations in the area.

Bioacústica del canto de advertencia de Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Ceratophrydae Bioacoustic of the advertisement call of Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Ceratophryidae

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Julián Alonso Valetti

2013-03-01

Full Text Available El canto de advertencia en anuros es especie-específico, pero como los anfibios son organismos ectotermos, las variables acústicas pueden estar afectadas por la temperatura. Se describe el canto de advertencia de Ceratophrys cranwelli cuantificando el efecto de la temperatura sobre sus componentes. Los cantos se grabaron in situ y se registró la temperatura del sitio de canto. Un total de 54 cantos de 18 individuos fueron digitalizados y analizados. Las variables temporales de cada canto de advertencia fueron medidas a partir de los oscilogramas y sonogramas, mientras que el análisis de frecuencia se realizó a través del espectrograma. Mediante análisis de correlación múltiple se identificaron las variables acústicas temperatura-dependientes y el efecto de la temperatura fue cuantificado mediante los modelos de regresión lineal obtenidos. C. cranwelli posee un canto de advertencia simple pulsado. Las variables Duración del canto, Duración del pulso e Intervalo entre pulso decrecen con la temperatura, en tanto que la Tasa de pulsos está directamente correlacionada con la temperatura. Las variables temperatura-dependientes fueron estandarizadas a 25ºC según el modelo de regresión lineal obtenido para ser comparadas con datos publicados. Se demuestra la importante variabilidad que produce la temperatura en algunas propiedades del canto de C. cranwelli.The advertisement call plays an important role in the life history of anuran amphibians, mainly during the breeding season. Call features represent an important character to discriminate species, and sound emissions are very effective to assure or reinforce genetic incompatibility, especially in the case of sibling species. Since frogs are ectotherms, acoustic properties of their calls will vary with temperature. In this study, we described the advertisement call of C. cranwelli, quantifying the temperature effect on its components. The acoustic emissions were recorded during 2007 using a DAT record Sony™ TCD-100 with stereo microphone ECM-MS907 Sony™ and tape TDK™ DAT-RGX 60. As males emit their calls floating in temporary ponds, water temperatures were registered after recording the advertisement calls with a digital thermometer TES 1 300±0.1°C. Altogether, 54 calls from 18 males were analyzed. The temporal variables of each advertisement call were measured using oscillograms and sonograms and the analyses of dominant frequency were performed using a spectrogram. Multiple correlation analysis was used to identify the temperature-dependent acoustic variables and the temperature effect on these variables was quantified using linear regression models. The advertisement call of C. cranwelli consists of a single pulse group. Call duration, Pulse duration and Pulse interval decreased with the temperature, whereas the Pulse rate increased with temperature. The temperature-dependent variables were standardized at 25°C according to the linear regression model obtained. The acoustic variables that were correlated with the temperature are the variables which emissions depend on laryngeal muscles and the temperature constraints the contractile properties of muscles. Our results indicated that temperature explains an important fraction of the variability in some acoustic variables (79% in the Pulse rate, and demonstrated the importance of considering the effect of temperature in acoustic components. The results suggest that acoustic variables show geographic variation to compare data with previous works.

Amphibians of the Reserva Ecológica Michelin: a high diversity site in the lowland Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

de Mira-Mendes, Caio Vinícius; Ruas, Danilo Silva; de Oliveira, Renan Manoel; Castro, Indira Maria; Dias, Iuri Ribeiro; Baumgarten, Julio Ernesto; Juncá, Flora Acuña; Solé, Mirco

2018-01-01

An inventory of the amphibians of the Reserva Ecológica Michelin - REM in southern Bahia, Brazil is presented. Sixty-nine species were recorded during a ten-year sampling period. Amphibians were distributed in two orders (Gymnophiona and Anura), belonging to twelve families [Aromobatidae (1), Bufonidae (3), Centrolenidae (1), Craugastoridae (5), Eleutherodactylidae (3), Hemiphractidae (2), Hylidae (34), Phyllomedusidae (5) Leptodactylidae (7), Microhylidae (4), Odontophrynidae (3) and Caeciliidae (1)]. Fifty per cent of the reproductive modes known for Atlantic forest anurans were recorded. While no threatened species were found at REM, six species are classified as data deficient (DD) by the Brazilian Red List of threatened species and deserve additional attention. Phasmahyla timbo and Vitreorana eurygnatha are listed as endangered in Bahia according to the list of threatened species of the state. Despite a higher diversity of amphibians in the Atlantic forest having been reported for mountainous regions, our results revealed that amphibian richness for lowland forests is also high.

Amphibians of the Reserva Ecológica Michelin: a high diversity site in the lowland Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil

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Caio Vinícius de Mira-Mendes

2018-04-01

Full Text Available An inventory of the amphibians of the Reserva Ecológica Michelin – REM in southern Bahia, Brazil is presented. Sixty-nine species were recorded during a ten-year sampling period. Amphibians were distributed in two orders (Gymnophiona and Anura, belonging to twelve families [Aromobatidae (1, Bufonidae (3, Centrolenidae (1, Craugastoridae (5, Eleutherodactylidae (3, Hemiphractidae (2, Hylidae (34, Phyllomedusidae (5 Leptodactylidae (7, Microhylidae (4, Odontophrynidae (3 and Caeciliidae (1]. Fifty per cent of the reproductive modes known for Atlantic forest anurans were recorded. While no threatened species were found at REM, six species are classified as data deficient (DD by the Brazilian Red List of threatened species and deserve additional attention. Phasmahyla timbo and Vitreorana eurygnatha are listed as endangered in Bahia according to the list of threatened species of the state. Despite a higher diversity of amphibians in the Atlantic forest having been reported for mountainous regions, our results revealed that amphibian richness for lowland forests is also high.

Population traits of the burrowing toad Rhinella fernandezae (Gallardo, 1957 (Anura, Bufonidae Características populacionais do sapo Rhinella fernandezae (Anura, Bufonidae

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LC. Sanchez

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Size distribution, sex ratio and use of burrows of the burrowing toad Rhinella fernandezae were studied in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Two sites separated by approximately 300 m were studied: one was a road next to a swamp, and the other a garden of a country house located further from the swamp. We identified toad burrows, and individuals were sexed, measured and given an individual mark. Burrows were examined in subsequent months after the first sampling to assess the presence of toads. We found significant differences in the size distribution between areas, being the proportion of juveniles greater at the site next to the swamp where the reproduction of the species was observed. This result may suggest that the site located near to the swamp functions as a source habitat of individuals that migrate to the other site, where recruitment would be very scarce. Sex proportion of adults did not differ from 1:1 in neither the total population nor in each site, suggesting that there was not differential mortality by sex. Some toads changed burrows throughout the study period, but there were not differences in the frequency of change between adults and juveniles.Distribuição de tamanho, razão sexual operacional, e uso de covas do sapo Rhinella fernandezae foram estudados na província de Buenos Aires, Argentina, em dois sítios afastados 300 m. Um deles é uma trilha próxima a um pântano, o outro, um jardim de uma casa rural, mais afastado do pântano. Identificamos as covas dos sapos, e os indivíduos dentro delas foram sexados, medidos e marcados individualmente. As covas foram monitoradas mensalmente, depois da primeira amostragem para avaliar a presença dos sapos. Achamos diferenças na distribuição de tamanhos entres os sítios, sendo a proporção de juvenis maior naquele próximo ao pântano, onde a reprodução da espécie foi observada. O resultado sugere que o sítio próximo ao pântano funciona como um habitat fonte de indivíduos que migram para aquele mais afastado, onde o recrutamento seria escasso. A taxa entre os sexos dos adultos não foi diferente de 1:1 em nenhum dos sítios amostrados, nem na população total, sugerindo que não existe mortalidade diferencial entre machos e fêmeas. Alguns sapos mudaram de cova durante o período do estudo, mas não houve diferenças na freqüência de mudança entre juvenis e adultos.

Description of a tetraploid Tomopterna (Anura: Ranidae) from South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A new tetraploid species of sand frog, genus Tomopterna, is described from the eastern Cape. On the basis of mtDNA sequences, allozymes and advertisement calls, it appears to have arisen as a hybrid between the adjacent diploid populations of T. delalandii and T. cryptotis. The hybridization event is estimated to have ...

A new minute Andean Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae from Venezuela

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César L. Barrio-Amorós

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A new species of Pristimantis is described from the Venezuelan Andes. The new species is the smallest in its genus known in Venezuela and belongs to the Pristimantis unistrigatus Group. It differs from the rest of Venezuelan Andean congeners in body size (mean male SVL < 21.3 mm, female SVL < 26.3 mm, expanded discs on fingers and toes, absence of dorsolateral folds, and a distinctivecall consisting in 2–5 cricket-like short notes. The new species inhabits the southwestern part of the Cordillera de Mérida in Venezuela and the Venezuelan side of the Cordillera Oriental deColombia, and could be present on the Colombian portion of the cordillera as well.

Origin and identity of Fejervarya (Anura: Dicroglossidae) on Guam

Science.gov (United States)

Wostl, Elijah; Smith, Eric N.; Reed, Robert

2016-01-01

We used morphological and molecular data to infer the identity and origin of frogs in the genus Fejervarya that have been introduced to the island of Guam. Mensural and meristic data were collected from 96 specimens from throughout their range on the island and a principal component analysis was used to investigate the distribution of these data in morphological space. We also amplified a fragment of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid mitochondrial gene from 27 of these specimens and compared it to 63 published sequences of Fejervarya and the morphologically similar Zakerana. All examined Fejervarya from Guam are morphologically indistinguishable and share an identical haplotype. The molecular data identify them as Fejervarya cancrivora with a haplotype identical to F. cancrivora from Taiwan.

Parental care in Hemisus (Anura: Hemisotidae) | van Dijk | African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Zoology. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 32, No 2 (1997) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should load here if your ...

Description of a tetraploid Tomopterna (Anura: Ranidae) from South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1995-08-14

Aug 14, 1995 ... pattern consists of a series of darker blotches, edged with dark brown, on a paler grey ... Colour in life: The dorsal pattern consists of grey or olive patches on a lighter .... 1.9-2.0. 24 upward sweep 50 Hz. 9. Elandsberg. 1.8- 1.9.

Ecología reproductiva de Geobatrachus walkeri (Anura: Srabomantidae)

OpenAIRE

Vanesa Pacheco-Florez; Martha P. Ramírez-Pinilla

2014-01-01

Geobatrachus walkeri es una rana que pertenece a un género monotípico y es endémica de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. La especie habita en diferentes microhábitats entre los 2 000 y 3 500m de altitud, incluyendo la hojarasca de una plantación de pinos. Para entender su ecología reproductiva se realizaron ocho muestreos de individuos, que abarcaron las estaciones de lluvias y de sequía y dos tipos de hábitats (bosque secundario y plantación de pino) durante 2010-2011. También se in...

Ecología reproductiva de Geobatrachus walkeri (Anura: Srabomantidae

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Vanesa Pacheco-Florez

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Geobatrachus walkeri es una rana que pertenece a un género monotípico y es endémica de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. La especie habita en diferentes microhábitats entre los 2 000 y 3 500m de altitud, incluyendo la hojarasca de una plantación de pinos. Para entender su ecología reproductiva se realizaron ocho muestreos de individuos, que abarcaron las estaciones de lluvias y de sequía y dos tipos de hábitats (bosque secundario y plantación de pino durante 2010-2011. También se incluyeron los datos de cinco muestreos similares obtenidos previamente durante el período 2008-2009. El principal microhábitat donde las ranas se encontraron fue la hoja-rasca de pino, allí escuchamos coros de seis-diez machos durante todos los meses muestreados, y observamos que las ranas tienen actividad diurna y nocturna. Sin importar el año de estudio, la población se compone de neonatos reclutados en varios meses del año, un gran número de juveniles con un amplio rango de tamaños corporales, y un menor número de adultos con un rango más reducido de tamaño corporal. Los análisis histológicos de las gónadas mostraron que el tamaño a la madurez se adquiere cerca de los 18mm LRC para machos y hembras, y que los machos y hembras adultos fueron reproductivos durante todo el muestreo, lo que sugiere un patrón continuo de actividad reproductiva. Sin embargo, durante la estación seca, los túbulos seminíferos presentan un epitelio espermático drásticamente disminuido, aunque contienen abundantes espermatozoides luminales, lo que sugiere una reducción en la producción de espermatozoides en el final de la estación seca. Del mismo modo, las ranas de todas las categorías de edad fueron significativamente más abundantes durante el inicio de la estación seca, mientras que fueron significativamente menos abundantes con el avance de la sequedad, lo que sugiere que una mayor intensidad de la temporada de sequía podría detener temporalmente la actividad y la reproducción en esta población.

Evolution of Acoustic Behaviour in African Bufo (Anura: Bufonidae ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mating calls are known for 29 species of African Bufo belonging to 11 species groups. Twenty-five African species, representing eight species groups (including four groups or complexes having 2N=22) have calls which Martin (1972) termed Type I. This call type is also found in Schismaderma carens, Nectophrynoides ...

A population's of Cochranella ignota reproductive ecology (anura:centrolenidae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Restrepo, Jorge Humberto; Naranjo, Luis G. Naranjo

1999-01-01

During the first semester of 1994, we studied 30 marked males and 40 eggs clutches of Cochranella ignota in a cloud forest at 1900 m of elevation on the western Andes. The clumping of resident males at restricted sites and the regular spatial pattern of the individuals within the clumps suggest territoriality and male selection of display sites. The lack of patterns of the structural variables of the habitat used both by males and females suggest behavioral mechanisms of mate choice. The comparison of the reproductive strategy of this population with those of other species of anuran amphibians reveals the occurrence of Lek behavior in this species

Diet and trophic niche of Lithobates catesbeianus (Amphibia: Anura

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Peterson T. Leivas

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802 is an invasive anuran introduced in Brazil that is associated with the displacement and the decline of populations of native species worldwide. There is evidence that biological invasions are facilitated by certain attributes of the invading species, for instance niche breath, and that invasive species have a broader ecological niche with respect to native ones. We designed a study to ascertain the temporal, ontogenetic, and sex differences in the niche dynamics of the American bullfrog. We sampled monthly from June 2008 to May 2009 in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. For each individual, we gathered biometric and stomach content data. We then estimated the niche breath of the juveniles and adults, and compared it between the sexes. A total of 104 females and 77 males were sampled. Lithobates catesbeianus has a generalist diet, preying upon invertebrates and vertebrates. Even though the diet of the studied population varied seasonally, it did not differ between the sexes nor did it respond to biometric variables. Niche breadth was more restricted in the winter than in the autumn. The trophic niche of juveniles and adults did not overlap much when compared with the trophic niche overlap between males and females. Adult males and females had a considerable niche overlap, but females had a broader trophic niche than males in the winter and in the spring. These niche characteristics point to an opportunistic predation strategy that may have facilitated the process of invasion and establishment of this species in the study area.

Diferenciación sexual de Phyllomedusa boliviana (Anura: Hylidae

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Rengel, Dora

1995-01-01

Full Text Available Phyllomedusa boliviana (Hylidae es una especie que se distribuye desde el centro de Bolivia y oeste de Brasil hasta el Norte de Argentina, ocupando diversos ambientes en un amplio rango altitudinal (350-2000 m.s.n.m.. La gónada de Phyllomedusa boliviana se diferencia antes de llegar a los procesos de metamorfosis en una estructura orientada a la formación de un testículo o hacia la constitución de un ovario; lo que encuadra a esta especie en el concepto de "raza diferenciada" en el sentido de Witshi (1924 a diferencia de lo reportado en Phyllomedusa sauvagii, que ha sido considerada una "raza indiferenciada de tipo masculino", hecho único entre los anuros conocidos (Rengel y Pisanó, 1981. Phyllomedusa boliviana (Hylidae is a species that distributes from mid Bolivia and west of Brazil to the north of Argentine, occupying different habitats in a wide altitudinous range (350- 2000 m. P. boliviana's gonad is differentiated before metamorphosis in a structure orientated at the formation of the testicle or ovary. For this reason, this species is framed in the concept of "differentiated sexual race" (Wistchi 1924. This observation is different that reported in Phyllomedusa sauvagii, which has been considered an "indifferentiated race of masculine type". This matter is unique in anurans (Rengel y Pisanó, 1981.

Demografía poblacional de Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae y Physalaemus biligonigerus (Anura: Leiuperidae en agroecosistemas de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina

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Clarisa Bionda

2013-09-01

Full Text Available El crecimiento de la agricultura produce pérdida del hábitat natural, con consecuencias para la biodiversidad de los anfibios. Se analizó la demografía poblacional de dos especies de anfibios en agroecosistemas de la provincia de Córdoba, Rhinella arenarum y Physalaemus biligonigerus. Los muestreos se realizaron en tres agroecosistemas y en un cuarto sitio, no afectado por cultivos. Los individuos se capturaron utilizando trampas de caída viva y relevamientos visuales. Con los datos de abundancia se estimó la supervivencia para cada clase de edad y con las tasas de supervivencia y fertilidad poblacional, se construyeron matrices de Leslie para obtener una proyección cuantitativa del tamaño poblacional. Las proyecciones poblacionales fueron favorables para el sitio SM2 y desfavorables para los sitios cultivados. Los agroecosistemas son ambientes posiblemente inhóspitos para la reproducción y supervivencia de las especies estudiadas. Particularmente se ven afectados aquellos estadios acuáticos del ciclo de vida de estas especies, debido al deterioro de los cuerpos de agua en estas áreas. Se reconocieron efectos especie-específicos de los ecosistemas agrícolas, ya que P. biligonigerus resultó la especie más afectada. Se sugiere un deterioro ambiental producido por cultivos extensivos de soja, lo que impactaría la demografía de las poblaciones de anuros.

Growth hormone and prolactin in Andrias davidianus: cDNA cloning, tissue distribution and phylogenetic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Liping; Meng, Zining; Liu, Yun; Zhang, Yong; Liu, Xiaochun; Lu, Danqi; Huang, Junhai; Lin, Haoran

2010-01-15

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is one of the largest and 'living fossil' species of amphibian. To obtain genetic information for this species, the cDNAs encoding growth hormone (adGH) and prolactin (adPRL) were cloned from a pituitary cDNA library. The isolated adGH cDNA consisted of 864 bp and encoded a propeptide of 215 amino acids, while the cDNA of adPRL was 1106 bp in length and encoded a putative peptide of 229 amino acids. Expression of the GH and PRL mRNA was only detected in the pituitary. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the isolated pituitary hormone sequences using maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining algorithms. The clustering results are similar to that based on the morphological characteristics or the rRNA genes, which indicate that the two orders (Anura and Caudata) of amphibian were monophyletic, and that A. davidianus was diverged early in the Caudate clade. These results indicated that both the GH and PRL sequence might be useful to study the phylogenies of relatively moderate evolved groups.

Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea.

Science.gov (United States)

San Mauro, Diego; Vences, Miguel; Alcobendas, Marina; Zardoya, Rafael; Meyer, Axel

2005-05-01

The origin and divergence of the three living orders of amphibians (Anura, Caudata, Gymnophiona) and their main lineages are one of the most hotly debated topics in vertebrate evolution. Here, we present a robust molecular phylogeny based on the nuclear RAG1 gene as well as results from a variety of alternative independent molecular clock calibrations. Our analyses suggest that the origin and early divergence of the three living amphibian orders dates back to the Palaeozoic or early Mesozoic, before the breakup of Pangaea, and soon after the divergence from lobe-finned fishes. The resulting new biogeographic scenario, age estimate, and the inferred rapid divergence of the three lissamphibian orders may account for the lack of fossils that represent plausible ancestors or immediate sister taxa of all three orders and the heretofore paradoxical distribution of some amphibian fossil taxa. Furthermore, the ancient and rapid radiation of the three lissamphibian orders likely explains why branch lengths connecting their early nodes are particularly short, thus rendering phylogenetic inference of implicated relationships especially difficult.

Morfometria testicular durante o ciclo reprodutivo de Dendropsophus minutus (Peters (Anura, Hylidae Testicular morphometry during the reproductive cycle of Dendropsophus minutus (Peters (Anura, Hylidae

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Lia R. de S. Santos

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Este estudo descreve o ciclo reprodutivo de machos de Dendropsophus minutus (Peters, 1872 com base na análise da morfometria testicular e a correlação com parâmetros climáticos. Cinqüenta indivíduos foram coletados em São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo. Após as análises macroscópicas, os testículos foram encaminhados à rotina histológica, fixados com Bouin e incluídos em historesina. Cortes de 2 µm foram corados com azul de toluidina 1% e observados ao microscópio. Testículos de D. minutus são órgãos pequenos (comprimento 1,90 ± 0,13 mm, esbranquiçados, com forma oval e encontrados na cavidade abdominal. Estão localizados na extremidade cranial dos rins e apresentam assimetria quanto a sua posição. Estatisticamente não há variação intra-individual no comprimento e no peso dos testículos, bem como na área e diâmetro dos lóculos seminíferos. Quanto à histologia testicular, foi possível identificar ao longo do ano nos lóculos seminíferos, todos os tipos celulares da linhagem espermatogênica, caracterizando uma gametogênese contínua, corroborada por fatores ecológicos e comportamentais. Informações sobre a morfometria testicular e ciclo reprodutivo tem importante valor biológico para anuros de regiões neotropicais.This study describes the male reproductive cycle of Dendropsophus minutus (Peters, 1872 based on testicular morphometric analysis, related to climatic conditions. Fifty individuals where collected in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo. After macroscopic analysis, the testes were submitted to histological routine, fixed with Bouin, embedded in historesin. Sections of 2 µm were stained with 1% toluidine blue and observed to the microscope. The testes of D. minutus are small organs (length 1.90 ± 0.13 mm, whitish, oviform and found in the abdominal cavity. They are located in the cranial extremity of the kidneys and present asymmetry as far as position. According to statistical analyses, there is no intra-individual variation in length and weight of the testes, as well as in the area and diameter of the seminiferous locules. Concerning the testicular histology, it was possible to identify, throughout the year, in seminiferous locules, all the cellular types from the spermatogenic lineage, characterizing a continuous gametogenesis, corroborated by ecological and behavioral factors. Information about testicular morphometry and reproductive cycle has important biological value for anurans in the neotropics.

Advertisement calls of Bolivian species of Scinax (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riva, de la Ignacio; Márquez, Rafael; Bosch, Jaime

1994-01-01

The advertisement calls of eight Bolivian species of Scinax are described including information on the calling behaviour of each species. A characteristic audiospectrogram and oscillogram are presented for each species, as well as numerical information about the spectral and temporal features of the

The advertisement call of Ameerega pulchripecta (Silverstone, 1976)(Anura, Dendrobatidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Costa-Campos, Carlos Eduardo; Lima, Albertina Pimentel; Amézquita, Adolfo

2016-07-06

The name Ameerega picta was once used to denote a lineage of poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) distributed throughout most of the Amazon basin (Silverstone 1976); more recently, to describe a phenetic group involving at least 18 species, Lötters et al. (2007) pointed out that some of the lineages were indeed derived from the former A. picta. Among them, the nominal species with the widest distribution is A. hahneli (Haddad & Martins 1994; Twomey & Brown 2008), also an alleged complex of poorly defined species (Grant et al. 2006; Fouquet et al. 2007; Roberts et al. 2007). The mate-recognition signal, the advertisement call, was part of the evidence used to revalidate A. hahneli as a different species from A. picta. Although the advertisement call has been described for one or few individuals of other species in the group (Haddad & Martins 1994; Costa et al. 2006; Twomey & Brown 2008; Lötters et al. 2009), namely A. flavopicta, A. braccata and A. boehmei, and A. hahneli, we still lack a formal description for A. pulchripecta, the sister taxon of A. hahneli (Twomey & Brown 2008). Its call has been qualitatively described as similar to A. hahneli's call, but "deeper-voiced" (Lötters et al. 2007).

[Bioacoustic of the advertisement call of Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Ceratophryidae)].

Science.gov (United States)

Valetti, Julián Alonso; Salas, Nancy Edith; Martino, Adolfo Ludovico

2013-03-01

The advertisement call plays an important role in the life history of anuran amphibians, mainly during the breeding season. Call features represent an important character to discriminate species, and sound emissions are very effective to assure or reinforce genetic incompatibility, especially in the case of sibling species. Since frogs are ectotherms, acoustic properties of their calls will vary with temperature. In this study, we described the advertisement call of C. cranwelli, quantifying the temperature effect on its components. The acoustic emissions were recorded during 2007 using a DAT record Sony TCD-100 with stereo microphone ECM-MS907 Sony and tape TDK DAT-RGX 60. As males emit their calls floating in temporary ponds, water temperatures were registered after recording the advertisement calls with a digital thermometer TES 1300+/-0.1 degreeC. Altogether, 54 calls from 18 males were analyzed. The temporal variables of each advertisement call were measured using oscillograms and sonograms and the analyses of dominant frequency were performed using a spectrogram. Multiple correlation analysis was used to identify the temperature-dependent acoustic variables and the temperature effect on these variables was quantified using linear regression models. The advertisement call of C. cranwelli consists of a single pulse group. Call duration, Pulse duration and Pulse interval decreased with the temperature, whereas the Pulse rate increased with temperature. The temperature-dependent variables were standardized at 25 degreeC according to the linear regression model obtained. The acoustic variables that were correlated with the temperature are the variables which emissions depend on laryngeal muscles and the temperature constraints the contractile properties of muscles. Our results indicated that temperature explains an important fraction of the variability in some acoustic variables (79% in the Pulse rate), and demonstrated the importance of considering the effect of temperature in acoustic components. The results suggest that acoustic variables show geographic variation to compare data with previous works.

The advertisement calls of Quasipaa shini (Ahl, 1930) (Anura: Dicroglossidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Shen Shen; Zheng, Rong Quan; Zhang, Qi Peng

2016-12-04

The genus Quasipaa (Family Dicroglossidae) is currently composed of 11 species distributed in China and Southeast Asia: Quasipaa acanthophora (Dubois & Ohler 2009), Q. boulengeri (Günther 1889), Q. courtoisi (Angel 1922), Q. delacouri (Angel 1928), Q. exilispinosa (Liu & Hu, 1975), Q. fasciculispina (Inger 1970), Q. jiulongensis (Huang & Liu, 1985), Q. shini (Ahl 1930), Q. spinosa (David 1875), Q. verrucospinosa (Bourret 1937), Q. yei (Chen, Qu & Jiang 2002) (Frost 2016). These species are morphologically similar, and their taxonomy is subject to controversy (Che et al. 2009). Analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial genes suggest the genus likely encompass additional cryptic species (Ye et al. 2013). Bioacoustics has contributed to studies on the taxonomy of the genus (Ye et al. 2013; Shen et al. 2015), however, to date, only the advertisement calls of Q. spinosa are known (Yu & Zheng 2009; Chen et al. 2012; Shen et al. 2015). Here, we describe the advertisement calls of Q. shini, which inhabits streams in the southern part of central China(Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi and Jiangxi) and is characterized by the presence of keratinized skin spines on the lateral surfaces of the body.

A new species of Pristimantis from southern Ecuador (Anura, Craugastoridae)

Science.gov (United States)

Székely, Paul; Cogălniceanu, Dan; Székely, Diana; Páez, Nadia; Ron, Santiago R.

2016-01-01

Abstract A new species of Pristimantis is described from Reserva Buenaventura, southern Ecuador, at elevations between 878 and 1082 m. A molecular phylogeny based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes shows that the new species is closely related to Pristimantis phoxocephalus, Pristimantis riveti, and Pristimantis versicolor. The new species differs from them and other morphologically similar congeners in having a low W-shaped dermal ridge in the scapular region, a large conical tubercle on the upper eyelid and on the heel, a thin mid dorsal fold, and a longitudinal lateral fold starting behind the tympanic fold and extending along the anterior two thirds of the flank. The new species inhabits cloud forests in the Pacific slopes of the Andes. PMID:27551223

First record of chytridiomycosis in Bolivia (Rhinella quechua; Anura: Bufonidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Barrionuevo, J Sebastián; Aguayo, Rodrigo; Lavilla, Esteban O

2008-11-20

The finding of tadpoles of Rhinella quechua (Huayramayu River, Carrasco National Park, Cochabamba, Bolivia) with oral abnormalities caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis constitutes the first record of this fungal infection reported for Bolivian amphibians.

A new species of Duttaphrynus (Anura:Bufonidae) from Northeast India.

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Das, Abhijit; Chetia, Mitali; Dutta, Sushil Kumar; Sengupta, Saibal

2013-01-01

A new species of montane toad Duttaphrynus is described from Nagaland state of Northeast India. The new species is diagnosable based on following combination of characters: absence of preorbital, postorbital and orbitotympanic ridges, elongated and broad parotid gland, first finger longer than second and presence of a mid-dorsal line. The tympanum is hidden under a skin fold (in male) or absent (in female). The species is compared with its congers from India and Indo-China. We propose to consider Duttaphrynus wokhaensis as junior synonym of Duttaphrynus melanostictus.

A new species of Cacosternum (Amphibia: Anura; Ranidae) from Natal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1987-03-29

Mar 29, 1987 ... KENSLEY, B. 1972. Shrimps and prawns of southern. Africa. Trustees of the S.A. Museum, Cape Town. KENSLEY, B. 1981. On the zoogeography of southern. African decapod Crustacea, with a distributional .... capense Hewitt, 1925; and C. JeJeupi Laurent, 1950. The frog here described undoubtedly ...

Chromosome Banding in Amphibia. XXXII. The Genus Xenopus (Anura, Pipidae).

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Schmid, Michael; Steinlein, Claus

2015-01-01

Mitotic chromosomes of 16 species of the frog genus Xenopus were prepared from kidney and lung cell cultures. In the chromosomes of 7 species, high-resolution replication banding patterns could be induced by treating the cultures with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and deoxythymidine (dT) in succession, and in 6 of these species the BrdU/dT-banded chromosomes could be arranged into karyotypes. In the 3 species of the clade with 2n = 20 and 4n = 40 chromosomes (X. tropicalis, X. epitropicalis, X. new tetraploid 1), as well as in the 3 species with 4n = 36 chromosomes (X. laevis, X. borealis, X. muelleri), the BrdU/dT-banded karyotypes show a high degree of homoeology, though differences were detected between these groups. Translocations, inversions, insertions or sex-specific replication bands were not observed. Minor replication asynchronies found between chromosomes probably involve heterochromatic regions. BrdU/dT replication banding of Xenopus chromosomes provides the landmarks necessary for the exact physical mapping of genes and repetitive sequences. FISH with an X. laevis 5S rDNA probe detected multiple hybridization sites at or near the long-arm telomeric regions in most chromosomes of X. laevis and X. borealis, whereas in X. muelleri, the 5S rDNA sequences are located exclusively at the long-arm telomeres of a single chromosome pair. Staining with the AT base pair-specific fluorochrome quinacrine mustard revealed brightly fluorescing heterochromatic regions in the majority of X. borealis chromosomes which are absent in other Xenopus species.

Introduction of Eleutherodactylus planirostris (Amphibia, Anura, Eleutherodactylidae to Hong Kong

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Wing Ho Lee

2016-06-01

Full Text Available An unidentified small frog species was first encountered in Hong Kong Special Administration Region (SAR, China, in 2000, where the local amphibian diversity is well-studied. We herein identified this unknown frog as Eleutherodactylus planirostris (greenhouse frog using DNA barcoding. We found that its distribution in Hong Kong is widespread (>18 localities, and breeding has been observed in multiple occasions. The populations in at least four localities persisted for over seven years. We discuss its potential negative impacts to terrestrial ecosystems in Hong Kong, with particular concern of its potential competition with the endemic Liuixalus romeri. We call for studies to investigate the impacts of the introduced E. planirostris on the local ecosystem. Screening for E. planirostris in exported plants from Hong Kong should be carried out.

Helmintos parásitos de Telmatobius jelskii (Peters (Anura, Leptodactylidae de Lima, Perú Helminth parasites of Telmatobius jelskii (Peters (Anura, Leptodactylidae from Lima, Peru

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José Iannacone

2003-03-01

Full Text Available A quantitative research of parasites of 67 endemic frog Telmatobius jelskii (Peters, 1863 collected from Laguna Tucto (76°46'11"W, 10°39'11"S where Pativilca River is originated was conducted, and was located in the Province of Oyon, high Andean area from the Department of Lima, Peru during September-October 2000. Of the frogs collected, 23 were females and 44 males. Male showed a length between 5.2 ± 0.5 cm (range = 4.0-6.4 cm and female between 5.5 ± 1 cm (range = 3.9-7.6 cm and were not found differences between both sexes. 86 specimens of parasite and three species in total during all the survey were collected. 28 hosts were infected (41.8%. twenty-five hosts (37.3% showed infection with one parasite species, and three (4.5% had two parasite species. Three parasite species were found: Gorgoderina parvicava Travassos, 1922 (Digenea: Gorgoderidae (Prevalence = 40.3%; mean Intensity = 3.1; mean abundance = 1.2, Cylindrotaenia americana Jewell, 1916 (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae (Prevalence = 3%; mean Intensity = 1; mean abundance = 0.02 and Aplectana hylambatis (Baylis, 1927 (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae (Prevalence = 3%; mean Intensity = 1; mean abundance = 0.02. G. parvicava had an overdispersed distribution and was the dominant species. An effect of sex and length with prevalence and mean abundance of infection of G. parvicava was not found. The relationship of helminthes parasites with T. jelskii is discussed. G. parvicava and C. americana are new records for T. jelskii.

Lista anotada y clave de los sapos marsupiales (Anura: Hylidae: Gastrotheca de Colombia Lista anotada y clave de los sapos marsupiales (Anura: Hylidae: Gastrotheca de Colombia

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Duellman William E.

1989-09-01

Full Text Available Los anuros marsupiales se hallan representados en Colombia por diez y seis especies pertenecientes al género Gastrotheca. G. humbertoi  Lutz, 1977, pasa a la sinonimia de G. andaquiensis Ruiz y Hernández, 1976. G. medemi Cochran y Goin, 1970, G. nicefori descampsi Lutz y Ruiz, 1977, y G. yacambuensis Yustiz, 1978, son incluidas en la sinonimia de G. nicefori Gaige, 1933. Se presenta un breve diagnóstico y comentario sobre la distribución para cada una de las especies colombianas junto con una clave para su identificación. Marsupial frogs are represented in Colombia by sixteen species of Gastrotheca. Gastrotheca humbertoi Lutz, 1977 is placed in the synonymy of G. andaquiensis Ruiz y Hernández, 1976. G. medemi Cochran and Goin, 1970, G. nicefori descampsi Lutz and Ruiz, 1977, and G.Yacambuensis Yustiz, 1978 are placed inthesynonymy of G. nicefori Gaige, 1933. A brief diagnosis and statement of distribution are presented for each Colombian species, and a key for identification of the species is provided.

B-chromosomes in two Brazilian populations of Dendropsophus nanus (Anura, Hylidae

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Lilian R. Medeiros

2006-01-01

Full Text Available We report on the presence of B-chromosomes in two populations of Dendropsophus nanus (= Hyla nana Boulenger, 1889 from São Paulo State, Brazil. Such chromosomes were observed in 4 out of 43 specimens (9.3% and in 9 out of 15 specimens (60% from the municipalities of Nova Aliança and Botucatu, respectively. The karyotype 2n = 30 + 1B found in D. nanus was similar to that of other species with 2n = 30 chromosomes, except for the presence of an additional small telocentric chromosome. In one specimen from Botucatu, cells with one to three extra chromosomes were observed. These B-chromosomes appeared as univalent in meiosis I and did not bear a nucleolar organizer region or exhibit constitutive heterochromatin.

DNA barcoding and the identification of tree frogs (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae).

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Ning-Xin; Sun, Feng-Hui; Lv, Yun-Yun; Zhao, Bo-Han; Wang, Ji-Chao; Murphy, Robert W; Wang, Wen-Zhi; Li, Jia-Tang

2016-07-01

The DNA barcoding gene COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) effectively identifies many species. Herein, we barcoded 172 individuals from 37 species belonging to nine genera in Rhacophoridae to test if the gene serves equally well to identify species of tree frogs. Phenetic neighbor joining and phylogenetic Bayesian inference were used to construct phylogenetic trees, which resolved all nine genera as monophyletic taxa except for Rhacophorus, two new matrilines for Liuixalus, and Polypedates leucomystax species complex. Intraspecific genetic distances ranged from 0.000 to 0.119 and interspecific genetic distances ranged from 0.015 to 0.334. Within Rhacophorus and Kurixalus, the intra- and interspecific genetic distances did not reveal an obvious barcode gap. Notwithstanding, we found that COI sequences unambiguously identified rhacophorid species and helped to discover likely new cryptic species via the synthesis of genealogical relationships and divergence patterns. Our results supported that COI is an effective DNA barcoding marker for Rhacophoridae.

Bioacústica del canto de advertencia de Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Ceratophrydae

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Julián Alonso Valetti

2013-03-01

Full Text Available El canto de advertencia en anuros es especie-específico, pero como los anfibios son organismos ectotermos, las variables acústicas pueden estar afectadas por la temperatura. Se describe el canto de advertencia de Ceratophrys cranwelli cuantificando el efecto de la temperatura sobre sus componentes. Los cantos se grabaron in situ y se registró la temperatura del sitio de canto. Un total de 54 cantos de 18 individuos fueron digitalizados y analizados. Las variables temporales de cada canto de advertencia fueron medidas a partir de los oscilogramas y sonogramas, mientras que el análisis de frecuencia se realizó a través del espectrograma. Mediante análisis de correlación múltiple se identificaron las variables acústicas temperatura-dependientes y el efecto de la temperatura fue cuantificado mediante los modelos de regresión lineal obtenidos. C. cranwelli posee un canto de advertencia simple pulsado. Las variables Duración del canto, Duración del pulso e Intervalo entre pulso decrecen con la temperatura, en tanto que la Tasa de pulsos está directamente correlacionada con la temperatura. Las variables temperatura-dependientes fueron estandarizadas a 25ºC según el modelo de regresión lineal obtenido para ser comparadas con datos publicados. Se demuestra la importante variabilidad que produce la temperatura en algunas propiedades del canto de C. cranwelli.

A new species of Bufo Laurenti (Anura, Bufonidae from northeastern Brazil

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Maria Nazaré Stevaux

2002-07-01

Full Text Available A new species of bufonid load, Bufo jimi sp. nov., is described from Maracás and Itagibá, State of Bahia, Brazil. This species shows close relationships to B. paracnemis Lutz, 1925 by sharing the presence of tibial glands and the paratoid glands shape. The new species is a member of the Bufo marinus-group, and is characlerized by having well-defined glands in most part of dorsal faceof the forearms, in the extcrn side of the feet and in both sides of cloacal region.

Use of kidney impressions for the detection of trypanosomes of anura.

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Jones, S R; Woo, P T

1989-07-01

The sensitivities of three techniques used for detecting infections of Trypanosoma spp. in frogs (Rana spp.) were compared. In total, 52 of 99 frogs had detectable infections of T. rotatorium, T. chattoni, T. pipientis or T. ranarum. Two or more Trypanosoma spp. were detected in 12 frogs. Microscopic examination of stained kidney impressions (KIT) was more sensitive than either hematocrit centrifugation (HCT) or wet-mount examination (WME) in detecting T. rotatorium and T. chattoni. The HCT was more sensitive in detecting T. pipientis and T. ranarum. Four infections of T. rotatorium that were missed using the HCT were detected using the WME; one of these was missed using the KIT. Success of the KIT may be related to size of the trypanosome while success of the HCT may be related to size, motility or specific gravity of the trypanosome.

Nest site selection by Hypsiboas faber(Anura, Hylidae in Southern Brazil

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André L. Luza

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Male gladiator frogs of Hypsiboas Wagler, 1830 build nests on available substrate surrounding ponds and streams where female spawn eggs during the breeding period. Although gladiator frogs seem to show plasticity in the way they construct their nests, there is no study reporting if these species present preferences about microhabitat conditions for nest-building (mainly under subtropical climate. Predation pressure and environmental conditions have been considered major processes shaping the great diversity of reproductive strategies performed by amphibians, but microhabitat conditions should explain where to build a nest as well as how nest looks. This study aimed to test nest site selection for nest-building by Hypsiboas faber(Wied-Neuwied, 1821, determining which factors are related to nest site selection and nest features. The survey was conducted at margins of two permanent ponds in Southern Brazil. Habitat factors were evaluated in 18 plots with nest and 18 plots in the surrounding without nest (control, describing vegetation structure and heterogeneity, and substrate characteristics. Water temperature was measured inside the nest and in its adjacency. Nest features assessed were area, depth and temperature. Habitat characteristics differed between plots with and without nest. Microhabitat selected for nest-building was characterized by great vegetation cover and height, as well as shallower water and lower cover of organic matter in suspension than in plots without nest. Differences between temperature inside nest and in its adjacency were not observed. No relationship between nest features and habitat descriptors was evidenced. Results revealed that Hypsiboas faber does not build nests anywhere. Males seem to prefer more protected habitats, probably avoiding predation, invasion of conspecific males and inclement weather. Lack of differences between temperature inside- and outside-nest suggest that nest do not improve this condition for eggs and tadpole development. Nest architecture was not related to habitat characteristics, which may be determined by other factors, as nest checking by females before amplexus. Nest site selection should increase offspring survival as well the breeding success of Hypsiboas faber.

Morfohistología testicular de Ceratophrys ornata (Bell (Amphibia, Anura, Ceratophryidae

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Fernando Carezzano

2013-06-01

Full Text Available En el presente trabajo se describen las características morfohistológicas del testículo de individuos adultos (n=5 de Ceratophrys ornata (Bell, 1843 provenientes de humedales del centro de Argentina. Los mismos se procesaron mediante técnicas histológicas de rutina, se cortaron a 8 µm y las láminas obtenidas se tiñeron con hematoxilina-eosina y tricrómico de Masson. Las gónadas son órganos pares, amarillentos, alargados y contorneados de 18,58 ± 0,23 mm de largo por 1,51 ± 0,13 mm de ancho. Histológicamente se observa una delgada túnica albugínea (6,29 ± 0,83 µm rodeando a los testículos. En su interior se hallan lóculos seminíferos que miden 240,64 ± 38,52 µm de diámetro, en ellos se distinguen cistos con células espermatogénicas en distintas etapas de desarrollo. El tejido intersticial es escaso y en él se destacan las células de Leydig y vasos sanguíneos. Las espermatogonias I son las células más grandes de la serie germinal (20,03 ± 2,27 µm; poseen la cromatina granular y de aspecto multilobular, hallándose comúnmente una por cisto, estas originan a las espermatogonias II, más pequeñas (12,06 ± 1,14 µm. Los espermatocitos I presentan la cromatina levemente condensada y son un poco más chicos que sus precedentes (11,64 ± 0,36 µm. Los espermatocitos II miden 8,85 ± 0,54 µm. Las espermátidas I son esféricas, miden 5,95 ± 0,42 µm y se agrupan en cistos redondeados. Las espermátidas II, en cambio son alargadas y no se hallan dentro de cistos, pero siguen organizadas en paquetes asociadas a células de Sertoli. Los espermatozoides son células libres hacia el centro del lóculo, alargadas, flageladas y con una notable compactación nuclear. La morfohistología de los testículos analizados muestran características macroscópicas e histológicas similares a las observadas en otras especies de anfibios anuros neotropicales, presentando todas las células del linaje espermatogénico en un mismo lóculo, lo que indicaría que presentan ciclos espermatogénicos continuos.

Status sistematico del género geobatrachus ruthven 1915 (amphibia: anura)

OpenAIRE

Ardila Robayo, María Cristina

2012-01-01

The different familial assignations proposed until now for Geobatracbus are compiled. Through the collection of a virtual topotypical series of this monotypic genus, which is endemic of the NW section of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Massif (Departamento del Magdalena, Colombia), a detailed description was made.  67 morphological characters were selected according to the criteria used by Lynch and Heyer in their studies on the philogeny and classification of the leptodactylid frogs, and su...

Comparación ontogénica de la frecuencia de muda en Rhinella marina (Anura, Bufonidae Ontogenetic comparison of the molting frequency in Rhinella marina (Anura: Bufonidae

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Teófila M. Triana

2013-03-01

Full Text Available La muda es un proceso de renovación de la capa externa de la epidermis (estrato corneo de los anfibios, la cual suministra protección contra daños, patógenos y pérdida de agua. Este trabajo evalúa la frecuencia de muda entre juveniles y adultos de Rhinella marina (Linnaeus, 1758 y la tasa de ocurrencia entre el día y la noche. Para esto, se realizaron dos observaciones diarias (7 am y 7 pm, entre Octubre de 2011 y Marzo de 2012, a tres grupos de individuos clasificados según su tamaño longitud rostro-cloaca, como adultos (promedio=80 mm, juveniles medianos (promedio=19 mm y juveniles pequeños (promedio=13 mm. Estos animales fueron colocados en terrarios en el laboratorio y marcados en el dorso a través de un punto hecho con un corrector de tinta. La muda se determinó por la pérdida total de la marca y una coloración brillante en el dorso. Se encontró una diferencia significativa (Kruskal-Wallis, H=19.84, pMolting is a process of constant renewal of the outer layer of epidermis (stratum corneum in amphibians, which provides a barrier against injury, pathogens and evaporative water loss. This paper evaluates the molting frequency between juveniles and adults of Rhinella marina (Linnaeus, 1758 and between the night and day time. Two daily observations, at 7 am and 7 pm, were made between October 2011 and March 2012 to three groups of individuals, classified by their size, snout vent length, as adults (mean=80 mm, medium juveniles (mean=19 mm and small juveniles (mean=13 mm. The animals were placed in terrariums in the laboratory and marked on their back with a spot of correction fluid. The molting was determined by the total loss of the mark and a bright color on the dorsal skin. We found a significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis, H=19.84, p<0.0001 in the molting frequency among the three groups: adults=7.5 days, medium juveniles=5.4 days, and small juveniles=5.3 days. Also, between the number of molting frogs during the night and day hours (Chi-square, χ2=7.891, p=0.019, particularly in the two groups of juveniles, who moulted mostly at night, as adults did not show any clear difference. It is possible that the highest molting frequency in juveniles may be related to their ontogenetic status, with a smaller size and higher metabolic and developmental rate.

Predation of Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) by Amphibians.

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Sloggett, John J

2012-07-18

Studies of predation of ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) have focused on a limited number of predator taxa, such as birds and ants, while other potential predators have received limited attention. I here consider amphibians as predators of ladybirds. Published amphibian gut analyses show that ladybirds are quite often eaten by frogs and toads (Anura), with recorded frequencies reaching up to 15% of dietary items. Salamanders (Caudata) eat ladybirds less frequently, probably as their habits less often bring them into contact with the beetles. Amphibians do not appear to be deleteriously affected by the potentially toxic alkaloids that ladybirds possess. Amphibians, especially frogs and toads, use primarily prey movement as a release cue to attack their food; it is thus likely that their ability to discriminate against ladybirds and other chemically defended prey is limited. Because of this poor discriminatory power, amphibians have apparently evolved non-specific resistance to prey defensive chemicals, including ladybird alkaloids. Although amphibian-related ladybird mortality is limited, in certain habitats it could outweigh mortality from more frequently studied predators, notably birds. The gut analyses from the herpetological literature used in this study, suggest that in studying predation of insects, entomologists should consider specialized literature on other animal groups.

Catalogue of anuran types in the Eugenio Izecksohn Herpetological Collection (Amphibia, Anura Catálogo de tipos de anuros da coleção Eugenio Izecksohn (Amphibia, Anura

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Oswaldo L. Peixoto

2007-01-01

Full Text Available A list of type specimens housed at the Eugenio Izecksohn Herpetological Collection is presented, information is given on specimens donation to other herpetological collections, as well as corrections regarding some miss information presented in the original descriptions, also remarks are made on the present conservation status of some specimens.Uma lista de exemplares-tipo depositados na Coleção Herpetológica Eugenio Izecksohn é apresentada, informações sobre doação de espécimes a outras coleções herpetológicas são fornecidas, bem como correções de informações apresentadas nas descrições originais, o estado atual de conservação de alguns tipos é comentado.

Catalogue of anuran types in the Eugenio Izecksohn Herpetological Collection (Amphibia, Anura) Catálogo de tipos de anuros da coleção Eugenio Izecksohn (Amphibia, Anura)

OpenAIRE

Oswaldo L. Peixoto; Marcia dos R. Gomes

2007-01-01

A list of type specimens housed at the Eugenio Izecksohn Herpetological Collection is presented, information is given on specimens donation to other herpetological collections, as well as corrections regarding some miss information presented in the original descriptions, also remarks are made on the present conservation status of some specimens.Uma lista de exemplares-tipo depositados na Coleção Herpetológica Eugenio Izecksohn é apresentada, informações sobre doação de espécimes a outras cole...

First report of satellite males during breeding in Leptodactylus latrans (Amphibia, Anura

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Gabriel Laufer

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of satellite males is a common behaviour across anuran taxa. Satellite males take peripheral positions to calling males and adopt tactics in an attempt to intercept females that are attracted to calling males to increase their own mating success. Satellite males could have an inexpensive form of mate-locating, avoiding predators, and saving energy. Furthermore, this strategy could play an important role in the genetic structure of populations. The genus Leptodactylus consists of approximately 70 described species that are widely distributed in South America. The literature on the biology of this genus is extensive; however, we found only two reports on the existence of multi-male mating behavior in the genus (L. chaquensis and L. podicipinus. Herein, we report intrasexual competition in the form of satellite behavior in Leptodactylus latrans, where multiple satellite males were observed in close vicinity to a calling male.

Observations on the ecology of Pseudis bolbodactyla (Anura, Pseudidae in central Brazil.

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Reuber A. Brandão

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Data on diet, activity, habitat use, and anti-predator behavior are presented for a population of Pseudis bolbodactyla in central Brazil. The most common diet items were diurnal plant-associated insects. Pseudis bolbodactyla shows both diurnal and nocturnal activity and uses mainly areas with aquatic vegetation (submerged and emergent. Individuals detect predators Visually and through vibrations in the water.

Natural history and distribution of Agalychnis craspedopus (Funkhouser, 1957) (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogmoed, M.S.; Cadle, J.E.

1991-01-01

Aspects of reproductive behaviour, calls, clutch sizes, and larval morphology are described for Agalychnis craspedopus (Funkhouser, 1957). New distributional records extend the range of this species to southern Amazonian Peru. In most respects reproductive behaviour of A. craspedopus is similar to

Thermal ecology of montane Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae): A study of intrageneric diversity.

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Rueda Solano, Luis Alberto; Navas, Carlos A; Carvajalino-Fernández, Juan Manuel; Amézquita, Adolfo

2016-05-01

Harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus) are among the most threatened frog genus in the world and reach very high elevations in the tropical Andes and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM). Learning about their thermal ecology is essential to infer sensitivity to environmental changes, particularly climate warming. We report on the activity temperature and thermoregulatory behavior of three high-elevation species of harlequin frogs, Atelopus nahumae, Atelopus laetissimus and Atelopus carrikeri. The first two mentioned live in streams in Andean rain forests, whereas A. carrikeri inhabits paramo streams in the SNSM. We studied the thermal ecology of these species in tree localities differing in altitude, and focused on activity body, operative, substrate and air temperature. A main trend was lower body temperature as elevation increased, so that differences among species were largely explained by differences in substrate temperature. However, this temperature variation was much lower in forest species than paramo species. The Atelopus species included in this work proved to be thermoconformers, a trend that not extended to all congenerics at high elevation. This diversity in thermal ecology poses important questions when discussing the impact of climate warming for high-elevation harlequin frogs. For example, forest species show narrow thermal ranges and, if highly specialized, may be more susceptible to temperature change. Paramo species such as A. carrikeri, in contrast, may be more resilient to temperature change. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The choice of bromeliads as a microhabitat by Scinax argyreornatus (Anura, Hylidae).

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Pederassi, J; Lima, M S C S; Peixoto, O L; Souza, C A S

2012-05-01

The association of anurans to bromeliads presents different degrees of interaction such as: eventual, obligatory and bromeligen. The frog species Scinax argyreornatus shows a regular association with these plants. The goal of this study is to characterise the degree of association between the frog S. argyreornatus to different species of bromeliads. We identified which species of bromeliad is regularly associated with S. argyreornatus and recognised which factors interfere with this association preference. We analysed the Concentration of Relative Dominance of frogs per bromeliad species. As possible criteria for frog association preference to different bromeliads species we established the analysis of leaves number, length and width, number of leaf axils, stored water in the axils, pH and relative humidity, among other organographic components. Our observations were analyzed by ANOVA followed by the Tukey test. We also evaluated the preference for association by the constancy of Bodenheimer. The correlation matrix indicated that the relative humidity is the factor responsible for the frog-bromeliads association, except for Aechmea sp.. However Aechmea sp. was the species with greater constancy of occupation followed by Quesnelia arvensis and Neoregelia johannis. According to our statistical results, Aechmea sp. and Q. arvensis are not different regarding organographic parameters, but differ from N. johannis. Our observations suggest that the bromeliads organographic structure and the relative humidity are key conditions which influence the preferences of S. argyreornatus to bromeliad species, while the other features showed no correlation.

Visual communication, reproductive behavior, and home range of Hylodes dactylocinus (Anura, Leptodactylidae

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Patrícia Narvaes

2005-12-01

Full Text Available We studied the signaling, reproductive and courtship behaviors of the diurnal stream-dwelling frog Hylodes dactylocinus. The repertoire of visual signals of H. dactylocinus includes foot-flagging, leg-stretching, body movements, and toe-wiggling. The visual signals are performed only by males and are used to defend territories against intruders and to attract females. Home rangesize varied from 0.12 to 13.12 m2 for males (N = 44, and from 0.45 to 7.98 m2 for females (N = 24; residency time varied from one to 12 months for males, and from two to 10 months for females. During the courtship of H. dactylocinus the male gives an encounter call towards an approaching female, touches her snout, and guides her to a previously dug nest. After oviposition, the female leaves the nest and returns to her own home range; the male remains calling after concealing the nest entrance.

A new species of Thaumastosaurus (Amphibia : Anura) from the Eocene of Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rage, J. C.; Roček, Zbyněk

2007-01-01

Roč. 27, č. 2 (2007), s. 329-336 ISSN 0272-4634 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Lower Tertiary * South-America * genus * affinities * Paleogene * England * Quercy * basin * fauna Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.376, year: 2007

Description of a new species of Microhyla from Bali, Indonesia (Amphibia, Anura).

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Matsui, Masafumi; Hamidy, Amir; Eto, Koshiro

2013-01-01

We describe a microhylid frog from Bali, Indonesia as a new species, Microhyla orientalis sp. nov. It belongs to the M. achatina group and is close to M. mantheyi, M. malang, and M. borneensis. It is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: small size (adult males about 16-17 mm in SVL); a faint vertebral stripe present; a black lateral stripe from behind eye to half length of trunk; snout rounded in profile; eyelid without supraciliary spines; first finger less than one-fifth of third; tips of three outer fingers weakly dilated, forming weak disks, dorsally with median longitudinal groove; outer palmar tubercle single; tibiotarsal articulation reaching up to center of eye; tips of toes distinctly dilated into disks, dorsally with median longitudinal groove; inner and outer metatarsal tubercles present; four or more phalanges on inner and outer sides of fourth toe, and three phalanges on inner side of fifth toe free of web; and tail of larva with a black marking at middle. The male advertisement call of the new species consists of a series of notes each lasts for 0.01-0.08 s and composed of 3-5 pulses with a dominant frequency of 3.2-3.6 kHz. Uncorrected sequence divergences between M. orientalis and all homologous 16S rRNA sequences available were > 6.6%. At present, the new species is known from rice fields between 435-815 m elevation in Wongaya Gede and Batukaru.

Sobre la oviposición de Chiasmocleis leucosticta (Boulenger, 1888 (Anura: Microhylidae

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Segalla, Magno V.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Haddad & Hödl (1997 concluyeron que Chiasmocleis leucosticta posee un modo reproductivo único entre los anuros por incluir en su oviposición burbujas de aire generadas por la respiración de la pareja en amplexo. Estos autores compararon este modo de oviposición con otros géneros de microhylidos. La presente nota tiene como cometido compararla con las de otras especies del género a la luz de las observaciones llevadas a cabo por los autores.

Description of a new moss frog from the south-western Cape (Anura ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A new species of moss frog, genus Arthroleptella, is described from the Kleinrivier mountains of the south-western Cape. It is morphologically indistinguishable from the other three species in the area. The four Cape species are allopatric, each has a unique male advertisement call, and preliminary molecular data shows ...

Habitat selection in tadpoles of Ranidella signifera and R. riparia (Anura: Leptodactylidae).

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Odendaal, F J; Bull, C M; Nias, R C

1982-01-01

Two leptodactylid frog species Ranidella signifera and R. riparia occupy adjacent but different habitat types in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. R. signifera is found in slow-flowing creeks with mud or sand substrates. R. riparia occupies fast-flowing rocky creeks. The two coexist in a narrow overlap zone with heterogeneous habitats. Laboratory experiments were used to test habitat preferences of tadpoles in a tub with sand and rock substrates. R. riparia was most commonly found on the rock substrate. R. signifera showed no distinct preference for sand, but when mixed with R. riparia increased its use of the habitat in the spaces between and under rocks. This was particularly apparent in flowing water where 81% of all R. signifera tadpoles were observed in this sheltered habitat.The data suggest that R. signifera tadpoles have reduced fitness in flowing water because they cannot exploit exposed feeding sites where most of the algae grow, and that interspecific interactions with R. riparia tadpoles reduce their fitness further. This helps to explain why R. signifera do not extend their distribution into R. riparia occupied creeks. The data do not explain why R. riparia do not colonize the slow muddy creeks occupied by R. signifera.

Intraspecific variation in erythrocyte sizes among populations of Hypsiboas cordobas (Anura: Hylidae

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Mariana Baraquet

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We studied the morphology and size of erythrocytes of H. cordobae, and analysed the geographic variation of this character along the distribution of the species, in relation to the latitudinal and altitudinal distances. Erythrocyte shape of the H. cordobae is ellipsoidal and the nuclei are also ellipsoidal and centrally oriented. Erythrocyte and nuclear size showed significant differences among populations, with the highest mean size corresponding to the population of Achiras (low altitude site and the lowest mean size to Los Linderos (high altitude site. There was no significant relationship between the latitude of each population and the both erythrocyte and nuclear size. The altitudinal variation in erythrocyte cell size may be attributable to the surface available for gas exchange; a small erythrocyte offers a possibility of greater rate of exchange than a larger one. Our results are consistent with studies of other amphibians, where intraspecific comparisons of populations at different altitudes show that individuals at higher altitudes are characterized by smaller erythrocytes.

Advertisement call and female sexual cycle in Uruguayan populations of Physalaemus henselii (Anura, Leiuperidae Canto de anuncio y ciclo sexual femenino en poblaciones uruguayas de Physalaemus henselii (Anura, Leiuperidae

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Raúl Maneyro

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Physalaemus henselii (Peters, 1872 is a little known leiuperid frog that has not been studied since the 1960’s. Herein, we redescribe its advertisement call, and assess the female sexual cycle and the reproductive period on the basis of the macroscopic analysis of the ovaries and field observations. The Ovarian Size Factor (OSF was calculated. The study was made in Departamento de Rivera, northern Uruguay. The advertisement call consists of short (177 ± 21ms, multipulsed (20 ± 3 pulses/note notes, with a note repetition rate of 1.57 ± 0.13 notes/s. Physalaemus henselii has a female sexual cycle with unimodal distribution of gravid females, which are present from February to September. The OSF and the ratio "females with mature oocytes / females without mature oocytes" reached the highest values from April to June. The number and size of oocytes were positively correlated with female size. The smallest female (SVL =18.94mm, weight =0.78g with mature oocytes was found in July. The observed sexual cycle with a single annual reproductive period during the cold season (autumn and early winter, is an uncommon fact for anuran species in the region.Physalaemus henselii (Peters, 1872 es un pequeño leiupérido que no ha sido estudiado desde los años 60. Aquí redescribimos su canto de anuncio, y determinamos su ciclo sexual femenino y el período reproductivo en base al análisis macroscópico de los ovarios y de observaciones de campo. Fue calculado el Factor de Tamaño Ovárico (FTO. El estudio fue realizado en el Departamento de Rivera, norte de Uruguay. El canto nupcial consiste en notas cortas (177 ± 21ms y multipulsadas (20 ± 3 pulsos/nota, con una tasa de repetición de notas de 1.57 ± 0.13 notas/s. Physalaemus henselii tiene un ciclo sexual femenino con distribución unimodal de hembras maduras, las que están presentes de Febrero a Setiembre. El FTO y la tasa "hembras con ovocitos maduros / hembras sin ovocitos maduros" alcanzó los valores más altos desde Abril a Junio. El número y tamaño de los ovocitos estuvieron correlacionados positivamente con el tamaño de las hembras. La hembra más pequeña (SVL =18.94mm, masa =0.78g con ovocitos maduros fue encontrada en Julio. El ciclo sexual observado, con un solo periodo reproductivo anual durante la estación fría (otoño e invierno temprano, constituye un hecho poco frecuente en las especies de anuros de la región.

Nuevos registros de Eleutherodactylus nitidus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae en Tlaxcala y centro de Puebla, México New records of Eleutherodactylus nitidus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae from Tlaxcala and central Puebla, México

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Uri Omar García-Vázquez

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Se muestran los primeros registros de Eleutherodactylus nitidus para el estado de Tlaxcala y se confirma su presencia en la región central del estado de Puebla.We report the first records of Eleutherodactylus nitidus from the state of Tlaxcala and confirm its presence in the central region of Puebla.

Metacercariae of Renifer heterocoelium (Trematoda: Reniferidae in tadpoles of Rhinella schneideri (Anura: Bufonidae in Brazil Metacercarias de Renifer heterocoelium (Trematoda: Reniferidae en renacuajos de Rhinella schneideri (Anura: Bufonidae en Brasil

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Hudson Alves Pinto

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Renifer heterocoelium is a parasite of the oral cavity of Neotropical snakes for which larval stages and the life cycle are still unknown. During studies of parasites of Rhinella schneideri, tadpoles collected in a lake from the municipality of Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, yielded specimens with metacercariae adhered to the external intestinal wall. After morphological characterization, the metacercariae were identified as R. heterocoelium. This is the first record and morphological characterization of metacercariae of R. heterocoelium for Brazil.Renifer heterocoelium es un parásito de la cavidad bucal de las serpientes neotropicales cuyas formas larvales y ciclo de vida son todavía desconocidos. En un estudio de los parásitos de renacuajos de Rhinella schneideri recogidos en un estanque ubicado en el municipio de Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brasil, se encontraron ejemplares con metacercarias en la pared intestinal. Después de caracterizarlos morfológicamente, los quistes fueron identificados como R. heterocoelium. Este es el primer registro y caracterización morfológica de las metacercarias de esta especie en Brasil.

Morphological and genetic differentiation among Chilean populations of Bufo spinulosus (Anura: Bufonidae Diferenciación morfológica y genética entre poblaciones chilenas de Bufo spinulosus (Anura: Bufonidae

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Marco A. Méndez

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Bufo spinulosus has a wide and fragmented range distribution in Chile (18° to 33° S along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients. Genetic variation was estimated using RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA markers in 10 populations from northern and central Chile. Morphometric and genetic information was analyzed as a function of geographical origin. The correlation between genetic and morphometric differentiation was analyzed by the Mantel test. An increase in body size as a function of latitude was observed. Specimens from El Tatio had the smallest body size and the greatest morphometric divergence. The AMOVA applied to genetic data indicated that 57.85 % of the variance is explained by interregional differences and that 30.12 % of the variance is found within populations. Low levels of within-regions genetic differentiation was observed in northern populations while higher levels of genetic differentiation was found in populations from central Chile. Mantel tests revealed a significant, positive correlation between genetic variation and geographic distance. When we excluded El Tatio population, Mantel test analyses showed significant correlations between morphological distance and genetic and geographic distances. We discuss whether water temperature could explain the morphological divergence observed in individuals from El TatioBufo spinulosus presenta una amplia y fragmentada distribución en Chile (18º a 33º S a lo largo de gradientes altitudinales y latitudinales. La variación genética fue estimada utilizando marcadores RAPD ("Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA" en diez poblaciones del norte y centro de Chile. La información morfométrica y genética fue analizada en función de la procedencia geográfica. La correlación entre diferenciación genética y morfométrica fue analizada utilizando la prueba de Mantel. Se observó un incremento en el tamaño corporal en función de la latitud. Los individuos de El Tatio mostraron el tamaño corporal más pequeño y la mayor divergencia morfométrica. El AMOVA aplicado a los datos genéticos indicó que el 57.85 % de la varianza es explicada por diferencias entre regiones y que el 30.12 % de la varianza se encuentra dentro de las poblaciones. Bajos niveles de diferenciación genética intraregional fueron observados en las poblaciones del norte de Chile, mientras que las poblaciones de Chile central mostraron niveles más altos de diferenciación genética. Las pruebas de Mantel revelaron una correlación significativa y positiva entre la variación genética y la distancia geográfica. Cuando excluimos la población de El Tatio, las pruebas de Mantel mostraron correlaciones positivas y significativas entre las distancias morfológicas, genéticas y geográficas. Se discute si la temperatura del agua podría explicar la divergencia morfológica observada en los individuos de El Tatio

An Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor from the Salamander Ambystoma mexicanum Exhibits Low Sensitivity to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

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Shoots, Jenny; Fraccalvieri, Domenico; Franks, Diana G; Denison, Michael S; Hahn, Mark E; Bonati, Laura; Powell, Wade H

2015-06-02

Structural features of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) can underlie species- and population-specific differences in its affinity for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). These differences often explain variations in TCDD toxicity. Frogs are relatively insensitive to dioxin, and Xenopus AHRs bind TCDD with low affinity. Weak TCDD binding results from the combination of three residues in the ligand-binding domain: A354 and A370, and N325. Here we sought to determine whether this mechanism of weak TCDD binding is shared by other amphibian AHRs. We isolated an AHR cDNA from the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). The encoded polypeptide contains identical residues at positions that confer low TCDD affinity to X. laevis AHRs (A364, A380, and N335), and homology modeling predicts they protrude into the binding cavity. Axolotl AHR bound one-tenth the TCDD of mouse AHR in velocity sedimentation analysis, and in transactivation assays, the EC50 for TCDD was 23 nM, similar to X. laevis AHR1β (27 nM) and greater than AHR containing the mouse ligand-binding domain (0.08 nM). Sequence, modeled structure, and function indicate that axolotl AHR binds TCDD weakly, predicting that A. mexicanum lacks sensitivity toTCDD toxicity. We hypothesize that this characteristic of axolotl and Xenopus AHRs arose in a common ancestor of the Caudata and Anura.

Molecular cloning, sequence analysis and phylogeny of first caudata g-type lysozyme in axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum).

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Haining; Gao, Jiuxiang; Lu, Yiling; Guang, Huijuan; Cai, Shasha; Zhang, Songyan; Wang, Yipeng

2013-11-01

Lysozymes are key proteins that play important roles in innate immune defense in many animal phyla by breaking down the bacterial cell-walls. In this study, we report the molecular cloning, sequence analysis and phylogeny of the first caudate amphibian g-lysozyme: a full-length spleen cDNA library from axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). A goose-type (g-lysozyme) EST was identified and the full-length cDNA was obtained using RACE-PCR. The axolotl g-lysozyme sequence represents an open reading frame for a putative signal peptide and the mature protein composed of 184 amino acids. The calculated molecular mass and the theoretical isoelectric point (pl) of this mature protein are 21523.0 Da and 4.37, respectively. Expression of g-lysozyme mRNA is predominantly found in skin, with lower levels in spleen, liver, muscle, and lung. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that caudate amphibian g-lysozyme had distinct evolution pattern for being juxtaposed with not only anura amphibian, but also with the fish, bird and mammal. Although the first complete cDNA sequence for caudate amphibian g-lysozyme is reported in the present study, clones encoding axolotl's other functional immune molecules in the full-length cDNA library will have to be further sequenced to gain insight into the fundamental aspects of antibacterial mechanisms in caudate.

Archaeobatrachian paraphyly and pangaean diversification of crown-group frogs.

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Roelants, Kim; Bossuyt, Franky

2005-02-01

Current models for the early diversification of living frogs inferred from morphological, ontogenetic, or DNA sequence data invoke very different scenarios of character evolution and biogeography. To explore central controversies on the phylogeny of Anura, we analyzed nearly 4000 base pairs of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA for the major frog lineages. Likelihood-based analyses of this data set are congruent with morphological evidence in supporting a paraphyletic arrangement of archaeobatrachian frogs, with an (Ascaphus + Leiopelma) clade as the sister-group of all other living anurans. The stability of this outcome is reinforced by screening for phylogenetic bias resulting from site-specific rate variation, homoplasy, or the obligatory use of distantly related outgroups. Twenty-one alternative branching and rooting hypotheses were evaluated using a nonparametric multicomparison test and parametric bootstrapping. Relaxed molecular clock estimates situate the emergence of crown-group anurans in the Triassic, approximately 55 million years prior to their first appearance in the fossil record. The existence of at least four extant frog lineages on the supercontinent Pangaea before its breakup gains support from the estimation that three early splits between Laurasia- and Gondwana-associated families coincide with the initial rifting of these landmasses. This observation outlines the potential significance of this breakup event in the formation of separate Mesozoic faunal assemblages in both hemispheres.

Developmental and Ultrastructural Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Trypanosoma herthameyeri n. sp. of Brazilian Leptodactilydae Frogs.

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Attias, Márcia; Sato, Lyslaine H; Ferreira, Robson C; Takata, Carmen S A; Campaner, Marta; Camargo, Erney P; Teixeira, Marta M G; de Souza, Wanderley

2016-09-01

We described the phylogenetic affiliation, development in cultures and ultrastructural features of a trypanosome of Leptodacylus chaquensis from the Pantanal biome of Brazil. In the inferred phylogeny, this trypanosome nested into the Anura clade of the basal Aquatic clade of Trypanosoma, but was separate from all known species within this clade. This finding enabled us to describe it as Trypanosoma herthameyeri n. sp., which also infects other Leptodacylus species from the Pantanal and Caatinga biomes. Trypanosoma herthameyeri multiplies as small rounded forms clumped together and evolving into multiple-fission forms and rosettes of epimastigotes released as long forms with long flagella; scarce trypomastigotes and glove-like forms are common in stationary-phase cultures. For the first time, a trypanosome from an amphibian was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, revealing a cytostome opening, well-developed flagellar lamella, and many grooves in pumpkin-like forms. Transmission electron microscopy showed highly developed Golgi complexes, relaxed catenation of KDNA, and a rich set of spongiome tubules in a regular parallel arrangement to the flagellar pocket as confirmed by electron tomography. Considering the basal position in the phylogenetic tree, developmental and ultrastructural data of T. herthameyeri are valuable for evolutionary studies of trypanosome architecture and cell biology. © 2016 The Author(s) Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology © 2016 International Society of Protistologists.

High Species Richness of Scinax Treefrogs (Hylidae in a Threatened Amazonian Landscape Revealed by an Integrative Approach.

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Miquéias Ferrão

Full Text Available Rising habitat loss is one of the main drivers of the global amphibian decline. Nevertheless, knowledge of amphibian diversity needed for effective habitat protection is still highly inadequate in remote tropical regions, the greater part of the Amazonia. In this study we integrated molecular, morphological and bioacoustic evidence to evaluate the species richness of the treefrogs genus Scinax over a 1000 km transect across rainforest of the Purus-Madeira interfluve, and along the east bank of the upper Madeira river, Brazilian Amazonia. Analysis revealed that 82% of the regional species richness of Scinax is still undescribed; two nominal species, seven confirmed candidate species, two unconfirmed candidate species, and one deep conspecific lineage were detected in the study area. DNA barcoding based analysis of the 16s rRNA gene indicates possible existence of three discrete species groups within the genus Scinax, in addition to the already-known S. rostratus species Group. Quantifying and characterizing the number of undescribed Scinax taxa on a regional scale, we provide a framework for future taxonomic study in Amazonia. These findings indicate that the level to which Amazonian anura species richness has been underestimated is far greater than expected. Consequently, special attention should be paid both to taxonomic studies and protection of the still-neglected Amazonian Scinax treefrogs.

Karyological and flow cytometric evidence of triploid specimens in Bufo viridis (Amphibia Anura

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D Cavallo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Karyological and flow cytometric (FCM analyses were performed on a group of 14 green toads of the Bufo viridis species from seven Eurasian populations. Both approaches gave concordant results concerning the DNA ploidy level. All the populations examined were represented exclusively by diploid or tetraploid specimens, except one, where triploids were found. Results evidenced an interpopulation variability in DNA content against the same ploidy level, as well as an unusually high number of triploids in a particular reproductive place. The origin of polyploidy and the presence and persistence of a high number of triploids in a particular population are discussed.

Exceptional diversity of Stefania (Anura, Cryptobatrachidae II: Six species from Mount Wokomung, Guyana

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Ross D. MacCulloch

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Six species of Stefania were collected on Mount Wokomung, a tepui in the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana. This unusually high diversity of Stefania is similar to that found on a neighbouring tepui, Mt. Ayanganna. The two tepuis support slightly different habitats. Conspecific Stefania from the two mountains differ somewhat in body size, toe disc size and colouration. Specimens from Mt. Wokomung are used to expand descriptions and distributions of some species.

Description of a new Allobates (Anura, Dendrobatidae from the eastern Andean piedmont, Venezuela

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César Luis Barrio-Amorós

2009-12-01

Full Text Available We describe a new nurse frog in the genus Allobates (Dendrobatidae from Río Negro, Municipio Córdoba, Estado Táchira, in western Venezuela. This species is a leaflitter inhabitant of primary and secondary lowland rainforest at altitudes from 400 to 1000 m. The new species is similar to the species in the Allobates marchesianus group and is restricted to the slopes of the western Venezuelan Andes. It differs from its congeners by having an irregularly spotted dorsalpattern, diffuse oblique lateral stripe, ventrolateral stripe and yellowish belly on males.

Análisis filogénetico del género Pseudopaludicola (Anura: Leptodactylidae

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Lobo, Fernando

1995-01-01

Full Text Available Las relaciones filogenéticas entre las especies del género Pseudopaludicola son analizadas en base a caracteres externos y osteológicos. Se estudiaron once especies de Physalaemus las que fueron empleadas como grupo externo en análisis donde se trataron ambos géneros en conjunto. Se hicieron corridas enraizando alternativamente en las distintas especies de Physalaemus y sumando además a Leplodactylus en la matriz verificándose la monofilia del género Pseudopaludicola. Como resultado de este análisis se obtuvieron tres topologias de relaciones entre las especies del género, siendo el consenso estricto: (ternelsi mineira (sallica falcipes(myslacalis (pusilla (boliviana (ceralophyes /lanera. En este trabajo se apoya la monofilia del grupo pusilla proponiéndose una hipótesis distinta de relaciones entre sus integrantes a la propuesta por Lynch (1989. Phylogenetics relationships between ftogs of the leptodactylid genus Pseudopaludicola are analyzed using both osteological and external characters. Some species of Physalaemus (eleven are included in the analysis with Pseudopaludicola. Rooting with Leptodactylus or with any species of Physalaemus the monophyly ofthe genus is maintained. Three different trees for Pseudopaludicola were obtained, their strict consensus is: (temetzi mineira (saltica falcipes (mystacalis (pusilla (boliviana (ceratophyes /lanera. According to Lynch (1989 the pusilla group is monophyletic, but the internal arrangement among its species is different in this analysis.

Systematics of the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex (Anura, Hylidae) from Ecuador and Peru

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Ron, Santiago R.; Venegas, Pablo J.; Toral, Eduardo; Morley Read; Diego A. Ortiz; Manzano, Andrea L.

2012-01-01

Abstract We present a new phylogeny, based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, for frogs of the genus Osteocephalus with emphasis in the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Genetic, morphologic, and advertisement call data are combined to define species boundaries and describe new species. The phylogeny shows strong support for: (1) a basal position of Osteocephalus taurinus + Osteocephalus oophagus, (2) a clade containing phytotelmata breeding species, and (3) a clade that corresponds to the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Our results document a large proportion of hidden diversity within a set of populations that were previously treated as a single, widely distributed species, Osteocephalus buckleyi. Individuals assignable to Osteocephalus buckleyi formed a paraphyletic group relative to Osteocephalus verruciger and Osteocephalus cabrerai and contained four species, one of which is Osteocephalus buckleyi sensu stricto and three are new. Two of the new species are shared between Ecuador and Peru (Osteocephalus vilmae sp. n. and Osteocephalus cannatellai sp. n.) and one is distributed in the Amazon region of southern Peru (Osteocephalus germani sp. n.) We discuss the difficulties of using morphological characters to define species boundaries and propose a hypothesis to explain them. PMID:23166473

A new species of Pristimantis (Anura, Craugastoridae) from the Cajas Massif, southern Ecuador

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Sánchez-Nivicela, Juan C.; Celi-Piedra, Elvis; Posse-Sarmiento, Valentina; Urgiles, Verónica L.; Yánez-Muñoz, Mario; Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F.

2018-01-01

Abstract A new species of Pristimantis is described from the highland paramos on the eastern slopes of the Cajas Massif, southern Andes of Ecuador, at 3400 m. This new species is characterized by having a distinctive reddish color, cutaneous macroglands in suprascapular region and surfaces of arm and legs, and by lacking dentigerous processes of vomers. The cutaneous macroglands are similar to those exhibited by several species of the Pristimantis orcesi group, and may suggest a close phylogenetic relationship. The new species could be a latitudinal substitution of Pristimantis orcesi in the southern Andes of Ecuador. PMID:29713233

The breeding behaviour, advertisement call and tadpole of Limnonectes dabanus (Anura: Dicroglossidae).

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Rowley, Jodi J L; Le, Duong Thi Thuy; Hoang, Huy Duc; Altig, Ronald

2014-11-04

Fanged frogs (Limnonectes) are a group of dicroglossid frogs from Asia that often have reversed sexual dimorphism with larger males. Limnonectes dabanus is a poorly known species of fanged frog from forested habitats in southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. Adult males exhibit an extreme degree of megacephaly and possess bizarre head ornamentation. L. dabanus breeds in shallow, non-flowing or very slow-flowing pools, puddles, and drainage ditches. Eggs are laid as a widely spaced array, and the larvae have a morphology typical of pond-dwelling tadpoles. Although males of the species lack vocal sacs, they produce a low-pitched (0.4-0.6 kHz), single-note advertisement call that sounds like a drop of water falling into water. Given the spacing of calling males, presence of multiple females near breeding sites, and reversed sexual dimorphism, the mating system of L. dabanus may be an example of resource-defense polygyny, and the massive head of the male is likely used in male combat.

Redescription of the advertisement call of Physalaemus albifrons (Spix, 1824) (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae).

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Pederassi, Jonas; Lima, Mauro Sérgio Cruz Souza; Caramaschi, Ulisses; Souza, Patrícia Dos Santos; Santos, Mayra Caroliny De Oliveira; Silva, Islaíane Costa

2015-08-03

The genus Physalaemus Fitzinger, 1826 is composed by 46 species occurring from north to southern South America, east of the Andes (Frost 2015). Physalaemus albifrons is morphologically differentiated from the other species mainly due to the presence of a second tarsal tubercle located nearly the tibio-tarsal articulation (Bokermann 1966). Physalaemus albifrons occurs in Brazil from north of the State of Maranhão through the states of Piauí, Ceará, Bahia, Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas, being its more austral occurrence in the State of Minas Gerais (Frost 2015). The advertisement call of P. albifrons was described by Bokermann (1966); however, the description needs improvement by applying new technologies, which we provide herein.

Systematics of the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex (Anura, Hylidae from Ecuador and Peru

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Santiago Ron

2012-10-01

Full Text Available We present a new phylogeny, based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, for frogs of the genus Osteocephalus with emphasis in the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Genetic, morphologic, and advertisement call data are combined to define species boundaries and describe new species. The phylogeny shows strong support for: (1 a basal position of O. taurinus + O. oophagus, (2 a clade containing phytotelmata breeding species, and (3 a clade that corresponds to the O. buckleyi species complex. Our results document a large proportion of hidden diversity within a set of populations that were previously treated as a single, widely distributed species, O. buckleyi. Individuals assignable to O. buckleyi formed a paraphyletic group relative to O. verruciger and O. cabrerai and contained four species, one of which is O. buckleyi sensu stricto and three are new. Two of the new species are shared between Ecuador and Peru (O. vilmae sp. n. and O. cannatellai sp. n. and one is distributed in the Amazon region of southern Peru (O. germani sp. n.. We discuss the difficulties of using morphological characters to define species boundaries and propose a hypothesis to explain them.

Reinterpreting features of the advertisement call of Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885; Anura, Microhylidae).

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Giaretta, Ariovaldo Antonio; Vo, Pacific; Herche, Jesse; Tang, Justine Nicole; Gridi-Papp, Marcos

2015-06-13

The advertisement call of Dermatonotus muelleri was originally described by Nelson (1973) in a brief section of a review on the mating calls of the Microhylinae. He used two calls from São Leopoldo, state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil to determine that they have i) dominant frequency between 1.500-2.200 kHz (mean 1.854 + 0.216 kHz), and ii) harmonic intervals between 0.140 and 0.150 kHz (0.146 +/- 0.005 kHz). Nelson (1973) based his description on an audiospectrogram produced with high frequency resolution and did not quantify the pulse structure of the calls. More recently, Giaretta and colleagues (2013) expanded on the original description using a larger set of calls recorded from Gurinhat, state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. They quantified the temporal structure of the call and confirmed that the dominant frequency is around 1.8 kHz. In addition, they identified a secondary low frequency band at 667 Hz.

Distribución geográfica de Scinax nasica (Cope, 1862 (Anura: Hylidae

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Rozzi Giménez, Cristina

2000-11-01

Full Text Available República Argentina, Provincia de Córdoba, Dpto. Unión, Alto Alegre (32º 22' S- 62º 53' W, 14 ejemplares colectados por Cristina Rozzi Giménez y Fernando Gallego entre abril de 1998 y abril de 2000. Depositados en la Colección de Zoología de Vertebrados, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina, números ZVUNRC: 4353, 4354, 4356, 4390, 4411, 4655, 4756, 5123, 6136, 6216, 6217, 6466, 6762, 7118. Dpto. General San Martín, Villa María (32º 25' S y 63º 15' W, un ejemplar, número ZVUNRC: 4329 de la misma especie.

How do males of Hypsiboas goianus (Hylidae: Anura respond to conspecific acoustic stimuli?

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Alessandro R. Morais

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Acoustic communication plays an important role in the social behavior of anurans. Acoustic signals, which can be used in different contexts such as mate attraction and territory defense, may mediate social interactions among individuals. Herein, we used playback experiments to test whether males of Hypsiboas goianus (Lutz, 1968 change their vocal behavior in response to conspecific advertisement calls. Specifically, we used different field playback experiments in which we modified the time interval between advertisement calls to simulate males with distinct states of motivation (Sequence A and B. We did not observe differences in the acoustic response of males of H. goianus between the two types of field playback experiments. On the other hand, we observed that H. goianus males reduce the dominant frequency of the advertisement call and increase the rate of aggressive calls in response to a conspecific competitor. Our results suggest that the acoustic plasticity observed in males of H. goianus represents an aggressive response that allows repelling conspecific individuals.

A new species of Microkayla (Anura: Craugastoridae: Holoadeninae) from Department La Paz, Bolivia.

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DE LA Riva, Ignacio; Cortez, Claudia; Burrowes, Patricia A

2017-12-12

We describe a new species of direct-developing frog of the genus Microkayla from the Cordillera Real of the Bolivian Andes, in the Department of La Paz. The new species, Microkayla huayna sp. nov., is closely related to M. teqta and can be distinguished from other species of the genus by its brown dorsal skin and the presence of a large dark brown vocal sac in males. This is the second species of Microkayla known from the Zongo Valley, and the ninth in the Cordillera Real, contributing to a total of 22 described species in Bolivia. Given its small distribution range, we recommend to considering it as Vulnerable according to IUCN criteria.

The island rule in the Brazilian frog Phyllodytes luteolus (Anura: Hylidae: incipient gigantism?

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Marcio Mageski

2015-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The island rule suggests that, when mainland animals are isolated on islands, large animals tend to become smaller, while small animals tend to become larger. A small frog in eastern Brazil, Phyllodytes luteolus (Wied-Neuwied, 1824, is widely distributed in association with bromeliads. At the end of the last glaciation, parts of the mainland became islands due to rising sea levels, thereby isolating frog populations on these islands. If the island rule holds, we predicted that frogs on islands would tend to be larger than frogs on the mainland. We compared sizes (weight and length of 30 randomly selected male frogs from the mainland with 30 from an island in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. We also sampled population density on the island and mainland because concurrent with changing sizes, depending on the causal relationship, density may also change. As predicted, island frogs tended to be larger (both in snout-vent length and weight and were much more abundant. While not specifically addressed in this study, the absence of predators and interspecific competitors may explain both of these trends.

La posición de Pleurodema borellii en las razas sexuales (Anura: Leptodactylidae

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Rengel, Dora

1991-01-01

Full Text Available Sex differentiation was studied in tadpoles of Pleurodema borellii which lives in different geographic area of Argentina, fixed at various stages of metamorphosis. Gonads are sexually undifferentiated till the larva reach about 20 mm body length stage. Nevertheless sex differentiations occurs before metamorphosis take place, at about 30 mm. body length stage; gonads show macroscopic and microscopic difference at this time. Therefore P. borellii seems to belong to a "differentiated race".

Toxins and pharmacologically active compounds from species of the family Bufonidae (Amphibia, Anura).

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Rodríguez, Candelario; Rollins-Smith, Louise; Ibáñez, Roberto; Durant-Archibold, Armando A; Gutiérrez, Marcelino

2017-02-23

Among amphibians, 15 of the 47 species reported to be used in traditional medicines belong to the family Bufonidae, which demonstrates their potential in pharmacological and natural products research. For example, Asian and American tribes use the skin and the parotoid gland secretions of some common toads in the treatment of hemorrhages, bites and stings from venomous animals, skin and stomach disorders, as well as several types of cancers. In addition to reviewing the occurrence of chemical constituents present in the family Bufonidae, the cytotoxic and biomedical potential of the active compounds produced by different taxa are presented. Available information on bioactive compounds isolated from species of the family Bufonidae was obtained from ACS Publications, Google, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Sciendirect and Springer. Papers written in Chinese, English, German and Spanish were considered. Recent reports show more than 30% of amphibians are in decline and some of bufonid species are considered to be extinct. For centuries, bufonids have been used as traditional folk remedies to treat allergies, inflammation, cancer, infections and other ailments, highlighting their importance as a prolific source for novel drugs and therapies. Toxins and bioactive chemical constituents from skin and parotid gland secretions of bufonid species can be grouped in five families, the guanidine alkaloids isolated and characterized from Atelopus, the lipophilic alkaloids isolated from Melanophryniscus, the indole alkaloids and bufadienolides known to be synthesized by species of bufonids, and peptides and proteins isolated from the skin and gastrointestinal extracts of some common toads. Overall, the bioactive secretions of this family of anurans may have antimicrobial, protease inhibitor and anticancer properties, as well as being active at the neuromuscular level. In this article, the traditional uses, toxicity and pharmacological potential of chemical compounds from bufonids have been summarized. In spite of being reported to be used to treat several diseases, neither extracts nor metabolites from bufonids have been tested in such illness like acne, osteoporosis, arthritis and other illnesses. However, the cytotoxicity of these metabolites needs to be evaluated on adequate animal models due to the limited conditions of in vitro assays. Novel qualitative and quantitative tools based on MS spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy is now available to study the complex secretions of bufonids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vocalizações e interações acústicas em Hyla raniceps (Anura, Hylidae durante a atividade reprodutiva Vocalizations and acoustic interactions in Hyla Raniceps (Anura, Hylidae during the breeding season

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Lorena dall'Ara Guimarães

2003-06-01

Full Text Available The vocalizations of H. raniceps (Cope, 1826 and their functions are described, including an analysis of the influence of temperature, weight, or SVL (snout-vent length of males on the acoustic parameters. The vocalizations were recorded in three areas in Fazenda Lagoa Grande, Municipality of Pontalina, State of Goiás, central Brazil. Males began their vocalizations just before sunset, extending them, in some cases, to dawn of the following day. The peak of activities happened between 21h and 23h. The height of calling sites varied plenty, being the position horizontal in about 50% of them. Males defended sites in different areas during consecutive nights. Rain and strong winds interrupted the calling activities. Males emitted three vocalizations: advertisement, territorial and distress calls. The advertisement call has pulsionated structures and it is the most common, being emitted in the presence/absence of females. Significant correlation was found between number of notes and air temperature, notes duration and both male weight and air temperature, calling rate and both male SVL or weight, and frequency and male weight.

Comparative and phylogenetic perspectives of the cleavage process in tailed amphibians.

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Desnitskiy, Alexey G; Litvinchuk, Spartak N

2015-10-01

The order Caudata includes about 660 species and displays a variety of important developmental traits such as cleavage pattern and egg size. However, the cleavage process of tailed amphibians has never been analyzed within a phylogenetic framework. We use published data on the embryos of 36 species concerning the character of the third cleavage furrow (latitudinal, longitudinal or variable) and the magnitude of synchronous cleavage period (up to 3-4 synchronous cell divisions in the animal hemisphere or a considerably longer series of synchronous divisions followed by midblastula transition). Several species from basal caudate families Cryptobranchidae (Andrias davidianus and Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) and Hynobiidae (Onychodactylus japonicus) as well as several representatives from derived families Plethodontidae (Desmognathus fuscus and Ensatina eschscholtzii) and Proteidae (Necturus maculosus) are characterized by longitudinal furrows of the third cleavage and the loss of synchrony as early as the 8-cell stage. By contrast, many representatives of derived families Ambystomatidae and Salamandridae have latitudinal furrows of the third cleavage and extensive period of synchronous divisions. Our analysis of these ontogenetic characters mapped onto a phylogenetic tree shows that the cleavage pattern of large, yolky eggs with short series of synchronous divisions is an ancestral trait for the tailed amphibians, while the data on the orientation of third cleavage furrows seem to be ambiguous with respect to phylogeny. Nevertheless, the midblastula transition, which is characteristic of the model species Ambystoma mexicanum (Caudata) and Xenopus laevis (Anura), might have evolved convergently in these two amphibian orders.

Diet of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco in the area of Slovenske gorice (NE Slovenia

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Janžekovič Franc

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The diet of Tawny Owl Strix aluco was studied in the area of Slovenske gorice - NE Slovenia. The analysis was carried out by examining pellets collected at ten locations in the period from 1984 to 2015. From the pellets, 2,121 prey units were isolated. The predominant prey were mammals (Mammalia, 84.8%, followed by birds (Aves, 8.3%, insects (Insecta, 4.7%, frogs (Anura, 1.6% and earthworms (Oligochaeta, 0.5%. Four orders of mammals were found: rodents (Rodentia, insectivores (Insectivora, bats (Chiroptera and carnivores (Carnivora. The most frequent prey in the owls’ diet were voles (Arvicolinae, 46.6% and mice (Murinae, 28.8%, while the number of shrews (Soricidae was low (4.5%. The obtained results are in concordance with the conclusions of other studies. In the area of Slovenske gorice, the Tawny Owl is an opportunistic predator of small mammals with an emphasis on voles and mice. Prey frequencies differ significantly among some localities. Variability in proportions of prey species among localities can also be the result of sampling carried out in different seasons and variability in the population dynamics of small mammals among years. Challenges for future research are to describe seasonal variability of the diet and to evaluate interspecific competition within the guild of night predators of small mammals: Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl Asio otus, and Barn Owl Tyto alba, which are sympatric in this area.

Diversidade de anfíbios do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

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Franco L. Souza

Full Text Available RESUMO A fauna de anfíbios do estado de Mato Grosso do Sul foi compilada e elaborada pela primeira vez, totalizando 97 espécies, o que representa pouco mais de 10% das espécies que ocorrem no Brasil. Nove famílias e 25 gêneros de Anura e apenas uma espécie de Gymnophiona foram registradas. As áreas de Cerrado apresentaram a maior riqueza, seguidas pelas florestas estacionais semideciduais, Chaco e veredas. Em relação às macrorregiões consideradas, foram registradas 56 espécies para a planície de inundação (majoritariamente representada pelo Pantanal e 92 para o planalto. As regiões mais amostradas em Mato Grosso do Sul são o Parque Nacional da Serra da Bodoquena e algumas áreas do Pantanal, o que resulta em lacunas de amostragens por todo o estado, principalmente nas regiões norte, leste/sudeste e parte do oeste/sudoeste. Foram identificadas áreas consideradas importantes para amostragens em decorrência da complexidade de fitofisionomias e relevos encontrados no estado: Maciço do rio Apa, Serra de Maracaju, grande parte do Chaco brasileiro, leque do rio Taquari, planalto do Taquari-Itiquira, escarpas do planalto Central, áreas úmidas/florestas estacionais da planície do rio Paraná e áreas interioranas do Pantanal, onde o acesso é difícil.

Caracterización espeleológica e inventario biológico de la Caverna del Diablo en el municipio de Becerril, Departamento del Cesar, Colombia

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Frederick Vides-Navarro

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study aims to characterize the most important aspects of the Devil´s cave, including biophysical, geological, speleological and morphological components. Methods: A descriptive research from observations in situ, specific technical work of topography, geology, speleology and biology, along with study of related literature has been conducted. Results: The methods used allowed us to learn about the natural richness inside the cave, with outstanding karst landforms (speleothems, presence of fish, crustaceans and other organisms that might be endemic. The information obtained indicates that the origin of the cavity is due to fluvial erosion processes and forced circulation of streams, evidenced in its shaped rosary surface on the interior walls of the structure. Landforms are mostly at the entrance of the cavity in varieties like Stalactites, Castings, Sandsicles and Gours. The biophysical component is the most distinctive aspect of the cave, consisting in a good dynamic of ventilation, permanent presence of water, high humidity and variety of wildlife, including taxa as Chiroptera, Araneae, Anura, Lepidoptera, Blattodea stand, Rodents, Oligochaeta, Dermaptera, siluriform and Decapods. Conclusions: Lithologically, the cavity is framed in limestone rocks rich in organic matter with variation in surface color belonging to the La Luna Formation, the low humidity of the cavity at its entrance and high carbonate content favored the formation of large numbers of speleothems. The inside observations and studies on the water stream showed that biophysical conditions of this place are suitable to house a rich diversity of wildlife.

From little known area to the extinction race: A survey of herpetofauna in Prevab, Kutai National Park (KNP), Indonesia

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Kurniawan, Nia; Roziah, Noviati; Fauzi, Muhammad Alif; Kurnianto, Agung Sih

2017-11-01

We develop research focused on the environmental quality through a survey of herpetofauna in a threatened area with minimum data. The collected data supported by literature was used to predict the highest threat in the Prevab forest and to recommend a conservation area according to priority. The survey was conducted on three main sites: Senadam lake, camp area, and Buntu river. Each location was surveyed using a Visual Encounter Survey in a 1 km transect, from 7 to 11 p.m. for 3 days (21-23 October 2016). This study has identified 25 species herpetofauna from 76 individuals, consisting of 3 orders: Squamata, Anura, and Crocodilia. The highest number of individuals found were Chalcorana raniceps (n:18), Hemidactylus frenatus (n:7), Hemidactylus platyurus (n:10), Eutropis sp. (n:5), Cyrtodactylus yoshii (n:4), Crocodylus porosus (n:4), Hylarana erythraea (n:3), Varanus salvator (n:3). Two species were categorized as `Threatened' species in the IUCN Red List, and one (Ptychozoon horsfieldii) was categorized as `Data Deficient.' One species, Limnonectes paramacrodon, was categorized as `Near Threatened'. There were 2 species categorized as Appendix II CITES: Varanus salvator and Crocodylus porosus. Only one species, Crocodylus porosus, was protected by Indonesia's regulation. Chalcorana raniceps and Limnonectes paramacrodon were found in high numbers in Buntu river, while the camp area was mostly visited by Hemidactylus platyurus, Hemidactylus frenatus, and Ptychozoon horsfieldii. Senadam lake was found to be the habitat for Crocodylus porosus.

Environmental influences on egg and clutch sizes in lentic- and lotic-breeding salamanders

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Jon M. Davenport

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Recent research indicates that social and environmental factors influence egg and clutch sizes in amphibians. However, most of this work is based on the reproductively diverse order Anura (frogs and toads, whereas less research has been conducted on Caudata (salamanders and Gymnophiona (caecilians. Researchers have suggested that a relationship exists between social and environmental factors and egg and clutch sizes in salamanders, but studies controlling for phylogenetic context are lacking. We could not identify a sufficient number of comparisons for social influences on egg and clutch sizes; therefore, we focused on environmental influences for this study. Data on egg size, clutch size, environmental factors, and phylogenies for salamanders were assembled from the scientific literature. We used independent, pair-wise comparisons to investigate the association of larval salamander habitat and egg size and the association of larval salamander habitat with clutch sizes within a phylogenetic framework. There is a significant association between larval habitat and egg size; specifically, stream-breeding species produce larger eggs. There is no significant association between larval habitat and clutchsize. Our study confirms earlier reports that salamander egg size is associated with larval environments, but is the first to use phylogenetically independent contrasts to account for the lack of phylogenetic independence of the traits measured (egg size and clutch size associated with many of the diverse lineages. Our study shows that environmental selection pressure can be quite strong on one aspect of salamander reproduction—egg size.

Myxozoan infections of caecilians demonstrate broad host specificity and indicate a link with human activity.

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Hartigan, Ashlie; Wilkinson, Mark; Gower, David J; Streicher, Jeffrey W; Holzer, Astrid S; Okamura, Beth

2016-05-01

Myxozoans are parasitic cnidarians that infect a wide variety of hosts. Vertebrates typically serve as intermediate hosts whereas definitive hosts are invertebrates, including annelids and bryozoans. Myxozoans are known to exploit species in two of the three extant amphibian orders (Anura: frogs and toads; Caudata: newts and salamanders). Here we use museum collections to determine, to our knowledge for the first time, whether myxozoans also exploit the third amphibian order (Gymnophiona: caecilians). Caecilians are a poorly known group of limbless amphibians, the ecologies of which range from aquatic to fully terrestrial. We examined 12 caecilian species in seven families (148 individuals total) characterised by a diversity of ecologies and life histories. Using morphological and molecular surveys, we discovered the presence of the myxozoan Cystodiscus axonis in two South American species (one of seven examined families) of aquatic caecilians - Typhlonectes natans and Typhlonectes compressicauda. All infected caecilians had been maintained in captivity in the United Kingdom prior to their preservation. Cystodiscus axonis is known from several Australian frog species and its presence in caecilians indicates a capacity for infecting highly divergent amphibian hosts. This first known report of myxozoan infections in caecilians provides evidence of a broad geographic and host range. However, the source of these infections remains unknown and could be related to exposure in South America, the U.K. or to conditions in captivity. Copyright © 2016 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. All rights reserved.

Estudio de la anurofauna del municipio de Ibagué

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M. H. Bernal

2000-07-01

Full Text Available Colombia es considerada, en el mundo, el país más rico en especies de anfibios (Lynch, 1998. De las 4.300 especies registradas en el planeta, Colombia presenta 583 (Ruiz et al., 1996. Esto refleja la gran riqueza que el país tiene respecto a la diversidad  no sólo de anfibios, sino también de otros grupos de animales y plantas. Entre los anfibios el mayor número de especies se encuentra en el orden Anura, los comúnmente conocidos como ranas y sapos, le sigue el orden Urodela (salamandras y por ultimo esta el Apoda (cecilias. En Colombia se han reportado 540 especies de anuros, pertenecientes a 56 géneros y 9 familias (Ruiz et 01., 1996. Por otra parte, entre las regiones de Colombia con mayor aporte a la diversidad de anuros esta la Cordillera Central. Estimulados por esta riqueza de anuros y dada las amplias zonas del país aún desconocidas a nivel de inventarios, entre ellas el municipio de Ibagué, el cual por su posición geográfica en la Cordillera Central y por su variedad de niveles altitudinales, ecosistemas y el hábitat para el albergue de los anuros, se llevó a cabo el presente estudio, con el propósito de reconocer el aporte de este municipio a la diversidad descrita con respecto a la Cordillera Central ya Colombia.

The diversity and evolution of anuran skin peptides.

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König, Enrico; Bininda-Emonds, Olaf R P; Shaw, Chris

2015-01-01

Amphibians exhibit various, characteristic adaptations related to their "incomplete" shift from the aquatic to the terrestrial habitat. In particular, the integument was subject to a number of specialized modifications during the evolution of these animals. In this review, we place special emphasis on endogenous host-defence skin peptides from the cuteanous granular glands anuran amphibians (frogs and toads). The overview on the two broad groups of neuroactive and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) goes beyond a simple itemization in that we provide a new perspective into the evolution and function of anuran AMPs. Briefly, these cationic, amphipathic and α-helical peptides are traditionally viewed as being part of the innate immune system, protecting the moist skin against invading microorganisms through their cytolytic action. However, the complete record of anuran species investigated to date suggests that AMPs are distributed sporadically (i.e., non-universally) across Anura. Together with the intriguing observation that virtually all anurans known to produce neuropeptides in their granular glands also co-secrete cytolytic peptides, we call the traditional role for AMPs as being purely antimicrobial into question and present an alternative scenario. We hypothesize AMPs to assist neuroactive peptides in their antipredator role through their cytolytic action increasing the delivery of the latter to the endocrine and nervous system of the predator. Thus, AMPs are more accurately viewed as cytolysins and their contribution to the immune system is better regarded as an accessory benefit. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Historic record of Gastrotheca ovifera (Anura: Hemiphractidae): decline evidence in Venezuelan coastal cloud forests].

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Valera-Leal, Javier; Acevedo, Aldemar; Pérez-Sánchez, Antonio; Vega, Jorge; Manzanilla, Jesús

2011-03-01

G. ovifera is a marsupial frog of the cloud and riparian forest from Western and Litoral sections of the Venezuelan Cordillera de la Costa (820-2 000m). This amphibian is considered as an endangered species by the IUCN Species Red List, due to its population decline in pristine and well preserved environments. This conservation status is based on anecdotic interpretations. We collected disperse data from museum records (national and international) and explored the possible association between collection records and precipitation data available for the Henri Pittier National Park (PNHP). Likewise, we carried out a systematic population monitoring of G. ovifera in historic and additional localities among the cloud forest of Rancho Grande, PNHP. We found 106 individuals in 11 zoological collections deposited during 1929-2007. After an effort of 646 hours/person we did not detect G. ovifera individuals in the evaluated localities; as well as no statistical significant associations between the annual precipitation average and the historic records of the species during 1941-1997 period (r = -0.054, p = 0.820, n = 19). We discussed the distribution, fluctuation and population changes of this species, analyzing it conservation status.

Light shines through the spindrift – Phylogeny of African torrent frogs (Amphibia, Anura, Petropedetidae)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Barej, M. F.; Rödel, M.-O.; Loader, S. P.; Menegon, M.; Gonwouo, N.L.; Penner, J.; Gvoždík, Václav; Günther, R.; Bell, R. C.; Nagel, B.; Schmitz, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 71, č. 2 (2014), s. 261-273 ISSN 1055-7903 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Africa * Amphibians * Taxonomy * Arthroleptides * Petropedetes * Odontobatrachus gen. nov Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 3.916, year: 2014

Validity of photo-identification technique to analyze natural markings in Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Anura: Bufonidae

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Ernesto Elgue

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Individual identification is useful for answering a variety of biological questions about animal life histories. Most of the techniques used to mark amphibians are invasive and can cause negative effects, compromising individual survivorship and biasing studies. Photo-identification consists in the identification of specimens based on photographic records of unique color-design patterns. This technique has been used with success in several amphibian species. Melanophryniscus montevidensis is an endangered anuran species inhabiting the Uruguayan Atlantic coast. The general pattern of coloration is black with red and yellow blotches on the belly. In this study, we validated the technique of photo-identification assisted by software for individual recognition in M. montevidensis using natural markings. Field trips were performed over 16 months during which, the ventral color pattern of specimens was photographed. The photos were edited and analyzed with the Wild-ID 1.0 software for photographic reconnaissance. An efficiency of 100% was obtained in the visual recognition and 90% in the detection of recaptures using the software. The use of photo-identification using natural marks is an effective technique in this species, because the color pattern of the belly was highly variable among individuals and remained unchanged in individuals over the 16 month period. In this evaluation the use of software for photo-identification was necessary for the treatment of large databases.

Niche overlap and resource partitioning among five sympatric bufonids (Anura, Bufonidae from northeastern Argentina

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Marta I. Duré

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The niche overlap and resource partitioning were analyzed for five sympatric bufonids from Northeastern Argentina: Rhinella schneideri, R. bergi, R. fernandezae, R. granulosa, and Melanophryniscus cupreuscapularis. The primary objectives were to analyze the diet and pattern of coexistence relative to the microhabitats among species. The bufonids, which are primarily terrestrial, exhibited a preference for small, hard prey such as formicids or coleopterans. The smallest species preferably consumed ants, while R. schneideri preferred beetles. Significant differences were detected for the diets of these five species. In addition, significant overlap in the trophic niche was noted for all species except between R. granulosa and R. schneideri. Studying the diet behaviors and trophic parameters of sympatric species provides important data for understandingthe community and for the development of conservation guidelines.

Visual and acoustic signaling in three species of Brazilian nocturnal tree frogs (Anura, Hylidae

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Luís Felipe Toledo

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Visual communication seems to be widespread among nocturnal anurans, however, reports of these behaviors in many Neotropical species are lacking. Therefore, we gathered information collected during several sporadic field expeditions in central and southern Brazil with three nocturnal tree frogs: Aplastodiscus perviridis, Hypsiboas albopunctatus and H. bischoffi. These species displayed various aggressive behaviors, both visual and acoustic, towards other males. For A. perviridis we described arm lifting and leg kicking; for H. albopunctatus we described the advertisement and territorial calls, visual signalizations, including a previously unreported behavior (short leg kicking, and male-male combat; and for H. bischoffiwe described the advertisement and fighting calls, toes and fingers trembling, leg lifting, and leg kicking. We speculate about the evolution of some behaviors and concluded that the use of visual signals among Neotropical anurans may be much more common than suggested by the current knowledge.

Microhabitat use and spatial distribution in Picado’s Bromeliad Treefrog, Isthmohyla picadoi (Anura, Hylidae

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Adam M. M. Stuckert

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Isthmohyla picadoi is a Neotropical hylid frog found in upper humid montane forests of Costa Rica and Panama. The species is of particular interest because it continues to persist in an area in which the amphibian community has otherwise been decimated by the pathogenic fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Ground search, ladder climbing, and tree climbing techniques were used to locate 32 individuals; including adult males and females, juveniles, andmetamorphosing frogs. The majority of frogs were found in bromeliads, although some individuals were found on plants of the Euphorbiaceae, Musaceae, and Heliconiaceae families. Most frogs were found in larger bromeliads (45 cm or wider. There was a positive correlation between SUL and bromeliad width within the population but not within maturity classes (adult males, adult females, all adults, nonmetamorphosingjuveniles, suggesting that juvenile and adult frogs differ in bromeliad usage. Ranges of SUL and body weight in this particular population are much greater than those reported in previous species accounts.

Meiotic behavior of two polyploid species of genus Pleurodema (Anura: Leiuperidae from central Argentina

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Nancy E. Salas

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Polyploidy is an important evolutionary force but rare in vertebrates. However, in anurans, the genus Pleurodema has polyploid species, two of them tetraploid and one octoploid. The manner in which the chromosomes join in diakinesis can vary among species and, crucially, if they differ in their ploidy levels. In this work, we describe the meiotic configurations in two cryptic species from central Argentina, with different ploidy levels, Pleurodema kriegi (tetraploid and P. cordobae (octoploid. A total of 306 diakineses from 19 individuals were analyzed. In meiosis, P. kriegi form 22 bivalents, whereas P. cordobae exhibits variation in meiotic figures. We discuss the possible allo- and autopolyploid origin of these species, and we consider that the autopolyploid origin of P. cordobae from P. kriegi might be the most feasible.

A new montane species of Philautus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from western Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo.

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Dehling, J Maximilian; Dehling, Matthias

2013-01-01

A new species of Philautus is described from western Sarawak. The new species was collected in lower montane forest in two national parks in Sarawak and recorded from another park. It differs from its congeners by a unique combination of morphological characters, including a long, acuminate snout, long legs, and comparatively extensive toe webbing. The advertisement call of the new species differs from all calls of other species that have been analyzed so far. Comparison of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequence corroborates its distinct specific status.

A new species of Scinax from the Purus-Madeira interfluve, Brazilian Amazonia (Anura, Hylidae

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Miquéias Ferrão

2017-10-01

Full Text Available A new tree frog species of the genus Scinax from the interfluve between the Purus and Madeira rivers, Brazilian Amazonia, is described and illustrated. The new species is diagnosed by medium body size, snout truncate in dorsal view, ulnar and tarsal tubercles absent, nuptial pads poorly developed, skin on dorsum shagreen, dorsum light brown with dark brown spots and markings, white groin with black spots, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs black, and iris bright orange. The advertisement call consists of a single short note, with 16−18 pulses and dominant frequency at 1572−1594 Hz. Tadpoles are characterized by body ovoid in dorsal view and triangular in lateral view, tail higher than body, oral disc located anteroventrally and laterally emarginated, dorsum of body uniformly grey-brown with dark brown eye-snout stripe in preservative, fins translucent with small to large irregular diffuse dark brown spots.

The potential effects of climate change on the status of Seychelles frogs (Anura: Sooglossidae

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J. Gerlach

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The status of the Seychelles frogs of the family Sooglossidae was investigated, using monitoring data from 1993-2010, climate data from 1998-2010 and studies of populations and local climate effects. Climate monitoring at each plot covered rainfall and temperature, with leaf wetness and soil moisture being monitored additionally at one site. Analysis of the data and ecological modelling of the distribution identify geographical patterns in climate which explain the present distribution of the different sooglossid species. In addition it identifies a drying trend in the first quarter of the year which corresponds to frog population declines in mid-altitude forests. This is interpreted as evidence of an ongoing deterioration in the suitability of habitats for the frogs, with declines recorded in areas of marginal suitability. By extension it is assumed that currently optimal frog habitat is also undergoing a decline in suitability, due to early year decreases in moisture. Projected changes in climate were used to predict changes in ranges of the sooglossids over the next 90 years. This predicts significant declines, with the possible extinction of the palm frog Sooglossus pipilodryas by 2100. Accordingly all four sooglossid species should be categorised as Endangered, rather than their current status of Vulnerable. Captive assurance colonies have not been successfully established to date. Captive groups have been maintained with a high degree of success but breeding has not been recorded so far. Further work needed for the conservation of the frogs is outlined: development of a reliable method of monitoring the cryptic S. thomasseti and development of captive breeding techniques.

DIET OF DIRECT-DEVELOPING FROGS (ANURA: CRAUGASTORIDAE: Pristimantis FROM THE ANDES OF WESTERN COLOMBIA

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Juan Carlos GARCIA-R

2015-01-01

Estudiamos la dieta de 15 especies de ranas montanas del género Pristimantis (Craugastoridae en la Cordillera Occidental de Colombia para determinar su variación, amplitud y traslape de nicho. En los contenidos estomacales e intestinales de 154 especímenes se identificaron 499 presas que fueron organizadas en 74 categorías diferentes. Las 15 categorías de presas más comunes representaron el 65 % de la dieta. Las familias de invertebrados Isotomidae, Chironomidae, Formicidae y Tipulidae fueron las más abundantes, representando el 32 % de la dieta de las ranas. Diez de las 15 especies de ranas presentaron al menos un ítem de Araneae. Coleoptera y Tipulidae fueron otras categorías frecuentemente encontradas en los tractos digestivos de las ranas (nueve especies de ranas presentaron estos ítems,  seguidas de Acari y Carabidae (ocho especies. En general, los escarabajos fueron encontrados en los tractos gastrointestinales de todas las especies, excepto en P. quantus, pero este resultado debe tratarse con precaución porque solo un individuo de esta especie fue capturado. Pristimantis hectus mostró una dieta especializada consumiendo principalmente dípteros de la familia Chironomidae, mientras que las especies restantes mostraron una dieta generalista. Pristimantis palmeri presentó superposiciones de nicho con P. erythropleura (Фjk = 0,69, P. myops (Фjk = 0,64, y P. orpacobates (Фjk = 0,64. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la mayoría de las especies estudiadas son generalistas que se alimentan de manera oportunista de dípteros, arácnidos, colémbolos, coleópteros e himenópteros. Aquí, reportamos la dieta de especies montanas de Pristimantis y discutimos los resultados con datos de otros estudios en especies relacionadas de regiones montanas y tierras bajas

Diversity and phylogeography of Northeast Asian brown frogs allied to Rana dybowskii (Anura, Ranidae).

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Yang, Bao-Tian; Zhou, Yu; Min, Mi-Sook; Matsui, Masafumi; Dong, Bing-Jun; Li, Pi-Peng; Fong, Jonathan J

2017-07-01

We investigated the species diversity and phylogeography of the Northeast Asian brown frogs allied to Rana dybowskii (the R. dybowskii species complex: R. dybowskii, R. pirica, and R. uenoi) using four mitochondrial and three nuclear loci. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the existence of three distinct species in this complex; using extensive molecular data, we confirm the validity of Rana uenoi recognized as a distinct species, and infer R. dybowskii and R. pirica to be sister species. Also, we included populations from previously unsampled regions in Northeast China, and identified them to be R. dybowskii. While many species in Northeast Asia diverged due to Pleistocene glaciation, divergence-dating analyses inferred older, Miocene speciation in the R. dybowskii species complex. Ancestral area reconstruction identified the orogenic movement of the Changbai Mountain Range and the opening of the Sea of Japan/East Sea being major events influencing allopatric speciation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scinax berthae Barrio, 1962 (Anura, Hilydae. Primera cita para la provincia de Corrientes, Argentina

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Waller, Tomás

2000-04-01

Full Text Available Argentina: Corrientes, departamento San Martín, Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, inmediaciones de la laguna Iberá (28°32'28"S - 57°10'20"W, Datum: WGS 84. Altitud: 65 m snm. 16 de octubre de 1999. Dos ejemplares macho. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires, Argentina (MACN 37081, 37082. Colector: Tomás Waller.

Un caso de leucismo en larvas de Phyllomedusa bicolor (Anura: Hylidae reproducidas en cautiverio

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Adán Villagarcia Olmeño

2014-12-01

Full Text Available En este artículo se reporta el primer caso de leucismo en Phyllomedusa bicolor (Boaddaert 1772. La larva leucística descrita fue resultado de un trabajo de manejo reproductivo en cautiverio, y fue fotografiada 97 días después de su eclosión, mostrando una coloración blanca uniforme a excepción de los reflejos dorados de los flancos y el tono oscuro de los ojos.

Un caso de leucismo en larvas de Phyllomedusa bicolor (Anura: Hylidae reproducidas en cautiverio

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Adan Villagarcía Olmeño

2015-01-01

Full Text Available En este artículo se reporta el primer caso de leucismo en Phyllomedusa bicolor (Boaddaert 1772. La larva leucística descrita fue resultado de un trabajo de manejo reproductivo en cautiverio, y fue fotografiada 97 días después de su eclosión, mostrando una coloración blanca uniforme a excepción de los reflejos dorados de los flancos y el tono oscuro de los ojos.

Un caso de leucismo en larvas de Phyllomedusa bicolor (Anura: Hylidae) reproducidas en cautiverio

OpenAIRE

Adán Villagarcia Olmeño; Enrique Cuevas

2014-01-01

En este artículo se reporta el primer caso de leucismo en Phyllomedusa bicolor (Boaddaert 1772). La larva leucística descrita fue resultado de un trabajo de manejo reproductivo en cautiverio, y fue fotografiada 97 días después de su eclosión, mostrando una coloración blanca uniforme a excepción de los reflejos dorados de los flancos y el tono oscuro de los ojos.

Rediscovery of Atelopus subornatus Werner, 1899 (Anura: Bufonidae), with a redescription of the tadpole.

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Enciso-Calle, Maria Paula; Viuche-Lozano, Andres; Anganoy-Criollo, Marvin; Bernal, Manuel Hernando

2017-11-06

The Neotropical toads of the genus Atelopus are among the most imperiled of all amphibians (La Marca et al. 2005; Gonzalez-Maya et al. 2013; McCaffery et al. 2015). Nowadays, at least 90% of the 93 listed species are threatened and more than 77% are Critically Endangered (McCaffery et al. 2015; IUCN 2016). Colombia has 44 described species of Atelopus (Frost 2017), two of these are categorized as extinct (EX) by the IUCN (2016): A. ignescens and A. longirostris, although they were recently re-discovered in Ecuador (Tapia et al. 2017), 34 as critical endangered (CR), four as endangered (EN), two as vulnerable (VU), one species has data deficient (DD) and another one has not been evaluated. Atelopus subornatus Werner, 1899, is an endemic Colombian harlequin toad described from 2300 to 2800 m.a.s.l in the municipalities of Sibaté (Alto de Sibaté and Agua Bonita) and Fusagasuga (above Fusagasuga and Tierra Negra), in Cundinamarca (Fig. 1A), on the western flank from Cordillera Oriental of Colombia (Werner 1899; Lynch 1986; Lötters 1989, 1992). The last record of this species was in 1993 (Lötters 2005), and it currently is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN (2016). Herein, we report the rediscovery of A. subornatus at a new locality from Tolima, Colombia (Fig. 1A), and redescribe its tadpole. The determination of the species was based on comparisons with material deposited in the amphibian collection of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (ICN-UNAL) for all species of Atelopus reported from the same general area in Cundinamarca and relatively similar to A. subornatus. The specimens are housed in the Herpetological collection of the Tolima University (CZUT-A) and amphibian collection of ICN-UNAL.

Amietia angolensis and A. fuscigula (Anura: Pyxicephalidae) in southern Africa: a cold case reheated.

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Channing, Alan; Baptista, Ninda

2013-01-01

A study combining DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, advertisement calls and morphology of some southern African river frogs confirms Amietia vandijki (Visser & Channing, 1997) as a good species. The form presently referred to as Amietia angolensis in southern Africa is shown to comprise two species: Amietia angolensis (Bocage, 1866) known from Angola, and Amietia quecketti (Boulenger, 1895) known from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Junior synonyms of A. quecketti include Rana theileri Mocquard, 1906 and Afrana dracomontana Channing, 1978. The form presently known as Amietia fuscigula is shown to consist of two distantly related taxa: Amietia fuscigula (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) from the south-western Cape and an undescribed species that we here name Amietia poyntoni sp. nov. Channing & Baptista, known from the rest of South Africa and Namibia. These five species have large differences in 16S sequences, as well as differences in morphology and advertisement call. Call and molecular data are both diagnostic, while morphology shows some overlap between taxa. An extended study of the genus across Africa is in preparation.

A new species of Alsodes (Anura: Alsodidae) from Altos de Cantillana, central Chile.

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Charrier, Andrés; Correa, Claudio; Castro, Camila; Méndez, Marco A

2015-02-05

Based on morphological and molecular evidence (mitochondrial and nuclear sequences) we describe a new species of spiny-chest frog, Alsodes cantillanensis, from central Chile (around 34°S). The type locality, Quebrada Infiernillo, is located in the Coastal Range at approximately 65 km from Santiago (Metropolitan Region), the capital of Chile. The distribution of the new species is included entirely in that of A. nodosus (32-36°S approximately), which was identified as the sister taxon according to molecular phylogenetic analyses. Moreover, both species are sympatric in the type locality. The new species was found in a Nothofagus macrocarpa relict forest potentially threatened by gold mining activities. We identify other threats for its conservation and some biological data needed for understanding the evolution of this species. This discovery reveals the scarce knowledge about biogeography, evolution and ecology of spiny-chest frogs from central Chile. 

Una nueva especie del grupo Hyloscirtus larinopygion (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae del suroccidente de Colombia

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Jonh Jairo Mueses-Cisneros

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Se describe una nueva especie del grupo Hyloscirtus larinopygion del Nudo de los Pastos en el departamento de Nariño, Colombia. Hyloscirtus tigrinus sp. nov. puede ser distinguida fácilmente de sus especies similares por la presencia de un tubérculo calcar carnoso y prominente, además de su distintivo patrón de coloración. Se realizan algunos comentarios sobre la coloración de la garganta y coloración ventral en Hyloscirtus caucanus, H. larinopygion, H. lindae y H. tigrinus. La coloración de la garganta es altamente variable, por lo tanto no puede ser utilizada para diagnosticar a estas especies.A new species of the Hyloscirtus larinopygion group from Nudo de los Pastos, Nariño department, Colombia is described. Hyloscirtus tigrinus sp. nov. can be distinguished easily from similar species by the presence of a fleshy and prominent calcar tubercle and by its distinctive color pattern. Some remarks on throat and ventral coloration in Hyloscirtus caucanus, H. larinopygion, H. lindae and H. tigrinus are presented. The throat coloration is highly variable and cannot be used to diagnose any of these species.

Abundance, Disposal Hypsiboas Espaciale lanciformis Natural History (Anura: Hylidae) southwest of the Venezuelan Andes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tovar Rodriguez, William; Chacon Ortiz, Andres; Duran, Rosa de Jesus

2009-01-01

Hypsiboas lanciformis is a tree frog belonging to the albopunctatus group. Its distribution ranges from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru to Colombia and Venezuela. We studied the status of a population inhabiting the realms property of Complejo Uribante-Caparo, CORPOELEC, in Tachira state (southwestern Andean Venezuela), by monitoring their call and visual detection across transects, gathering information on their abundance; available space, and other natural history accounts. The abundance decreases as the dry season progresses, while individuals show an aggregate spatial arrangement. Individuals were vocalizing at the edges of secondary forest adjacent to disturbed areas. This species is sympatric with the hylids Hypsiboas pugnax and Scinax manriquei. Some individuals revealed the presence of ectoparasites and endoparasites that might be affecting the species survivalship.

Kin discrimination in cannibalistic tadpoles of the Green Poison Frog, Dendrobates auratus (Anura, Dendrobatidae

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Heather M. Gray

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Cannibalizing a related individual can reduce the inclusive fitness of the cannibal. Hence, mechanisms that allow a tadpole to recognize and modify its behavior toward kin may reduce the inclusive fitness costs of cannibalism. Alternatively, ecological factors may cause preferential treatment of kin to be too costly to be favored by selection. We tested these two predictions in the Green Poison Frog, Dendrobates auratus. The effect of kinship on larval cannibalism was examined through a series of kin-discrimination trials. The behavior of large tadpoles was observed when presented with two small, tethered tadpoles, one a clutchmate and one an unrelated tadpole. In these simultaneous presentation tests, tadpoles displayed a significant preference for attacking kin. In a series of timed trials, pairs of unequally sized tadpoles were placed together in containers. The majority (70% of large tadpoles took less than24 hr to consume the small tadpole. Kinship did not affect the survival time of the small tadpole. Our results are consistent with observations that D. auratus is an indiscriminate predator. As conspecifics may be serious competitors, their swift elimination would be an advantage, particularly in the small, nutrient-poor poolsused by this species.

Blood and urine physiological values in farm-cultured Rana catesbeiana (Anura: Ranidae in Argentina

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José A Coppo

2005-09-01

Full Text Available A total of 302 samples of healthy farm-cultured Rana catesbeiana specimens (9-21 months-old, 50- 350 g liveweight, 50% each sex from the north-east of Argentina, were analyzed through spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, densitometry, refractometry and microscopy in order to obtain blood and urine normal values. Confidence intervals (pCon el propósito de obtener valores normales sanguíneos y urinarios, 302 muestras de ejemplares sanos de Rana catesbeiana del nordeste argentino (9-21 meses de edad, 50-350 g de peso vivo, 50% de cada sexo, fueron analizados por espectrofotometría, electroforesis, densitometría, refractometría y microscopía. Fueron obtenidos intervalos de confianza (p<0.05 para hematocrito (28.6-31.6%, eritrocitos (0.40-0.44 T/L, VCM (686-732 fL, hemoglobina (6.41-7.20 g/dL, HCM (151-164 pg, CHCM (22.6-24.0%, leucocitos (18.7-22.3 G/L, neutrófilos (58.4-63.4%, linfocitos (23.9-29.8%, monocitos (2.1-3.8%, eosinófilos (4.6-7.0%, basófilos (2.9-4.1%, tiempo de sangría (289-393s, tiempo de coagulación (452- 696s, tiempo de protrombina (76-128s, densidad urinaria (1.0061-1.0089 g/mL, pH urinario (6.38-6.96, fibrinógeno (0.59-0.99 g/dL, proteínas totales (4.19-4.49 g/dL, albúmina (1.49-1.67 g/dL, alfa-1 globulina (0.20-0.24 g/dL, alfa-2 globulina (0.48-0.54 g/dL, beta globulina (0.68-0.77 g/dL, gamma globulina (1.28-1.42 g/dL, relación albúmina/globulinas (0.50-0.58, creatinina (4.09-5.56 mg/L, urea (76.1-92.4 mg/L, ácido úrico (11.5-15.4 mg/L, triglicéridos (0.34-0.52 g/L, colesterol total (0.56-0.67 g/L, C-HDL (0.03-0.05 g/L, C-LDL (0.34-0.44 g/L, alfa lipoproteína (6.01-8.67%, beta lipoproteína (91.3-93.9%, glucosa (0.45-0.54 g/L, Na (116-121 meq/L, K (3.42- 3.81 meq/L, Cl (100-116 meq/L, Ca (7.98-8.61 mg/dL, P (8.31-9.36 mg/dL, Mg (2.26-2.55 mg/dL, Fe (105-178 ug/dL, ALP (144-170 IU/L, ALT (10.0-14.8 IU/L, AST (42.8-53.4 IU/L, GGT (7.8-10.6 IU/L, LDH (99-135 IU/L, CHE (151-185 IU/L y CPK (365-500 IU/L. Algunos intervalos fueron semejantes a los obtenidos en anfibios, aves o mamíferos, pero otros resultaron muy diferentes. Estos parámetros son útiles para evaluar estados sanitario, metabólico y nutricional de la rana toro en cautiverio.

Alimentación y fecundidad de Bufo variegatus (Anura: Bufonidae en Santa Cruz, Argentina

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Rappi, Guillermina E.

2000-04-01

Full Text Available Se describe la alimentación de una población de Bufo variegatus procedente de la región de Lago del Desierto, provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina. De los 11 ítems presa identificados, los más consumidos por los adultos (tanto machos como hembras fueron los coleópteros. En los machos la segunda categoría presa mas importante en la contribución a la dieta fueron los ácaros, mientras que en las hembras las hormigas y las larvas de insectos siguieron en importancia al consumo de coleópteros. En los especímenes juveniles, los ácaros fueron las presas más consumidas, quedando los coleópteros en segundo lugar en importancia relativa. Se demuestra la existencia de una correlación positiva significativa entre el volumen de las presas y el tamaño del depredador. Se aportan datos referentes a la fecundidad de B. variegatus y se comprueba la ausencia de correlación entre el tamaño de las hembras grávidas y el número de óvulos maduros. The diet of a population of Bufo variegatus from the region of Lago del Desierto, Santa Cruz province, Argentina, is described. Of the 11 prey items identified, Coleoptera was the most consumed prey both for males and females. In males, the second most important prey was Acarii, while in females they were the ants and insect larvae. Acarii was the most consumed prey for juveniles, followed by Coleoptera. A significant positive correlation was found between prey volume and predator body size. Fecundity information for B. variegwus is given, and a lack of correlation between snout-vent length of mature females and ovarian egg complement is demonstrated.

Two new endangered species of Anomaloglossus (Anura: Aromobatidae) from Roraima State, northern Brazil.

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Fouquet, Antoine; Souza, Sergio Marques; Nunes, Pedro M Sales; Kok, Philippe J R; Curcio, Felipe Franco; De Carvalho, Celso Morato; Grant, Taran; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut

2015-03-05

We describe two new species of Anomaloglossus from Roraima State, Brazil, that are likely endemic to single mountains currently isolated among lowland forest and savanna ecosystems. The first species, Anomaloglossus tepequem sp. nov. was collected in 1986 and 1992 along a single stream at >500 m elevation on a tepui-like mountain named Tepequém, but was not detected during recent investigations. It is mainly diagnosed from other Anomaloglossus species by its well developed foot webbing, immaculate cream abdomen colouration and small body size (males: 18.2-20.1 mm, females: 21.7-24.5). The second species, Anomaloglossus apiau sp. nov. was found along several streams between 500 and 1400 m elevation on Serra do Apiaú, and is mainly diagnosed from congeners by its weakly webbed feet, males with swollen third finger and ventrolateral stripe formed by white dots, and its advertisement call; a long trill (up to almost 40 s) consisting of pairs of very short pulses. The discovery of these two apparently microendemic species suggests that additional Anomaloglossus species remain to be described in the Guiana Shield. Both species should be considered critically endangered given their seemingly reduced range size, association with highland habitat, and the anthropogenic pressure they currently face.

A New Species of Frog (Anura: Dicroglossidae) Discovered from the Mega City of Dhaka.

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Howlader, Mohammad Sajid Ali; Nair, Abhilash; Merilä, Juha

2016-01-01

We describe a new species of frog of the genus Zakerana discovered from the urban core of Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Although the new species is morphologically similar to the geographically proximate congeners in the Bangladeshi cricket frog group, we show that it can be distinguished from all congeners on the basis of morphological characters, advertisement calls and variation in two mitochondrial DNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA). Apart from several diagnostic differences in body proportions, the new species differs from other Zakerana species in having a flattened snout (from ventral view) projecting over the lower jaw, and diagnostic trapezoid-shaped red markings on the vocal sac in males. Molecular genetic analyses show that the new species is highly divergent (3.1-20.1% sequence divergence) from all congeneric species, and forms a well-supported clade with its sister species, Zakerana asmati. The discovery of a new amphibian species from the urban core of Dhaka together with several recent descriptions of new amphibian species from Bangladesh may indicate that more amphibian species remain to be discovered from this country.

Molecular cloning and expression patterns of the Vasa gene from Rana nigromaculata (Amphibia: Anura

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Rui Jia

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The Vasa protein is a member of the DEAD (Asp-Glu-Alu-Asp box family of ATP-dependent RNA helicases. The Vasa gene is specifically expressed in germ-line cells of many metazoans and is known to play a critical role in gametogenesis and reproductive regulation. In this paper, we isolate the full length cDNA sequence of the Vasa gene from the frog Rana nigromaculata Hallowell, 1861. The open reading frame (ORF encoding 398 amino acid residues has nine conserved motifs. According to the similarities at the amino acid sequenceythe phylogenetic analysis of Vasa gene was consistent with the evolution relationships from chordates to mammals. Furthermore, the expression pattern analysis of RnVasa mRNA, using the technique of Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR, showed a high level of transcripts in testis, ovary and kidney, whereas little to no signal was detected in other tissues, which suggests that it may play a role during gametogenesis.

Effect of irradiation and cystamine on the secondary induction of cornea in anura larvae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popov, D.V.; Starodubov, S.M.

1977-01-01

Secondary induction of cornea in the transplanted skin has been studied in amphibian larvae after the effect of irradiation and cystamine on the recipients and donors. Comparison of the results obtained with those reported earlier has demonstrated that the irradiated tissue is more responsive to inductive effects than the intact one

Another new species of Phyllodytes (Anura: Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil.

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Orrico, Victor G D; Dias, Iuri R; Marciano, Euvaldo

2018-04-09

A new species of the genus Phyllodytes is described from the State of Bahia, in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Northeastern Brazil. Phyllodytes praeceptor sp. nov. can be differentiated from other species of Phyllodytes by its medium size (SVL 20.7-25.8 mm in males); odontoids moderately developed; vocal sac externally visible; eyes large and prominent; dorsum homogenously cream, except for a few scattered spots and blotches; venter areolate with two parallel, paramedial lines of larger tubercles; few tubercles in the ventral surface of thighs, the largest being the medial one; a large tubercle on the skin around the tibio-tarsal articulation; nuptial pad rounded and moderately expanded.

Metamorfosis del aparato digestivo de larvas carnívoras de Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Leptodactylidae

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Ulloa Kreisel, Zandra E.

2000-12-01

Full Text Available Las larvas carnívoras de Ceratophrys cranwelli presentan un tubo digestivo más corto que la mayoría de las larvas de anuros, tiene 6 veces la longitud del cuerpo del renacuajo y se caracteriza también por tener un estómago larval. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo el determinar el grado de transformaciones en la cavidad bucofaríngea y tubo digestivo en larvas de esta especie durante la metamorfosis y comparar las estructuras digestivas estudiadas en otras especies de Leptodactylidae de la subfamilia Ceratophryinae y especies con otros hábitos alimenticios. Carnivorous larvae from Ceratophrys cranwelli present a digestive tube shorter than most of the anuran larvae, have 6 times a tadpole’s body length and they are also characterized by the presence of a larval stomach. The aim of this work is determine the grade of transformations in the buccopharyngeal cavity and digestive tube during the metamorphosis in larvae of this species and compare the digestive structures studied in other species of Leptodactylidae of the subfamily Ceratophryinae and another species with different diets.

Toxic effects of carbaryl on the histology of testes of Bufotes variabilis (Anura: Bufonidae

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Ozlem Cakici

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to investigate histopathologic effects of carbaryl on the testes of adult toad, Bufotes variabilis. To that end, animals were exposed to carbaryl once by oral gavage (low dose: 50 µg/g, medium dose: 100 µg/g and high dose: 200 µg/g. After 96 h, toads were euthanized. In low-dose group, some seminiferous tubules lost their regular shape. Also, the enlargement of interstitial spaces among tubules and germ cell necrosis were determined. A weak hemorrhage was observed among some tubules. In medium-dose group, germ cell necrosis was detected in many seminiferous tubules. This time, a weak hemorrhage was detected within tubules. In the high dose group, an increase in the number of disorganized tubules were observed. Vacuolization and necrosis in germ cells of seminiferous tubules were frequently seen. According to these findings, carbaryl caused dose-related histopathological damage in testis of B. variabilis. Based on these findings, this study clearly shows that carbaryl affects male fertility in B. variabilis.

Uma nova espécie de Hylodes Fitzinger da Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais, Brasil (Anura: Hylodidae A new species of Hylodes Fitzinger from Serra da Mantiqueira, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil (Anura: Hylodidae

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Hélio R. da Silva

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Descrevemos uma nova espécie de Hylodes da Serra Negra, Município de Santa Bárbara do Monte Verde, Minas Gerais, sudeste do Brasil. A nova espécie pertence ao grupo Hylodes lateristrigatus, apresentando as seguintes características distintivas: corpo pequeno, focinho truncado em vistas dorsal e lateral, escudos da superfície dorsal dos discos dos dedos pouco desenvolvidos, superfície dorsal do corpo e coxas marrom-oliváceo com manchas escuras no dorso e listras nas patas traseiras. A nova espécie se distingue das demais do grupo pelo número de notas e características físicas do canto de anúncio e por vocalizar tanto de dia quanto à noite. Este é o primeiro registro de vocalização noturna para o gênero. Apresentamos descrições da vocalização e informações sobre a história natural da nova espécie. Discutimos a distribuição das espécies do gênero Hylodes, em relação às principais serras do leste do Brasil e seus sistemas de drenagem atuais.We describe a new species of Hylodes Fitzinger, 1826 from Serra Negra, Municipality of Santa Bárbara do Monte Verde, State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The new species is a member of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group, characterized by the following combination of traits: small size, snout truncated in dorsal and in lateral views, upper surface of finger discs without well developed scutes, dorsum and dorsal portion of thigh light olive-brown with dark blotches, and dark stripes in the thighs. The new species is distinguishable from the other species of the group by details of the advertisement call, and because it's the first species registered for the genus that besides calling during the day, also calls at night. This is the first record of nocturnal call for the genus. Descriptions of vocalizations and information on natural history are provided. We also present a discussion on a possible patter of distribution of the genus relating to the highlands and today's drainage systems.

The morphology and attachment of Protopolystoma xenopodis (Monogenea: Polystomatidae infecting the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis

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Theunissen Maxine

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The African clawed frog Xenopus laevis (Anura: Pipidae is host to more than 25 parasite genera encompassing most of the parasitic invertebrate groups. Protopolystoma xenopodis Price, 1943 (Monogenea: Polystomatidae is one of two monogeneans infecting X. laevis. This study focussed on the external morphology of different developmental stages using scanning electron microscopy, histology and light microscopy. Eggs are released continuously and are washed out when the frog urinates. After successful development, an active swimming oncomiracidium leaves the egg capsule and locates a potential post-metamorphic clawed frog. The oncomiracidium migrates to the kidney where it attaches and starts to feed on blood. The parasite then migrates to the urinary bladder where it reaches maturity. Eggs are fusiform, about 300 μm long, with a smooth surface and are operculated. Oncomiracidia are elongated and cylindrical in shape, with an oval posterior cup-shaped haptor that bears a total of 20 sclerites; 16 marginal hooklets used for attachment to the kidney of the host and two pairs of hamulus primordia. Cilia from the 64 ciliated cells enable the oncomiracidium to swim for up to 24 h when the cilia subsequently curl up, become non-functional and are shed from the body. The tegument between the ciliated cells bears a series of sensory papillae. The body of the mature parasite is elongated and pyriform and possesses an opisthaptor armed with three pairs of suckers and two pairs of falciform hooks to ensure a firm grip on the flexible internal surface of the urinary bladder.

Ecology of a stream from upper Paraná River basin inhabited by Aspidoras fuscoguttatus Nijssen & Isbrüker, 1976 (Siluriformes, Callichthyidae

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R. B. de Araujo

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Most information on catfishes of the genus Aspidoras has focused species kept in aquaria, in non-natural conditions. Biotic and abiotic parameters of environment inhabited by Aspidoras fuscoguttatus, associated ichthyofauna, as well as strategies involved in the successful occupation of different microhabitats in a first order stream, located in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, were investigated. Data collection was monthly performed at three segments (headwaters, middle course, and mouth from August 1999 to July 2000. The greatest values of water temperature, conductivity, turbidity, alkalinity, width, depth, and current velocity were obtained in the rainy season. Dissolved oxygen levels showed significant differences among three segments in all sampling months, except for September. Substrate composition was predominantly sandy, followed by silt and clay in middle course and mouth in rainy as much as in dry seasons. In headwaters a large increase of the sandy fraction occurred in the rainy season. In the marginal and aquatic vegetation 30 species of macrophytes and 5 of macroalgae were identified. The fauna included tadpoles of Anura and macroinvertebrates (Mollusca, Crustacea, Arachnida, and 8 orders of Insecta. A. fuscoguttatus was found throughout the entire stream in sympatry with 6 fish species. In middle course, cluster analysis revealed an association between A. fuscoguttatus immatures and low depth, suggesting a probable function of depth in that stage of ontogenetic development of catfishes. The results indicate that A. fuscoguttatus present plasticity in terms of microhabitat, including air breathing behavior in hypoxic conditions, previously unknown in genus Aspidoras.

Thal and technologies for fodder production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Z.; Ahmad, M.; Haqqanni, A.M.

2005-01-01

The climate of the study area is arid and semi-arid subtropical, characterized by high summer- temperature (1200 F) with hot dry winds, frequent dust-storms and torrential and erratic rains. Winter is mild, with cold nights having temperature 320 F. The fodder tree species in arid and semi-arid regions are a valuable resource of feeding livestock in these regions during the lean periods of both winter and summer seasons. Fodder trees are properly looked after, not only for their usefulness for fuel and furniture, etc., but good environment would improve the quality of life, along with manifold higher fodder- production for animals. Fodder trees should be lopped only when they are about two to three meters in height and branches more than 7.5 cm thick should not be lopped. Lopping of the whole tree, as usually practiced, is injurious to trees and affects their vigor. Lopping cycle should be such that we get new leaves at the desired time of the year. It is recommended that; (i) proven grass-species, like Cenchrus ciliaris, Lasiurus sindicus, Pennisetum orientale and Panicum antidotale, be introduced in Thai, (ii) the improved varieties of some fodder-crops like oats, berseem, lucerne, sorghum sudan grass hybrid and mott grass being multicut (would cover the scarcity periods) can be introduced in the irrigated areas and (iii) the trees and shrub-species, such as Acacia tortilis, Zizyphus nummularia, Acacia anura, Prosopis cineraria, Acacia nilotica, Tacomella undulate, Zizyphus mauritiana, Calligonum polygonoides, Tamarax aphylla and Albizia lebbeck, can be propagated and promoted in Thai desert. (author)

Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary

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Feng, Yan-Jie; Liang, Dan; Hillis, David M.; Cannatella, David C.; Zhang, Peng

2017-01-01

Frogs (Anura) are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates and comprise nearly 90% of living amphibian species. Their worldwide distribution and diverse biology make them well-suited for assessing fundamental questions in evolution, ecology, and conservation. However, despite their scientific importance, the evolutionary history and tempo of frog diversification remain poorly understood. By using a molecular dataset of unprecedented size, including 88-kb characters from 95 nuclear genes of 156 frog species, in conjunction with 20 fossil-based calibrations, our analyses result in the most strongly supported phylogeny of all major frog lineages and provide a timescale of frog evolution that suggests much younger divergence times than suggested by earlier studies. Unexpectedly, our divergence-time analyses show that three species-rich clades (Hyloidea, Microhylidae, and Natatanura), which together comprise ∼88% of extant anuran species, simultaneously underwent rapid diversification at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary (KPB). Moreover, anuran families and subfamilies containing arboreal species originated near or after the KPB. These results suggest that the K–Pg mass extinction may have triggered explosive radiations of frogs by creating new ecological opportunities. This phylogeny also reveals relationships such as Microhylidae being sister to all other ranoid frogs and African continental lineages of Natatanura forming a clade that is sister to a clade of Eurasian, Indian, Melanesian, and Malagasy lineages. Biogeographical analyses suggest that the ancestral area of modern frogs was Africa, and their current distribution is largely associated with the breakup of Pangaea and subsequent Gondwanan fragmentation. PMID:28673970

Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yan-Jie; Blackburn, David C; Liang, Dan; Hillis, David M; Wake, David B; Cannatella, David C; Zhang, Peng

2017-07-18

Frogs (Anura) are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates and comprise nearly 90% of living amphibian species. Their worldwide distribution and diverse biology make them well-suited for assessing fundamental questions in evolution, ecology, and conservation. However, despite their scientific importance, the evolutionary history and tempo of frog diversification remain poorly understood. By using a molecular dataset of unprecedented size, including 88-kb characters from 95 nuclear genes of 156 frog species, in conjunction with 20 fossil-based calibrations, our analyses result in the most strongly supported phylogeny of all major frog lineages and provide a timescale of frog evolution that suggests much younger divergence times than suggested by earlier studies. Unexpectedly, our divergence-time analyses show that three species-rich clades (Hyloidea, Microhylidae, and Natatanura), which together comprise ∼88% of extant anuran species, simultaneously underwent rapid diversification at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary (KPB). Moreover, anuran families and subfamilies containing arboreal species originated near or after the KPB. These results suggest that the K-Pg mass extinction may have triggered explosive radiations of frogs by creating new ecological opportunities. This phylogeny also reveals relationships such as Microhylidae being sister to all other ranoid frogs and African continental lineages of Natatanura forming a clade that is sister to a clade of Eurasian, Indian, Melanesian, and Malagasy lineages. Biogeographical analyses suggest that the ancestral area of modern frogs was Africa, and their current distribution is largely associated with the breakup of Pangaea and subsequent Gondwanan fragmentation.

Schellackia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae of the brazilian tree-frog, Phrynohyas venulosa (Amphibia: Anura from Amazonian Brazil

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I. Paperna

1995-10-01

Full Text Available Endogenous stages of a Schellackia species are described in histological sections of the intestine of the tree-frog, Phrynohyas venulosa, from North Brazil. Most oocysts sporulate within the epithelial cells of the gut, but a few were detected in the lamina propria.

Leech presence on Iberian Brown Frog, Rana iberica, (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae from north-western Spain

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César Ayres

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The authors describe a case of parasitism on Rana iberica by two species of leeches, Batracobdella sp. and Hirudo medicinalis, in a mountainous area of north-western Spain. Conservation implications of high parasite load on small and isolated populations are discussed.

Molecular organization and chromosomal localization of 5S rDNA in Amazonian Engystomops (Anura, Leiuperidae).

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Rodrigues, Débora Silva; Rivera, Miryan; Lourenço, Luciana Bolsoni

2012-03-20

For anurans, knowledge of 5S rDNA is scarce. For Engystomops species, chromosomal homeologies are difficult to recognize due to the high level of inter- and intraspecific cytogenetic variation. In an attempt to better compare the karyotypes of the Amazonian species Engystomops freibergi and Engystomops petersi, and to extend the knowledge of 5S rDNA organization in anurans, the 5S rDNA sequences of Amazonian Engystomops species were isolated, characterized, and mapped. Two types of 5S rDNA, which were readily differentiated by their NTS (non-transcribed spacer) sizes and compositions, were isolated from specimens of E. freibergi from Brazil and E. petersi from two Ecuadorian localities (Puyo and Yasuní). In the E. freibergi karyotypes, the entire type I 5S rDNA repeating unit hybridized to the pericentromeric region of 3p, whereas the entire type II 5S rDNA repeating unit mapped to the distal region of 6q, suggesting a differential localization of these sequences. The type I NTS probe clearly detected the 3p pericentromeric region in the karyotypes of E. freibergi and E. petersi from Puyo and the 5p pericentromeric region in the karyotype of E. petersi from Yasuní, but no distal or interstitial signals were observed. Interestingly, this probe also detected many centromeric regions in the three karyotypes, suggesting the presence of a satellite DNA family derived from 5S rDNA. The type II NTS probe detected only distal 6q regions in the three karyotypes, corroborating the differential distribution of the two types of 5S rDNA. Because the 5S rDNA types found in Engystomops are related to those of Physalaemus with respect to their nucleotide sequences and chromosomal locations, their origin likely preceded the evolutionary divergence of these genera. In addition, our data indicated homeology between Chromosome 5 in E. petersi from Yasuní and Chromosomes 3 in E. freibergi and E. petersi from Puyo. In addition, the chromosomal location of the type II 5S rDNA corroborates the hypothesis that the Chromosomes 6 of E. petersi and E. freibergi are homeologous despite the great differences observed between the karyotypes of the Yasuní specimens and the others.

New material of Beelzebufo, a hyperossified frog (Amphibia: Anura from the late cretaceous of Madagascar.

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Susan E Evans

Full Text Available The extant anuran fauna of Madagascar is exceptionally rich and almost completely endemic. In recent years, many new species have been described and understanding of the history and relationships of this fauna has been greatly advanced by molecular studies, but very little is known of the fossil history of frogs on the island. Beelzebufo ampinga, the first named pre-Holocene frog from Madagascar, was described in 2008 on the basis of numerous disarticulated cranial and postcranial elements from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian Maevarano Formation of Madagascar. These specimens documented the presence of a hyperossified taxon that differed strikingly from extant Malagasy frogs in its large size and heavy coarse cranial exostosis. Here we describe and analyse new, articulated, and more complete material of the skull, vertebral column, and hind limb, as well as additional isolated elements discovered since 2008. μCT scans allow a detailed understanding of both internal and external morphology and permit a more accurate reconstruction. The new material shows Beelzebufo to have been even more bizarre than originally interpreted, with large posterolateral skull flanges and sculptured vertebral spine tables. The apparent absence of a tympanic membrane, the strong cranial exostosis, and vertebral morphology suggest it may have burrowed during seasonally arid conditions, which have been interpreted for the Maevarano Formation from independent sedimentological and taphonomic evidence. New phylogenetic analyses, incorporating both morphological and molecular data, continue to place Beelzebufo with hyloid rather than ranoid frogs. Within Hyloidea, Beelzebufo still groups with the South American Ceratophryidae thus continuing to pose difficulties with both biogeographic interpretations and prior molecular divergence dates.

The Euro-American genus Eopelobates, and a re-definition of the family Pelobatidae (Amphibia, Anura)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roček, Zbyněk; Wuttke, M.; Gardner, J. D.; Bhullar, B.-A. S.

2014-01-01

Roč. 94, č. 4 (2014), s. 529-567 ISSN 1867-1594 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Eopelobates * fossoriality * Green River * formation * palaeobiogeography * Pelobates * Pelobatidae Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

A new species of the genus Scutiger (Anura: Megophryidae) from Medog of southeastern Tibet, China

Science.gov (United States)

JIANG, Ke; WANG, Kai; ZOU, Da-Hu; YAN, Fang; LI, Pi-Peng; CHE, Jing

2016-01-01

A new species of Scutiger Theobald, 1868 is described from Medog, southeastern Tibet, China, based on morphological and molecular data. The new species was previously identified as Scutiger nyingchiensis, but it can be differentiated from the latter and all other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) medium adult body size, SVL 50.5-55.6 mm in males and 53.8-57.2 mm in females; (2) maxillary teeth absent; (3) web rudimentary between toes; (4) prominent, conical-shaped tubercles on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body and limbs; (5) tubercles covered by black spines in both sexes in breeding condition; (6) a pair of pectoral glands and a pair of axillary glands present and covered by black spines in males in breeding condition, width of axillary gland less than 50% of pectoral gland; (7) nuptial spines present on dorsal surface of first and second fingers, and inner side of third finger in males in breeding condition; (8) spines absent on the abdominal region; (9) vocal sac absent. In addition, the distribution and conservation status of the new species are also discussed. PMID:26828031

The first report of Cosmocerca parva (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae from Colostethus fraterdanieli (Anura: Dendrobatidae in Colombia

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Sandra M. Sánchez

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We discovered the nematode parasite, Cosmocerca parva, in C. fraterdanieli; this is the first record of this nematode species inColombia and C. fraterdanieli is a novel host of C. parva.

A new species of Melanophryniscus (Anura, Bufonidae from the Campos Gerais region of Southern Brazil

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Giovanna C. Steinbach-Padilha

2008-12-01

Full Text Available A new species of Melanophryniscus is described from the Parque Estadual de Vila Velha, municipality of Ponta Grossa, Paraná State,Southern Brazil. The Parque Estadual de Vila Velha is located in the Campos Gerais region, an environment dominated by natural grasslands with patches of Araucaria Forest. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by its small size (12.8-14.0 mm snout-vent length in adult males and unique color pattern of copper brown dorsum covered with small spinulose black warts; ventral surface black finely spotted with white, posterior abdomen and ventral surfaces of the forearm, hand and foot with red stains. The new species is nocturnal and breeds in the water accumulated in the leaf-axils of phytotelmata.

Temporal and spatial changes in the diet of Hyla pulchella (Anura, Hylidae in southern Uruguay

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Inés da Rosa

2004-12-01

Full Text Available In this article we report the diet of a population of the hylid frogHyla pulchella from southeastern Uruguay. We collected the specimens in ponds, where we identified microenvironments defined by the invertebrate assemblage, during one year divided into two seasons (warm and cold. We taxonomically determined 10365 invertebrates belonging to 21 categories in the digestive tracts of frogs. Weestimated the diversity of the diet and alimentary preference according to microenvironments and seasons. We estimated the expected richness of both diet and prey availability using a null model based on the hypergeometric distribution. We performed Discriminant Analyses and Kruskal-Wallis tests to detect changes in prey availability among microenvironments and between seasons. The overall diet in terms of frequencies was composed primarily of arthropods (mainly Araneae, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera and in terms of volume, by larvae. The most relevantitems to study the microenvironmental and seasonal variation in the available preys were Araneae, Collembola, Homoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Dictioptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and larvae. Based on the null model curves and preference indexes we inferred positive selection by larvae, Isopoda, Dictioptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera, and negative selection by Collembola and Hymenoptera. The diversityof diet and the null model curves indicated that the diet changes among microenvironments and seasons. This frog may be considered as a middle generalist predator, with some selective behavior and a combined search strategy (active and sit-and-wait. We conclude that the knowledge about the availability of preys is a relevant tool for trophic studies.

Indirana chiravasi, a new species of Leaping Frog (Anura: Ranixalidae from Western Ghats of India

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A.D. Padhye

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Indirana chiravasi, a new species of leaping frog is described from the northern Western Ghats around Amboli, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India. It differs from all its congeners based on a combination of characters including presence of median single internal vocal sac, head longer than wide, distinct canthus rostralis, tympanum 2/3rd to 3/4th the diameter of eye, vomerine teeth in two oblique series at the posterior border of choanae, long midventral lingual papilla, first finger longer than or equal to second, presence of double outer palmer tubercle, thin and elongated inner metatarsal tubercle, absence of outer metatarsal tubercle, webbing moderate, dorsal skin with glandular folds but without warts, ventral skin smooth without mottling and palms and soles dark brown. Molecular analysis based on mitochondrial 12S and 16S genes and nuclear rhodopsin and rag1 genes suggests that the species is genetically distinct from other species for which genetic data is available. Preliminary observations on the development of the species are also provided. We also provide genetic data and images for Indirana gundia collected from the type locality.

Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) with emphasis on relationships among New World genera

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Over the last ten years we have seen great efforts focused on revising amphibian systematics. Phylogenetic reconstructions derived from DNA sequence data have played a central role in these revisionary studies but have typically under-sampled the diverse frog family Microhylidae. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic study focused on expanding previous hypotheses of relationships within this cosmopolitan family. Specifically, we placed an emphasis on assessing relationships among New World genera and those taxa with uncertain phylogenetic affinities (i.e., incertae sedis). Results One mitochondrial and three nuclear genes (about 2.8 kb) were sequenced to assess phylogenetic relationships. We utilized an unprecedented sampling of 200 microhylid taxa representing 91% of currently recognized subfamilies and 95% of New World genera. Our analyses do not fully resolve relationships among subfamilies supporting previous studies that have suggested a rapid early diversification of this clade. We observed a close relationship between Synapturanus and Otophryne of the subfamily Otophryninae. Within the subfamily Gastrophryninae relationships between genera were well resolved. Conclusion Otophryninae is distantly related to all other New World microhylids that were recovered as a monophyletic group, Gastrophryninae. Within Gastrophryninae, five genera were recovered as non-monophyletic; we propose taxonomic re-arrangements to render all genera monophyletic. This hypothesis of relationships and updated classification for New World microhylids may serve as a guide to better understand the evolutionary history of this group that is apparently subject to convergent morphological evolution and chromosome reduction. Based on a divergence analysis calibrated with hypotheses from previous studies and fossil data, it appears that microhylid genera inhabiting the New World originated during a period of gradual cooling from the late Oligocene to mid Miocene. PMID:23228209

Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae with emphasis on relationships among New World genera

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de Sá Rafael O

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Over the last ten years we have seen great efforts focused on revising amphibian systematics. Phylogenetic reconstructions derived from DNA sequence data have played a central role in these revisionary studies but have typically under-sampled the diverse frog family Microhylidae. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic study focused on expanding previous hypotheses of relationships within this cosmopolitan family. Specifically, we placed an emphasis on assessing relationships among New World genera and those taxa with uncertain phylogenetic affinities (i.e., incertae sedis. Results One mitochondrial and three nuclear genes (about 2.8 kb were sequenced to assess phylogenetic relationships. We utilized an unprecedented sampling of 200 microhylid taxa representing 91% of currently recognized subfamilies and 95% of New World genera. Our analyses do not fully resolve relationships among subfamilies supporting previous studies that have suggested a rapid early diversification of this clade. We observed a close relationship between Synapturanus and Otophryne of the subfamily Otophryninae. Within the subfamily Gastrophryninae relationships between genera were well resolved. Conclusion Otophryninae is distantly related to all other New World microhylids that were recovered as a monophyletic group, Gastrophryninae. Within Gastrophryninae, five genera were recovered as non-monophyletic; we propose taxonomic re-arrangements to render all genera monophyletic. This hypothesis of relationships and updated classification for New World microhylids may serve as a guide to better understand the evolutionary history of this group that is apparently subject to convergent morphological evolution and chromosome reduction. Based on a divergence analysis calibrated with hypotheses from previous studies and fossil data, it appears that microhylid genera inhabiting the New World originated during a period of gradual cooling from the late Oligocene to mid Miocene.

Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) with emphasis on relationships among New World genera.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sá, Rafael O; Streicher, Jeffrey W; Sekonyela, Relebohile; Forlani, Mauricio C; Loader, Simon P; Greenbaum, Eli; Richards, Stephen; Haddad, Célio F B

2012-12-10

Over the last ten years we have seen great efforts focused on revising amphibian systematics. Phylogenetic reconstructions derived from DNA sequence data have played a central role in these revisionary studies but have typically under-sampled the diverse frog family Microhylidae. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic study focused on expanding previous hypotheses of relationships within this cosmopolitan family. Specifically, we placed an emphasis on assessing relationships among New World genera and those taxa with uncertain phylogenetic affinities (i.e., incertae sedis). One mitochondrial and three nuclear genes (about 2.8 kb) were sequenced to assess phylogenetic relationships. We utilized an unprecedented sampling of 200 microhylid taxa representing 91% of currently recognized subfamilies and 95% of New World genera. Our analyses do not fully resolve relationships among subfamilies supporting previous studies that have suggested a rapid early diversification of this clade. We observed a close relationship between Synapturanus and Otophryne of the subfamily Otophryninae. Within the subfamily Gastrophryninae relationships between genera were well resolved. Otophryninae is distantly related to all other New World microhylids that were recovered as a monophyletic group, Gastrophryninae. Within Gastrophryninae, five genera were recovered as non-monophyletic; we propose taxonomic re-arrangements to render all genera monophyletic. This hypothesis of relationships and updated classification for New World microhylids may serve as a guide to better understand the evolutionary history of this group that is apparently subject to convergent morphological evolution and chromosome reduction. Based on a divergence analysis calibrated with hypotheses from previous studies and fossil data, it appears that microhylid genera inhabiting the New World originated during a period of gradual cooling from the late Oligocene to mid Miocene.

Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) with emphasis on relationships among New World genera

OpenAIRE

de S?, Rafael O; Streicher, Jeffrey W; Sekonyela, Relebohile; Forlani, Mauricio C; Loader, Simon P; Greenbaum, Eli; Richards, Stephen; Haddad, C?lio F B

2012-01-01

Abstract Background Over the last ten years we have seen great efforts focused on revising amphibian systematics. Phylogenetic reconstructions derived from DNA sequence data have played a central role in these revisionary studies but have typically under-sampled the diverse frog family Microhylidae. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic study focused on expanding previous hypotheses of relationships within this cosmopolitan family. Specifically, we placed an emphasis on assessing relations...

Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) with emphasis on relationships among New World genera

OpenAIRE

de Sá R. O Streicher J. W. Sekonyela R. Forlani M. C. Loader S. P. Greenbaum E. Richards

2012-01-01

Abstract Background Over the last ten years we have seen great efforts focused on revising amphibian systematics. Phylogenetic reconstructions derived from DNA sequence data have played a central role in these revisionary studies but have typically under sampled the diverse frog family Microhylidae. Here we present a detailed phylogenetic study focused on expanding previous hypotheses of relationships within this cosmopolitan family. Specifically we placed an emphasis on assessing relationshi...

Molecular cloning and analysis of Myc modulator 1 (Mm-1 from Bufo gargarizans (Amphibia: Anura

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Ning Wang

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The protein of Myc modulator 1 (Mm-1 has been reported to repress the transcriptional activity of the proto-oncogene c-Myc in humans. Moreover, it was shown to be the subunit 5 of human prefoldin (PFD. So far, this gene and its homologs have been isolated and sequenced in many organisms, such as mammals and fish, but has not been sequenced for any amphibian or reptile. In order to better understand the function and evolution of Mm-1, we isolated a full-length Mm-1 cDNA (BgMm-1, GenBank accession no. EF211947 from Bufo gargarizans (Cantor, 1842 using RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. Mm-1 in B. gargarizans is 755 bp long, comprising an open reading frame (ORF of 459 bp encoding 152 amino acids. The amino acid sequence had a prefoldin α-like domain, partially including a typical putative leucine zipper motif. BgMm-1 showed high similarity to its homolog of Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 (82% and Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 MM-1 isoform a (81% at the amino acid level. The protein secondary structure modeled with the SWISS MODEL server revealed that there were two α-helices and four b-strands in BgMm-1 as its human orthologue, and both proteins belonged to the a class of PFD family. The phylogenetic relationships of Mm-1s from lower archaea to high mammals was consistent with the evolution of species, meanwhile the cluster result was consistent with the multiple alignment and the sequence identity analysis. RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that BgMm-1 expressed widely in ten tissues of adult toad. These results can be helpful for the further investigation on the evolution of Mm-1.

Diversity and biogeography of frogs in the genus Amnirana (Anura: Ranidae) across sub-Saharan Africa.

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Jongsma, Gregory F M; Barej, Michael F; Barratt, Christopher D; Burger, Marius; Conradie, Werner; Ernst, Raffael; Greenbaum, Eli; Hirschfeld, Mareike; Leaché, Adam D; Penner, Johannes; Portik, Daniel M; Zassi-Boulou, Ange-Ghislain; Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Blackburn, David C

2018-03-01

Frogs in the genus Amnirana (family Ranidae) are widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa and present a model system for exploring the relationship between diversification and geography across the continent. Using multiple loci from the mitochondrial (16S) and nuclear genomes (DISP2, FICD, KIAA2013, REV3L), we generated a strongly supported species-level phylogeny that provides insights into the continental biogeography of African species of Amnirana, which form a monophyletic group within the genus. Species delimitation analyses suggest that there may be as many as seven additional species of Amnirana in Africa. The biogeographic history of Amnirana is marked by several dispersal and vicariance events, including dispersal from the Lower Guinean Forest into the Congo Basin. In addition, phylogeographic patterns within two widespread species, A. albolabris and A. galamensis, reveal undescribed cryptic diversity. Populations assigned to A. albolabris in western Africa are more closely related to A. fonensis and require recognition as a distinct species. Our analyses reveal that the Lower and Upper Guinean Forest regions served as important centers of interspecific and intraspecific diversifications for Amnirana. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Larval morphology and advertisement call of Phyllodytes acuminatus Bokermann, 1966 (Anura: Hylidae) from Northeastern Brazil.

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Campos, Thamires F; De Lima, Marcelo G; Do Nascimento, Filipe Augusto C; Dos Santos, Ednilza M

2014-03-13

This paper describes the tadpole and advertisement call of Phyllodytes acuminatus, based on specimens from the Parque Nacional do Catimbau, in the municipality of Buíque, State of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. The overall morphology of P. acuminatus tadpole is similar to that of most species of the genus. The presence of a double row of marginal papillae surrounding all the oral apparatus (except on most of the upper labium which has a dorsal gap) was a characteristic that differentiate P. acuminatus from the other species of the genus. Furthermore, the call structure of the species (unpulsed notes with harmonic structure) fits it in the group composed of P. kautskyi and P. melanomystax.

ALIMENTACIÓN DE BUFO MARINUS (LINNAEUS, 1758 (BUFONIDAE: ANURA, EN UNA LOCALIDAD DE SUCRE, COLOMBIA

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Sampedro Alcides

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Se realizaron recolectas nocturnas de Bufo marinus en una localidad del departamento de Sucre. Se recolectaron 197 ejemplares, de los cuales 128 fueron hembras y 69 machos. Los ejemplares fueron medidos y pesados y se les practicó una disección para extraer el estómago y determinar aspectos cualitativos (tipo de presas y cuantitativos (número y tamaño de presas. Insectos del orden Hymenoptera fueron las presas de mayor importancia. Los individuos de mayor tamaño ingieren presas más grandes y en menor cantidad mientras que los de menor talla, presas pequeñas, pero en mayor cantidad. La proporción del peso del contenido estomacal en relación con el peso corporal, tanto para hembras como para machos fue similar (6%. Esta especie no parece representar un peligro para la fauna nativa en el departamento de Sucre.

Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea Carus, 1863: Distribution extension in Argentina and new Anura and Ophidia hosts

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Lunaschi, L. I.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to increase the knowledge on the diversity of digenean parasites in ophidians andanurans from northeastern Argentina. Specimens of the snakes Eunectes notaeus, Hydrodynastes gigas, Micrurus corallinus,Philodryas sp. and Sibynomorphus sp., and the anurans Rhinella schneideri, Phyllomedusa azurea and Leptodactylus latranswere examined. Twelve digenean species were identified: Catadiscus corderoi Mañé-Garzón, 1958, Catadiscus dolichocotyle(Cohn, 1903, Catadiscus uruguayensis Freitas & Lent, 1939, Choledocystus elegans (Travassos, 1926, Gorgoderina parvicavaTravassos, 1922, Haplometroides buccicola Odhner, 1911, Heterodiplostomum lanceolatum Dubois, 1936, Infidum similisTravassos, 1916, Mesocoelium monas (Rudolphi, 1819, Plagiorchis luehei (Travassos, 1927, Telorchis clava (Diesing, 1850and Travtrema stenocotyle (Cohn, 1902. New host species and/or new locality records from Argentina are presented.

A new species of Cardioglossa (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Upper Guinean forests of West Africa

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Blackburn, D.C.; Kosuch, J.; Schmitz, A.; Burger, M.; Wagner, P.; Gonwouo, N.L.; Hillers, A.; Rödel, M.-O.

2008-01-01

We describe a new frog species of the genus Cardioglossa from the Upper Guinean forests of West Africa. Cardioglossa occidentalis, new species, is found in primary rainforests in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. We demonstrate that this species is morphologically and

Composition and age structure of the Pelophylax esculentus complex (Anura; Ranidae) population in inland Croatia

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Čavlovič, K.; Buj, I.; Karaica, D.; Jelič, D.; Choleva, Lukáš

2018-01-01

Roč. 54, č. 1 (2018), s. 11-20 ISSN 0036-3375 R&D Projects: GA ČR GJ15-19947Y Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : hybridogenesis * population composition * allozyme markers Subject RIV: EG - Zoology OBOR OECD: Zoology Impact factor: 1.250, year: 2016

Los cromosomas meióticos de la rana arborícola Smilisca baudinii (Anura: Hylidae

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Javier Hernández-Guzmán

2011-03-01

Full Text Available La rana arborícola mexicana Smilisca baudinii, es una especie de rana común en Centroamérica. Sin embargo, la biología y genética de la especie, es pobremente conocida a pesar de su importancia para mantener en equilibrio ecológico las selvas tropicales. Con el propósito de contribuir con el conocimiento biológico de esta especie, establecimos el cariotipo típico en meiosis en especímenes recolectados en Tabasco, México, mediante procedimientos citogenéticos estándares. El estudio, se fundamentó en el análisis de 131 dispersiones cromosómicas en estadio meiótico de dos adultos de la especie (una hembra y un macho. El análisis de las metafases, permitió establecer el número modal haploide de 1n=12 cromosomas bivalentes. La fórmula cromosómica del cariotipo haploide, se integró por 12 cromosomas birrámeos caracterizado por 12 pares de cromosomas bivalentes metacéntricos-submetacéntricos (msm. Los conteos en meiosis, hacen suponer como número diploide de cromosomas a un complemento integrado por 2n=24 cromosomas birrámeos. No fue posible observar presencia de cromosomas sexuales, entre las dispersiones meióticas del espécimen hembra y macho. Los resultados sugieren que la estructura cromosómica de S. baudinii, es compartida ampliamente entre las especies de la familia Hylidae y los cromosomas "B" son estructuras importantes en la diversificación de las especies.

Genomic effects on advertisement call structure in diploid and triploid hybrid waterfrogs (Anura, Pelophylax esculentus).

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Hoffmann, Alexandra; Reyer, Heinz-Ulrich

2013-12-04

In anurans, differences in male mating calls have intensively been studied with respect to taxonomic classification, phylogeographic comparisons among different populations and sexual selection. Although overall successful, there is often much unexplained variation in these studies. Potential causes for such variation include differences among genotypes and breeding systems, as well as differences between populations. We investigated how these three factors affect call properties in male water frogs of Pelophylax lessonae (genotype LL), P. ridibundus (RR) and their interspecific hybrid P. esculentus which comes in diploid (LR) and triploid types (LLR, LRR). We investigated five call parameters that all showed a genomic dosage effect, i.e. they either decreased or increased with the L/R ratio in the order LL-LLR-LR-LRR-RR. Not all parameters differentiated equally well between the five genotypes, but combined they provided a good separation. Two of the five call parameters were also affected by the breeding system. Calls of diploid LR males varied, depending on whether these males mated with one or both of the parental species (diploid systems) or triploid hybrids (mixed ploidy systems). With the exception of the northernmost mixed-ploidy population, call differences were not related to the geographic location of the population and they were not correlated with genetic distances in the R and L genomes. We found an influence of all three tested factors on call parameters, with the effect size decreasing from genotype through breeding system to geographic location of the population. Overall, results were in line with predictions from a dosage effect in L/R ratios, but in three call parameters all three hybrid types were more similar to one or the other parental species. Also calls of diploid hybrids varied between breeding systems in agreement with the sexual host required for successful reproduction. The lack of hybrid call differences in a mixed-ploidy population at the northern edge of the water frog distribution is likely to be associated with genetic particularities, including a) low genetic variability and/or b) a local loss of genes coding for genotype-dependent call differentiation under conditions where female discrimination between diploid and triploid males is not beneficial.

Reproductive effort and the egg number vs. size trade-off in Physalaemus frogs (Anura: Leiuperidae)

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Camargo, Arley; Sarroca, Macarena; Maneyro, Raúl

2008-09-01

Patterns of reproductive allocation are expected to differ between species according to temporally and spatially variable costs of reproduction. Even when reproductive allocation patterns are the same, species can also differ in how the reproductive effort is allocated between offspring number and size. In this study, we compared the reproductive allocation patterns and the offspring number vs. size trade-off in two frog species, Physalaemus biligonigerus and P. gracilis, using bivariate (standardized major axis) and multiple linear regressions. Both species showed a common slope between body size and reproductive effort and thus a similar allocation pattern although P. biligonigerus has a larger body size (shift along common slope) and makes a lower reproductive effort (shift in intercept) than P. gracilis. We suggest that similar allocation patterns may be related to the shared phenologies of these frogs and that the differences in reproductive effort could represent either an adaptive shift (e.g., change in body space for the clutch) or a historical constraint. There was a negative correlation between fecundity and egg size in P. biligonigerus but not in P. gracilis as predicted by the acquisition-allocation model (Y-model). This study constitutes the first valid test of the Y-model based on recent predictions derived for the trade-off between offspring size vs. number. We conclude that future studies should compare reproductive allocation patterns between species using tests of allometric slopes with appropriate phylogenetic control to detect both adaptive shifts in allocation strategies and correlations with other life-history traits.

Notes on the distribution of the genus Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in Paraguay

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Lavilla, Esteban; Caballero-Gini, Andrea; Bueno-Villafañe, Diego; Cardozo, Darío

2016-01-01

Four species of Pseudopaludicola, Pseudopalud­icola boliviana, P. falcipes, P. mystacalis and P. ternetzi, are usually cited for Paraguay. However, after analyzing 407 specimens assigned to this genus in herpetological collections of the country, we conclude that there are no specimens of P. falcipes in Paraguayan collections or vouchers cited in the literature, and almost all individuals referred to P. ternetzi are most probably P. ameghini. At the same time, a recently described species, P....

Dry-season retreat and dietary shift of the dart-poison frog Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae

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Marga Born

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Seasonal rainfall affects tropical forest dynamics and behaviorof species that are part of these ecosystems. The positive correlation between amphibian activity patterns and rainfall has been demonstrated repeatedly. Members of Dendrobatidae, a clade of Neotropical dart-poison frogs, are well known for their habitat use and behavior during the rainy season, but their behavior during the dry season has received little attention. We studied habitat use and diet of the dendrobatid frog Dendrobates tinctorius in French Guiana during the rainy and dry seasons. Unlike many other dendrobatid frogs, D. tinctorius does not maintain territories for the entire rainy season. Both sexes colonize recently formed canopy-gaps and stay in these forest patches for only a few weeks. The frogs inthese patches consume a great diversity of prey, consisting of ants, beetles, wasps, insect larvae, and mites. During the dry season, frogs move to retreat sites in mature forest, such as palm bracts and tree holes. The frogs are less active and consume fewer prey items in the dry season, and they consume fewer wasps and insect larvae, but more termites. Ants are the most common prey items during both the wet and dry seasons. We discuss the effects of shifts in seasonal habitat use on the territorial behavior of dendrobatid frogs.

The agricultural impact of pesticides on Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles (Amphibia: Anura ascertained by comet assay

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Macks W. Gonçalves

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Amphibians inhabiting agricultural areas are constantly exposed to large amounts of chemicals, which reach the aquatic environment during the rainy season through runoff, drainage, and leaching. We performed a comet assay on the erythrocytes of tadpoles found in the surroundings of agricultural fields (soybean and corn crops, where there is an intense release of several kinds of pesticides in different quantities. We aimed to detect differences in the genotoxic parameters between populations collected from soybeans and cornfields, and between them and tadpoles sampled from non-agricultural areas (control group. Tadpoles collected from ponds located at soybean fields had significantly more DNA damage, followed by tadpoles collected from cornfields. In contrast, animals sampled from non-agricultural areas had the lowest incidence of DNA damage. In addition, we found a negative correlation between the parameters of the comet assay and the area of the ponds surrounding soybean. This correlation indicates a possible dilution effect in the concentration of pesticides. Finally, Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 seems to be a good bioindicator for detecting the genotoxic effects of field agricultural insecticides; therefore, we suggest that this species should be used in environmental biomonitoring studies, since it is common and abundant where it occurs.

Trypanosome transmission by Corethrella wirthi (Diptera: Chaoboridae) to the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea (Anura: Hylidae).

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Johnson, R N; Young, D G; Butler, J F

1993-09-01

Seventy-two percent of 215 male green tree frog, Hyla cinerea (Schneider), captured in Alachua and Levy counties, FL, between April and mid-September 1978 and 1979 were infected with an undescribed Trypanosoma sp. None of the 31 female frogs captured concurrently was infected. Periodic sampling of the peripheral blood from the infected male frogs showed that the trypanosomes were present in high numbers only at night. Conspecific trypanosomes also were found in the mid and hind guts of female Corethrella wirthi Stone flies collected on or near male frogs in the field. Transmission of the parasite to uninfected frogs was demonstrated by exposure of male and female frogs to naturally infected flies and to parasites injected subdermally. This is the first report of parasite transmission by a species of Corethrella.

Infestación por esparganos en ranas del genero Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae del Perú

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Luis A. Gomez-Puerta

2011-05-01

Full Text Available En el presente estudio, reportamos el parasitismo por esparganos del cestode Spirometra sp. en los anfibios: Pristimantis nephophilus y Pristimantis rhodostichus, provenientes del departamento de San Martin, Perú. Tres estructuras filiformes localizadas a nivel subcutáneo, fueron colectadas e identificadas como esparganos. El hallazgo de este metacestode constituye el primer registro en anfibios del Perú y demuestra que las ranas P. nephophilus y P. rhodostichus son nuevos hospederos intermediarios para Spirometra sp.

A new species of Physalaemus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of Misiones, northeastern Argentina.

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Cardozo, Dario E; Pereyra, Martin O

2018-02-27

A new species of Physalaemus from Misiones province, Argentina, in the Atlantic forest domain is described. The new species is a member of the P. gracilis group, based on its phylogenetic position and the occurrence of a putative morphological synapomorphy (occurrence of an unpigmented median stripe on throat, chest, and/or abdomen). Physalaemus sp. nov. is characterized by a long advertisement call composed of non-pulsed notes with slightly descendant modulation, large size (mean SVL = 32.0 mm males, 34.0 mm females), slender body aspect, head longer than wide, supratympanic fold developed, an unpigmented median stripe on venter, medium sized inguinal glands, tarsal tubercle present, and supernumerary tubercles on hands and feet, which are character states that combined distinguish the new species from all the members of the genus. In this study, we provide its formal description based on external morphology, advertisement call, and 16S genetic distance. In addition, the distribution ranges for the new species and P. gracilis are revisited, the advertisement call of P. gracilis is redescribed, and a discussion about the available names which could be applicable to the new species is provided.

The tadpole of Scinax melanodactylus (Lourenço, Luna & Pombal Jr, 2014) (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae).

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Abreu, Rafael Oliveira De; Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras; Trevisan, Camila Costa; Camardelli, Milena; Dória, Thais Andrade Ferreira; Silva, Lucas Menezes

2015-07-06

Scinax melanodactylus is a small treefrog distributed within the Tropical Atlantic morphoclimatic domain (see Ab'Sáber 1977 for South American morphoclimatic domains), from northern Espírito Santo state to Sergipe state in Brazil (Lourenço et al. 2014). The species is usually found inhabiting herbaceous and shrubby xerophytic vegetation (e.g. terrestrial tank-bromeliads) from sandy plains of beach ridges known in Brazil as Restingas (see Rocha et al. 2007 for a Restinga definition), and also the edge of forest areas with temporary ponds and/or permanent lakes and streams near these environments (Bastazini et al. 2007, as Scinax agilis; Lourenço et al. 2014). Scinax melanodactylus is currently placed in the S. catharinae species group (Lourenço et al. 2014), which in turn is included in the S. catharinae clade (sensu Faivovich et al. 2005). The S. catharinae clade is currently comprised of 46 species, 33 placed in the catharinae group and 13 in the perpusillus group (Faivovich et al. 2010, Silva & Alves-da-Silva 2011, Lourenço et al. 2014, Frost 2015). From these, 32 species have tadpoles with external morphology and oral disc formerly described. Here, we describe the external morphology, oral disc and color patterns of the previously unknown tadpole of S. melanodactylus.

Helminth fauna of Lithobates brownorum (Anura: Ranidae at three localities in the state of Yucatán, Mexico Helmintofauna de Lithobates brownorum (Anura: Ranidae en tres localidades del estado de Yucatán, México

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Carlos A. Yáñez-Arenas

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Between July 2004 and June 2005, 84 specimens of Lithobates brownorum (Sanders, 1973 were collected and examined for helminths. Hosts came from 3 localities in the state of Yucatán, Mexico: Celestún (n= 35, Lagunas de Yalahau (n= 33, and Ría Lagartos (n= 16. Twelve helminth taxa were found: 7 nematodes, 4 digeneans, and 1 acanthocephalan. With the exception of Haematoloechus floedae and Megalodiscus temperatus, all helminth taxa found have a Neotropical distribution. Our results differ from those obtained in previous studies dealing with amphibians in Mexico because we found higher richness and abundance of nematodes than digenean species. The relatively low mean intensity and mean abundance values reached by digenean species in this study may be related to the generalist host diet and with the vagility of frogs (from the aquatic to the terrestrial environment or vice versa.Entre julio del 2004 y junio del 2005, se recolectaron y examinaron 84 ejemplares de Lithobates brownorum (Sanders, 1973 en busca de helmintos en 3 localidades del estado de Yucatán: Celestún (n= 35, Lagunas de Yalahau (n= 33 y Ría Lagartos (n= 16. Los ejemplares estuvieron parasitados por 12 taxa de helmintos, 7 de nematodos, 4 digéneos y 1 acantocefalo. Con excepción de Haematoloechus floedae y Megalodiscus temperatus, todos los taxa presentan distribución neotropical. Nuestros resultados difieren de los obtenidos por otros autores que han reportado más especies de digéneos que de nematodos en este grupo de hospederos. Los bajos valores de intensidad y abundancia media de los digéneos encontrados en este estudio pueden estar relacionados con la amplia dieta del hospedero y la vagilidad que éste presenta entre el medio acuático y el terrestre.

Diet of Rhinella scitula (Anura, Bufonidae in the Cerrado, Brazil: the importance of seasons and body size Dieta de Rhinella scitula (Anura, Bufonidae: la importancia de la variación estacional y la talla corporal

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Franciéle P. Maragno

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study were (1 to analyze the diet of Rhinella scitula in different seasons (dry and rainy, and (2 to examine resource partitioning among sexes and body-size categories. Individuals were collected during active searches along a riverbank in the Serra da Bodoquena National Park, Brazil. Formicidae, followed by Coleoptera and Isoptera, had the highest importance index values for males, females, and all individuals combined. Diet composition was similar between males and females. Larger individuals consumed larger prey, although they fed on small prey as well. Similar-sized individuals had high dietary overlap. Smaller individuals had a diet as broad as larger individuals, although composed of different items. Formicidae was the most common prey item for animals collected in both the dry and rainy seasons, but was more important in the rainy season. During the dry season, R. scitula remained closer to the edge of the water bodies and showed the widest dietary niche, represented by similar importance index values.Los objetivos de este estudio fueron (1, analizar la dieta de Rhinella scitula en 2 estaciones del año y (2, examinar el reparto de recursos entre sexos y entre diferentes categorías de tamaño corporal. Los ejemplares fueron capturados mediante búsqueda visual a lo largo de las orillas de un riachuelo del Parque Nacional da Serra da Bodoquena. Los individuos pertenecientes a los grupos Formicidae, seguidos por Coleoptera e Isoptera fueron las presas con mayores valores de importancia para machos, hembras y para todos los individuos de ambos sexos combinados. No se registraron diferencias entre sexos en la composición de la dieta. Los individuos de mayor tamaño, consumieron presas de mayor volumen, si bien no dejaron de consumir presas pequeñas. La superposición de dieta fue mayor entre individuos pertenecientes a clases de talla próximas. Los sapos de menor tamaño presentaron una dieta tan amplia como los más grandes, si bien su dieta estaba compuesta por ítems diferentes. Aunque predominaron ejemplares del grupo Formicidae en los contenidos estomacales de organismos capturados tanto en el período seco como en el lluvioso, su importancia fue mayor en este último. Durante la estación seca, R. scitula permaneció más próximo al agua y presentó un nicho trófico más amplio.

Variación morfométrica intra e interespecífica entre poblaciones de Odontophrynus (Anura: Cycloramphidae del área central de Argentina Intraand inter-specific morphometric variation between Odontophrynus populations (Anura: Cycloramphidae of central Argentina

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Pablo Raúl Grenat

2012-12-01

Full Text Available El análisis morfométrico ha servido como apoyo para explicar fenómenos ecológicos y evolutivos y para la clasificación de nuevas especies. Nosotros realizamos el análisis morfométrico de dos especies morfológicamente crípticas con el objeto de evaluar el grado de diferenciación intra e interespecífica. Se midieron 15 variables sobre 211 individuos pertenecientes a 18 localidades del centro de Argentina. Se encontró dimorfismo sexual en seis variables morfométricas en Odontophrynus cordobae y en tres variables en O. americanus. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre especies en seis variables. El análisis discriminante incluyendo los individuos de todas las poblaciones relevadas para O. cordobae y O. americanus, mostró una clasificación positiva de los individuos dentro de su respectiva especie del 76.37%. En el análisis discriminante realizado con base en cuatro grupos (O. cordobae alopátrico y sintópico y O. americanus alopátrico y sintópico se obtuvo una reclasificación de los individuos dentro de cada grupo del 73.45%. Las diferencias morfométricas entre especies fueron mayores en sintopía. Los resultados se alejan de los resultados esperados bajo la hipótesis del desplazamiento de caracteres y podrían sugerir que los caracteres morfológicos externos no tendrían una influencia importante en el reconocimiento y elección de machos coespecíficos por parte de las hembrasMorphometric analyses are particularly important, and for many years they have supported evolutionary and ecological phenomena, and have been useful for the classification of new species, mainly to the lowest taxonomic levels. In order to assess the degree of sexual dimorphism, the intra-specific morphometric variation and the inter-specific morphological differences, we performed morphometric analyses of two morphologically cryptic species, Odontophrynus cordobae (diploid and O. americanus (tetraploid. For this, we measured 15 morphometric variables on 211 individuals from 18 localities of Córdoba province. We found sexual dimorphism in six and three parameters in O. cordobae and O. americanus, respectively. Diploid and tetraploid males significantly differed in six morphometric variables. Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA including all populations correctly classified a 76.37% of individuals within their respective species. DFA based on four groups (1- allopatric O. cordobae, 2-syntopic O. cordobae; 3- allopatric O. americanus; 4- syntopic O. americanus accurately classified a 73.45% of individuals within their respective groups. Allopatric individuals of each species and, allopatric and syntopic individuals within each species were clearly segregated. Syntopic individuals of O. cordobae and O. americanus showed the lowest percentages of correct classification. Morphometric differences between sympatric diploids and tetraploids were not greater than those observed in allopatry. These findings deviate from the expected results under the hypothesis of character displacement, and they suggest that external morphological characters would not have a major influence on the recognition and choice of conspecific males by females

A Tandemly Arranged Pattern of Two 5S rDNA Arrays in Amolops mantzorum (Anura, Ranidae).

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Liu, Ting; Song, Menghuan; Xia, Yun; Zeng, Xiaomao

2017-01-01

In an attempt to extend the knowledge of the 5S rDNA organization in anurans, the 5S rDNA sequences of Amolops mantzorum were isolated, characterized, and mapped by FISH. Two forms of 5S rDNA, type I (209 bp) and type II (about 870 bp), were found in specimens investigated from various populations. Both of them contained a 118-bp coding sequence, readily differentiated by their non-transcribed spacer (NTS) sizes and compositions. Four probes (the 5S rDNA coding sequences, the type I NTS, the type II NTS, and the entire type II 5S rDNA sequences) were respectively labeled with TAMRA or digoxigenin to hybridize with mitotic chromosomes for samples of all localities. It turned out that all probes showed the same signals that appeared in every centromeric region and in the telomeric regions of chromosome 5, without differences within or between populations. Obviously, both type I and type II of the 5S rDNA arrays arranged in tandem, which was contrasting with other frogs or fishes recorded to date. More interestingly, all the probes detected centromeric regions in all karyotypes, suggesting the presence of a satellite DNA family derived from 5S rDNA. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A new species of Telmatobius (Amphibia, Anura, Telmatobiidae from the Pacific slopes of the Andes, Peru

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Alessandro Catenazzi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available We describe a new species of Telmatobius from the Pacific slopes of the Andes in central Peru. Specimens were collected at 3900 m elevation near Huaytará, Huancavelica, in the upper drainage of the Pisco river. The new species has a snout–vent length of 52.5 ± 1.1 mm (49.3–55.7 mm, n = 6 in adult females, and 48.5 mm in the single adult male. The new species has bright yellow and orange coloration ventrally and is readily distinguished from all other central Peruvian Andean species of Telmatobius but T. intermedius by having vomerine teeth but lacking premaxillary and maxillary teeth, and by its slender body shape and long legs. The new species differs from T. intermedius by its larger size, flatter head, and the absence of cutaneous keratinized spicules (present even in immature females of T. intermedius, and in males by the presence of minute, densely packed nuptial spines on dorsal and medial surfaces of thumbs (large, sparsely packed nuptial spines in T. intermedius. The hyper-arid coastal valleys of Peru generally support low species richness, particularly for groups such as aquatic breeding amphibians. The discovery of a new species in this environment, and along a major highway crossing the Andes, shows that much remains to be done to document amphibian diversity in Peru.

Scanning electron microscopy of the oral apparatus and buccopharyngeal cavity of Atelognathus salai larvae (Anura, Neobatrachia

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Dinorah D. Echeverría

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to describe the horny structures of the buccal apparatus and buccopharyngeal cavity of A. salai by means ofscanning electron microscopy (SEM, and to compare them to those of the other known species of Atelognathus and related genera.

An elusive new species of Marsupial Frog (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca from the Andes of northern Peru

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William E. Duellman

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A new species of marsupial frog, genus Gastrotheca, is described from high-elevation grasslands in the Andes in Región Amazonas in northernPeru, where even calling males are well hidden in deep moss. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by its unique color pattern that includes a narrow, blackbordered, yellow middorsal stripe. The species apparently belongs to the Gastrotheca plumbea Group, which ranges in the Andes from northern Colombia to northern Peru.

Life in the spray zone – overlooked diversity in West African torrent-frogs (Anura, Odontobatrachidae, Odontobatrachus

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Michael Barej

2015-07-01

Full Text Available West African torrent-frogs of the genus Odontobatrachus currently belong to a single species: Odontobatrachus natator (Boulenger, 1905. Recently, molecular results and biogeographic separation led to the recognition of five Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs thus identifying a species-complex. Based on these insights, morphological analyses on more than 150 adult specimens, covering the entire distribution of the family and all OTUs, were carried out. Despite strong morphological congruence, combinations of morphological characters made the differentiation of OTUs successful and allowed the recognition of five distinct species: Odontobatrachus natator, and four species new to science: Odontobatrachus arndti sp. n., O. fouta sp. n., O. smithi sp. n. and O. ziama sp. n. All species occur in parapatry: Odontobatrachus natator is known from western Guinea to eastern Liberia, O. ziama sp. n. from eastern Guinea, O. smithi sp. n. and O. fouta sp. n. from western Guinea, O. arndti sp. n. from the border triangle Guinea-Liberia-Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, for the first time the advertisement call of a West African torrent-frog (O. arndti sp. n. is described.

A striking new genus and species of cave-dwelling frog (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae: Asterophryinae) from Thailand.

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Suwannapoom, Chatmongkon; Sumontha, Montri; Tunprasert, Jitthep; Ruangsuwan, Thiti; Pawangkhanant, Parinya; Korost, Dmitriy V; Poyarkov, Nikolay A

2018-01-01

We report on a discovery of Siamophryne troglodytes Gen. et sp. nov., a new troglophilous genus and species of microhylid frog from a limestone cave in the tropical forests of western Thailand. To assess its phylogenetic relationships we studied the 12S rRNA-16S rRNA mtDNA fragment with final alignment comprising up to 2,591 bp for 56 microhylid species. Morphological characterization of the new genus is based on examination of external morphology and analysis of osteological characteristics using microCT-scanning. Phylogenetic analyses place the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Gastrophrynoides , the only member of the subfamily known from Sundaland. The new genus markedly differs from all other Asterophryinae members by a number of diagnostic morphological characters and demonstrates significant mtDNA sequence divergence. We provide a preliminary description of a tadpole of the new genus. Thus, it represents the only asterophryine taxon with documented free-living larval stage and troglophilous life style. Our work demonstrates that S. troglodytes Gen. et sp. nov. represents an old lineage of the initial radiation of Asterophryinae which took place in the mainland Southeast Asia. Our results strongly support the "out of Indo-Eurasia" biogeographic scenario for this group of frogs. To date, the new frog is only known from a single limestone cave system in Sai Yok District of Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand; its habitat is affected by illegal bat guano mining and other human activities. As such, S. troglodytes Gen. et sp. nov. is likely to be at high risk of habitat loss. Considering high ecological specialization and a small known range of the new taxon, we propose a IUCN Red List status of endangered for it.

A new species of Leptolalax (Anura: Megophryidae) from Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo).

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Dehling, J Maximilian; Matsui, Masafumi

2013-01-01

We describe a new species of Leptolalax from Gunung Mulu National Park in eastern Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The new species had been assigned to Leptolalax dringi and Leptolalax gracilis in the past. It is shown to differ from both these species and from all other species of the genus by a unique combination of morphological characters including large body size, rounded snout, interorbital distance being smaller than width of upper eyelid, bipartite subgular vocal sac in males, basal toe webbing, shagreened skin with tiny tubercles on dorsum and dorsal side of head, angled supratympanic fold, small pectoral glands, absence of supraaxillary glands and ventrolateral glandular ridges, spotted venter, advertisement call consisting of long series of 8-289 notes, each composed of three or four pulses, and dominant frequency at 7225-9190 Hz, with prominent frequency modulation.

Cholinesterase activities and behavioral changes in Hypsiboas pulchellus (Anura: Hylidae) tadpoles exposed to glufosinate ammonium herbicide.

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Peltzer, Paola M; Junges, Celina M; Attademo, Andrés M; Bassó, Agustín; Grenón, Paula; Lajmanovich, Rafael C

2013-09-01

In this study, amphibian tadpoles of Hypsiboas pulchellus were exposed to herbicide Liberty®, which contains glufosinate ammonium (GLA), for 48 h to the following concentrations: 0 (control), 3.55, 4.74, 6.32, 8.43, 11.25, 15, 20, 26.6, and 35.5 mg GLA L(-1). Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities, as well as swimming capabilities (swimming speed and mean distance) were measured in tadpoles whose concentrations displayed survival rates > 85 %. Our results reveal that sublethal concentrations of GLA significantly inhibited both AChE and BChE activities in tadpoles with respect to the control, showing a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect. The highest inhibition percentages of AChE (50.86%) and BChE (53.02%) were registered in tadpoles exposed to 15 mg GLA L(-1). At this concentration, a significant increase of the swimming speed and mean distance were found in exposed tadpoles with respect to the control, as well as a negative and significant correlation between swimming speed and BChE activity, thus suggesting that this enzyme inhibition is related to an increase in swimming speed. Therefore, exposure of tadpoles to GLA in the wild at concentrations similar to those tested here may have adverse consequences at population level because neurotransmission and swimming performance are essential for tadpole performance and survival.

The advertisement call of Stumpffia be Köhler, Vences, D'Cruze & Glaw, 2010 (Anura: Microhylidae: Cophylinae).

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Lattenkamp, Ella Z; Mandák, Martin; Scherz, Mark D

2016-12-09

We describe the calls of Stumpffia be Köhler, Vences, D'Cruze & Glaw, 2010. This is the first call description made for a species belonging to the large-bodied northern Madagascan radiation of Stumpffia Boettger, 1881. Stumpffia is a genus of small (~9-28 mm) microhylid frogs in the Madagascar-endemic subfamily Cophylinae Cope. Little is known about their reproductive strategies. Most species are assumed to lay their eggs in foam nests in the leaf litter of Madagascar's humid and semi-humid forests (Glaw & Vences 1994; Klages et al. 2013). They exhibit some degree of parental care, with the males guarding the nest after eggs are laid (Klages et al. 2013). The bioacoustic repertoire of these frogs is thought to be limited, and there are two distinct call structures known for the genus: the advertisement call of the type species, S. psologlossa Boettger, 1881, is apparently unique in being a trill of notes repeated in short succession. All other species from which calls are known emit single, whistling or chirping notes (Vences & Glaw 1991; Vences et al. 2006).

Ecology of the bromeligenous frog Phyllodytes luteolus (Anura, Hylidae) from three restinga remnants across Brazil's coast.

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Motta-Tavares, Tatiana; Maia-Carneiro, Thiago; Dantas, Leonardo F; Sluys, Monique Van; Hatano, Fábio H; Vrcibradic, Davor; Rocha, Carlos F D

2016-03-01

In this study, we analyzed diet, sexual dimorphism and bromeliad use in three populations of the hylid frog Phyllodytes luteolus from restinga habitats along the Brazilian coast. We found 13 arthropods categories in 161 stomachs. Ants and termites were the dominant prey items. The similar trophic niche across populations suggests this species has a conservative diet. We found sexual dimorphism regarding body size and jaw width. We recordedP. luteolus in five bromeliad species, but predominantly inAechmeablanchetiana (35.6% of individuals recorded). We recorded solitary individuals in 44% of occupied bromeliads, and never found two males sharing the same bromeliad. The data is suggestive that populations ofP. luteolus has a conservative diet independent of area, with ants and termites the being most relevant prey items. The sexual dimorphism in jaw and the solitary males may suggest that this species have territorial behavior.

The advertisement call, color patterns and distribution of Ischnocnema izecksohni (Caramaschi and Kisteumacher, 1989 (Anura, Brachycephalidae

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Pedro P. G. Taucce

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Ischnocnema izecksohni inhabits the gallery forests from the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Southern Espinhaço range, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, and it is considered endemic to this region. Its closest related species is I. nasuta according to the original description. We describe the advertisement call of I. izecksohni based on specimens recorded and collected at the municipality of Nova Lima, state of Minas Gerais, distant about 10 km straight line from its type locality. The advertisement call consists of a group of notes emitted sporadically without a regular interval between the calls. Call duration (n = 36 calls in four individuals ranged from 1.03 to 1.85 s (= 1.52 ± 0.21 s and the call rise time from 0.66 to 1.52 s (= 1.16 ± 0.25 s, with 34-57 notes per call (= 47.42 ± 6.03. Peak frequency ranged from 2250 to 2625 Hz, the dominant frequency from 1317.8 to 3128.0 Hz and interval between notes from 22.00 to 41.00 ms (= 28.63 ± 0.03 ms. From the examination of herpetological collections, morphological and bioacoustical data we extended the species known distribution ca. 200 km eastward, to ten new localities, all of them outside the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, at the Mantiqueira mountain range. We analyzed color patterns and we find some dorsal patterns not described at the original description of I. izecksohni. We also make some comments concerning the taxonomic status of I. izecksohni and I. nasuta.

A new species of Scinax Wagler, 1830 (Anura: Hylidae from the middle Amazon river basin, Brazil

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Marcelo José Sturaro

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A new species of the hylid genus Scinax is described and illustrated. The new taxon was found in the Amazonian rainforest of northern Brazil, municipalities of Maués and Careiro da Várzea, state of Amazonas. The new species is characterized by its moderate size (male mean snout-vent length 36.3mm; body robust; large, orange, black-bordered axillary and inguinal spots; and bilobate vocal sac. This new species was found in primary and secondary forest on branches of shrubs or trees in, or next to, permanent ponds and flooded areas.

Systematics of the poorly known treefrog Leptopelis fiziensis (Anura: Arthroleptidae), with a description of its call.

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Greenbaum, Eli; Portillo, Frank; Kusamba, Chifundera

2012-01-01

Leptopelis fiziensis was described as a subspecies of L. modestus from specimens that were collected in 1956 in the region in and around Fizi, in present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. We recently discovered L. fiziensis in transitional and montane forest near the type locality and the southeastern Itombwe Plateau, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis (16S mitochondrial sequence data) of these samples and other Leptopelis species recovered L. fiziensis as sister to L. karissimbensis with strong support, and rejected a close relationship between L. fiziensis and both topotypic L. modestus from Cameroon and L. mackayi from Kenya. Herein, we provide a detailed description of the morphometrics, colour pattern, male advertisement call and natural history of this poorly known species. At least one literature record of L. fiziensis from Tanzania has notable differences from our data, and requires further study to ascertain its taxonomic status.

Distribución y comentarios sobre la dieta de Rhinella azarai (Anura, Bufonidae en Corrientes, Argentina

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Etchepare, Eduardo G.

2012-03-01

Full Text Available En esta contribución se dan a conocer nuevas poblaciones de R. azarai para la provincia de Corrientes (Argentina, y se brinda información sobre la composición de la dieta de una de ellas.

Ecology of the bromeligenous frog Phyllodytes luteolus (Anura, Hylidae from three restinga remnants across Brazil's coast

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Tatiana Motta-Tavares

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, we analyzed diet, sexual dimorphism and bromeliad use in three populations of the hylid frog Phyllodytes luteolus from restinga habitats along the Brazilian coast. We found 13 arthropods categories in 161 stomachs. Ants and termites were the dominant prey items. The similar trophic niche across populations suggests this species has a conservative diet. We found sexual dimorphism regarding body size and jaw width. We recordedP. luteolus in five bromeliad species, but predominantly inAechmeablanchetiana (35.6% of individuals recorded. We recorded solitary individuals in 44% of occupied bromeliads, and never found two males sharing the same bromeliad. The data is suggestive that populations ofP. luteolus has a conservative diet independent of area, with ants and termites the being most relevant prey items. The sexual dimorphism in jaw and the solitary males may suggest that this species have territorial behavior.

Reproducción y desarrollo larval del sapo enano Melanophryniscus stelzneri stelzneri (Weyemberg, 1875 (Anura: Bufonidae

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Bustos Singer, Rodrigo

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Se estudiaron varios aspectos de la reproducción y desarrollo larval de Melanophryniscus stelzneri stelzneri: condiciones ambientales en las que ocurre la reproducción, conductas pre y postreproductivas de los adultos, puesta, desarrollo embrionario, comportamiento larval, y metamorfosis. Se realizó también una descripción anatómica de la larva. La mayor parte de las conductas observadas son corrientes en anuros argentinos. La larva es típicamente pequeña y de tipo léntico-bentónica. Su fórmula dentaria mas común es 2 / 3. El tiempo de metamorfosis está afectada por la disponibilidad de agua, un paulatino descenso en el nivel de agua la acelera. Many aspects about the reproduction of Melanophryniscus stelzneri stelzneri were estudied: environmental conditions in which reproduction occurs, pre and postreproductive adult behaviour, oviposition, larval developement, tadpole habits and metamorphosis. An anatomic description of the larva was also realized. Most of the observed behaviours are usual in argentinian anurans. The tadpole is tiny and typically lentic- bentonic. The most conmon queratodontic formula is 2 / 3. The time of metamorphosis is affected by water availability. A decreasing level of water accelerates the development.

Antibacterial, modulatory activity of antibiotics and toxicity from Rhinella jimi (Stevaux, 2002) (Anura: Bufonidae) glandular secretions.

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Sales, Débora Lima; Morais-Braga, Maria Flaviana Bezerra; Santos, Antonia Thassya Lucas Dos; Machado, Antonio Judson Targino; Araujo Filho, João Antonio de; Dias, Diógenes de Queiroz; Cunha, Francisco Assis Bezerra da; Saraiva, Rogério de Aquino; Menezes, Irwin Rose Alencar de; Coutinho, Henrique Douglas Melo; Costa, José Galberto Martins; Ferreira, Felipe Silva; Alves, Rômulo Romeu da Nóbrega; Almeida, Waltécio de Oliveira

2017-08-01

The increase in microorganisms with resistance to medications has caused a strong preoccupation within the medical and scientific community. Animal toxins studies, such as parotoid glandular secretions from amphibians, possesses a great potential in the development of drugs, such as antimicrobials, as these possess bioactive compounds. It was evaluated Rhinella jimi (Stevaux, 2002) glandular secretions against standard and multi-resistant bacterial strains; the effect of secretions combined with drugs; and determined the toxicity using two biologic in vivo models, and a in vitro model with mice livers. Standard strains were used for the determination of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), while for the modulatory activity of antibiotics, the clinical isolates Escherichia coli 06, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 03 and Staphylococcus aureus 10 were used. Modulatory activity was evaluated by the broth microdilution method with aminoglycosides and β-lactams as target antibiotics. The secretions in association with the antibiotics have a significant reduction in MIC, both the aminoglycosides and β-lactams. The toxicity and cytotoxicity results were lower than the values used in the modulation. R. jimi glandular secretions demonstrated clinically relevant results regarding the modulation of the tested antimicrobials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparative cytogenetic studies of Bufo ictericus, B. paracnemis (Amphibia, Anura and an intermediate form in sympatry

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Azevedo MFC

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Specimens of Bufo ictericus, Bufo paracnemis and a third type, considered an intermediate subgroup between these species, were cytogenetically studied by conventional Giemsa staining, C-banding and staining of the nucleolus organizer region (NOR. The nuclear DNA content and seroproteins were also analyzed to characterize these species, and verify the possibility of hybridization between them. Karyotypes and cytogenetic markers were essentially equal on the basis of the methods used. The DNA nuclear content found was 6.25 ± 0.30 pg/DNA in Bufo ictericus; 7.57 ± 0.40 pg/DNA in Bufo paracnemis and 7.04 ± 0.29 pg/DNA in the intermediate subgroup. Eletrophoresis of total blood serum in Bufo ictericus, Bufo paracnemis and the intermediate specimens revealed a remarkable difference in the patterns of the protein bands whose molecular weight corresponded to that of albumin. While the parental species presented two different bands, the intermediate form presented 4. However, only three of these bands were seen in each specimen. The results obtained pointed to a high probability for natural hybridization between Bufo ictericus and Bufo paracnemis in the site and specimens studied.

Comparación ontogénica de la frecuencia de muda en Rhinella marina (Anura, Bufonidae

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Teófila M. Triana

2013-03-01

Full Text Available La muda es un proceso de renovación de la capa externa de la epidermis (estrato corneo de los anfibios, la cual suministra protección contra daños, patógenos y pérdida de agua. Este trabajo evalúa la frecuencia de muda entre juveniles y adultos de Rhinella marina (Linnaeus, 1758 y la tasa de ocurrencia entre el día y la noche. Para esto, se realizaron dos observaciones diarias (7 am y 7 pm, entre Octubre de 2011 y Marzo de 2012, a tres grupos de individuos clasificados según su tamaño longitud rostro-cloaca, como adultos (promedio=80 mm, juveniles medianos (promedio=19 mm y juveniles pequeños (promedio=13 mm. Estos animales fueron colocados en terrarios en el laboratorio y marcados en el dorso a través de un punto hecho con un corrector de tinta. La muda se determinó por la pérdida total de la marca y una coloración brillante en el dorso. Se encontró una diferencia significativa (Kruskal-Wallis, H=19.84, p<0.0001 en el periodo de muda entre los tres grupos de estudio: adultos=7.5 días, juveniles medianos=5.4 días, juveniles pequeños=5.3 días. También, en la frecuencia de animales que mudaron en el día y la noche (Ji-cuadrado, χ2=7.891, p=0.019, particularmente en los dos grupos de juveniles, quienes lo hicieron en la noche, ya que en los adultos no hubo una diferencia clara. Posiblemente, la mayor frecuencia de la muda en los juveniles puede relacionarse con su condición ontogénica, de un menor tamaño corporal, alta tasa metabólica y mayor tasa de desarrollo.

A new diminutive frog species of Adelophryne (Amphibia: Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) from the Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil.

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Lourenço-de-Moraes, Ricardo; Ferreira, Rodrigo Barbosa; Fouquet, Antoine; Bastos, Rogério Pereira

2014-08-04

The genus Adelophryne is composed of diminutive frogs occurring in northern Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest. Herein we describe a new species of Adelophryne found in the leaf litter of primary and secondary forests in the mountainous region of Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil. The new species is characterized by its small body size, two phalanges in the finger IV, and a glandular ridge line that runs from the posterior part of eye to the insertion of the forelimb. This species is sensitive to edge effect and conversion of native forest into coffee and Eucalyptus plantations and may be listed as Endangered (EN) under B1ab(iii) criteria of the IUCN Red List.

Ontogeny of the vertebral column of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) reveals heterochronies relative to metamorphic frogs.

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Meza-Joya, Fabio Leonardo; Ramos-Pallares, Eliana Patricia; Ramírez-Pinilla, Martha Patricia

2013-07-01

Over the last century, the morphogenesis of the vertebral column has been considered as a highly conserved process among anurans. This statement is based on the study of few metamorphic taxa, ignoring the role of developmental mechanisms underlying the evolution of specialized life-histories. Direct development in anurans has been regarded as evolutionarily derived and involves developmental recapitulation and repatterning at different levels in all amphibian taxa studied so far. Herein, we analyze the vertebral column morphogenesis of the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, describing the sequence of chondrification and ossification, based on cleared and double-stained specimens from early stage embryos to adults. In general, our results show that the morphogenesis of the vertebral column in E. johnstonei recapitulates the ancestral tadpole-like pattern of development. However, the analysis of the sequence of events using heterochrony plots shows important heterocronies relative to metamorphic species, such as a delay in the chondrification of the vertebral centra and in osteogenesis. These ontogenetic peculiarities may represent derived traits in direct-developing frogs and are possibly correlated with its unusual life history. In addition, several features of the vertebral column of E. johnstonei are highly variable from its typical morphology. We report some malformations and small deviations, which do not seem to affect the survival of individuals. These anomalies have also been found in other frogs, and include many vertebral defects, such as vertebral fusion, and vertebral preclusion and/or induction. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Call intercalation in dyadic interactions in natural choruses of Johnstone's whistling frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae).

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Tárano, Zaida; Carballo, Luisana

2016-05-01

Communal signaling increases the likelihood of acoustic interference and impairs mate choice; consequently, mechanisms of interference avoidance are expected. Adjustment of the timing of the calls between signalers, specifically call alternation, is probably the most efficient strategy. For this reason, in the present study we analyzed call timing in dyads of males of E. johnstonei in six natural assemblages. We addressed whether males entrain their calls with those of other males at the assemblage and if they show selective attention in relation to perceived amplitude of the other males' calls, inter-male distance, or intrinsic call features (call duration, period or dominant frequency). We expected males to selectively attend to closer or louder males and/or to those of higher or similar attractiveness for females than themselves, because those would be their strongest competitors. We found that most males intercalated their calls with those of at least one male. In assemblages of 3 individuals, males seemed to attend to a fixed number of males regardless of their characteristics. In assemblages of more than 3 individuals, the perceived amplitude of the call of the neighboring male was higher, and the call periods of the males were more similar in alternating dyads than in the non-alternating ones. At the proximate level, selective attention based on perceived amplitude may relate to behavioral hearing thresholds. Selective attention based on the similarity of call periods may relate to the properties of the call oscillators controlling calling rhythms. At the ultimate level, selective attention may be related to the likelihood of acoustic competition for females. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A striking new genus and species of cave-dwelling frog (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae: Asterophryinae from Thailand

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Chatmongkon Suwannapoom

2018-02-01

Full Text Available We report on a discovery of Siamophryne troglodytes Gen. et sp. nov., a new troglophilous genus and species of microhylid frog from a limestone cave in the tropical forests of western Thailand. To assess its phylogenetic relationships we studied the 12S rRNA–16S rRNA mtDNA fragment with final alignment comprising up to 2,591 bp for 56 microhylid species. Morphological characterization of the new genus is based on examination of external morphology and analysis of osteological characteristics using microCT-scanning. Phylogenetic analyses place the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Gastrophrynoides, the only member of the subfamily known from Sundaland. The new genus markedly differs from all other Asterophryinae members by a number of diagnostic morphological characters and demonstrates significant mtDNA sequence divergence. We provide a preliminary description of a tadpole of the new genus. Thus, it represents the only asterophryine taxon with documented free-living larval stage and troglophilous life style. Our work demonstrates that S. troglodytes Gen. et sp. nov. represents an old lineage of the initial radiation of Asterophryinae which took place in the mainland Southeast Asia. Our results strongly support the “out of Indo-Eurasia” biogeographic scenario for this group of frogs. To date, the new frog is only known from a single limestone cave system in Sai Yok District of Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand; its habitat is affected by illegal bat guano mining and other human activities. As such, S. troglodytes Gen. et sp. nov. is likely to be at high risk of habitat loss. Considering high ecological specialization and a small known range of the new taxon, we propose a IUCN Red List status of endangered for it.

Taxocoenosis and distribution of nektonic fauna in the rice fields of Kashmir (J and K) India.

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Bahaar, S W N; Bhat, G A

2011-04-15

Present study attempts to identify the taxocoenosis and distribution of nektonic fauna harbouring the rice field ecosystems of Kashmir. The main objective of the study was to provide an overview of the nektonic community composition and physicochemical characteristics of flood waters. 6 sites were selected in Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Srinagar, Pulwama and Anantnag districts of valley Kashmir. A total of 26 taxa belonging to 13 different orders were reported during the study which commenced through 2 consecutive crop cycles. The taxocoenosis was dominated by Coleoptera (10 taxa) followed by Hemiptera (3 taxa), Diptera (2 taxa), Diplostraca (2 taxa), Acarina, Anostraca, Anura, Amphipoda, Basommatophora, Cypriniformes, Cyprinodontiformes, Odonata and Pulmonata (1 taxa each). Diversity was calculated using Simpsons Index (D), Simpsons Index of Diversity (1-D), Simpsons Reciprocal Index (1/D), Shannon-Weiner Index (H'), Margalef Richness Index (d) and Evenness Index (e). Kupwara (34 degrees 02'N; 74 degrees 16'E) formed the most diverse site registering a total of 2384 individuals belonging to 24 taxa. A perusal of the primary data related to the physicochemical attributes of flood waters exhibited that average water temperature varied between 19-30 degrees C, average air temperature varied between 21 and 33 degrees C. pH depicted a variation between 6.0 and 9.0, Dissolved Oxygen varied between a minimum of 1.0 mg L(-1) and a maximum of 10 mg L(-1). Free CO2 ranged between 0 mg L(-1) and 6.1 mg(-1). The results pressed the need for recognizing and preserving rice fields as potential habitats for organisms that have successfully adapted to the highly manipulated and eutrophic conditions of rice paddies.

Feeding overlap in two sympatric species of Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae of the Atlantic Rain Forest Sobreposição alimentar em duas espécies simpátricas de Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae da Mata Atlântica

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Leandro T. Sabagh

2008-06-01

Full Text Available A clear understanding of the relationships between overlapping, similarity, and competition is necessary to understand many of the questions about the structure and operation of a community. Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824 and Rhinella crucifer (Wied Neuwied, 1821 are sympatric species of toads occurring in the National Park of Serra dos Órgãos in southeastern Brazil. The aim of the present study was to assess the dietary overlap of these two species. Ninety-four stomachs were analyzed, and 2245 prey items were found. Common prey were Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera larvae, Blattaria, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Opiliones, and Aranaea. Ants were the most important prey in both diets, followed by beetles and cockroaches. The niche breadth of R. icterica was 1.76 and of R. crucifer was 1.28. The dietary overlap between the species was 98.62%. A positive correlation was observed between jaw width and prey size consumed by R. icterica.Um claro entendimento das relações entre sobreposição, similaridade e competição é necessário para entender muitas questões sobre a estrutura e o funcionamento de uma comunidade. Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824 e Rhinella crucifer (Wied Neuwied, 1821 são espécies simpátricas que ocorrem no Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, região sudeste do Brasil. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar a sobreposição alimentar dessas duas espécies. Foram analisados 94 estômagos e encontradas 2245 presas. Os grupos comuns foram: Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, larva de Lepidoptera, Blattaria, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Opiliones e Aranaea. Formigas foram as presas mais importantes na dieta, seguidas por besouros e baratas. A amplitude de nicho de R. icterica foi de 1,76 e a de R. cruicifer 1,28. A sobreposição de nicho alimentar entre as espécies foi de 98,62%. Houve relação positiva entre a largura da mandíbula e a dimensão das presas consumidas em R. icterica.

Phylogenetic relationships of Chilean leptodactylids: a molecular approach based on mitochondrial genes 12S and 16S Relaciones filogenéticas de los leptodactílidos chilenos: una aproximación molecular basada en los genes mitocondriales 12S y 16S

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CLAUDIO CORREA

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Most Chilean amphibians belong to the subfamily Telmatobiinae (Anura, Leptodactylidae. Several phylogenetic studies of Leptodactylidae and Telmatobiinae, based principally on morphological characters, have implicitly suggested closer relationships of some species of the Telmatobiinae with members of other subfamilies of leptodactylids, including the leptodactyline genus Pleurodema which is present in Chile. Furthermore, a growing number of molecular studies suggest a non monophyletic status for Telmatobiinae, although none of these studies have investigated the phylogenetic relationships of this subfamily. We compared partial sequences of the ribosomal mitochondrial genes 12S and 16S to determine the phylogenetic relationships of Chilean leptodactylids and its position within the modern anurans (Neobatrachia. We included 22 species from nine of the 10 genera of telmatobiines present in Chile (Alsodes, Atelognathus, Batrachyla, Caudiverbera, Eupsophus, Hylorina, Insuetophrynus, Telmatobufo and Telmatobius, two species of the genus Pleurodema, and one species of Rhinodermatidae, which is considered a leptodactylid derivative family by some authors. We also included 51 species representing most of the families that compose Neobatrachia. Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed using the methods of maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The topologies obtained in all the analyses indicate that Telmatobiinae is a polyphyletic assemblage, composed by species belonging to Hyloidea (most of the genera and species more related to Australasian taxa (the clade Caudiverbera + Telmatobufo, defined as the tribe Calyptocephalellini. These molecular data support groups based on other kinds of evidence (Caudiverbera + Telmatobufo, Alsodes + Eupsophus and Batrachyla + Hylorina and raise new phylogenetic hypotheses for several genera of telmatobiines (Atelognathus with Batrachyla and Hylorina, Insuetophrynus + Rhinoderma. The phylogenetic

Insights from Integrative Systematics Reveal Cryptic Diversity in Pristimantis Frogs (Anura: Craugastoridae from the Upper Amazon Basin.

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H Mauricio Ortega-Andrade

Full Text Available Pluralistic approaches to taxonomy facilitate a more complete appraisal of biodiversity, especially the diversification of cryptic species. Although species delimitation has traditionally been based primarily on morphological differences, the integration of new methods allows diverse lines of evidence to solve the problem. Robber frogs (Pristimantis are exemplary, as many of the species show high morphological variation within populations, but few traits that are diagnostic of species. We used a combination of DNA sequences from three mitochondrial genes, morphometric data, and comparisons of ecological niche models (ENMs to infer a phylogenetic hypothesis for the Pristimantis acuminatus complex. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed a close relationship between three new species-Pristimantis enigmaticus sp. nov., P. limoncochensis sp. nov. and P. omeviridis sp. nov.-originally confused with Pristimantis acuminatus. In combination with morphometric data and geographic distributions, several morphological characters such as degree of tympanum exposure, skin texture, ulnar/tarsal tubercles and sexual secondary characters (vocal slits and nuptial pads in males were found to be useful for diagnosing species in the complex. Multivariate discriminant analyses provided a successful classification rate for 83-100% of specimens. Discriminant analysis of localities in environmental niche space showed a successful classification rate of 75-98%. Identity tests of ENMs rejected hypotheses of niche equivalency, although not strongly because the high values on niche overlap. Pristimantis acuminatus and P. enigmaticus sp. nov. are distributed along the lowlands of central-southern Ecuador and northern Peru, in contrast with P. limoncochensis sp. nov. and P. omeviridis sp. nov., which are found in northern Ecuador and southern Colombia, up to 1200 m in the upper Amazon Basin. The methods used herein provide an integrated framework for inventorying the greatly underestimated biodiversity in Amazonia.

Evaluation of the taxonomic status of Allobates talamancae (Anura: Aromobatidae) and its interpopulation variation in Costa Rica

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Salazar Zuniga, Jose Andres

2014-01-01

The taxonomic status of the species Allobates talamancae is reevaluated. The morphology, morphometry and characteristics of the singing are compared between specimens from the type locality with other populations of the Caribe and Pacifico of Costa Rica. The species Allobates talamancae is redescribed using songs and specimens from the type locality. Possible variations in the spectral and temporal characteristics of the singing of notice of the males Allobates talamancae are examined between the type locality and other locations populations of the Caribe and Pacifico of Costa Rica. The temporal spectrum analysis of the characteristics of the singing is realized through the program Raven 1.2.1. Spectrograms were produced with a Fast Fourier transform using a window type Hann with a frequency resolution of 124 Hz and a temporal of 11,6 ms and an overlap of 50%. The degree of morphological and morphometric variation are determined among individuals of Allobates talamancae from the type locality with other populations of the Caribe and Pacifico of Costa Rica. The measurements to determine the morphometric analysis of each specimen collected is realized through digital photographs on a base of white background with a scale in millimeters. The morphological analysis is defined by the revision of 47 characteristics suggested in the literature [es

Avaliação de risco e plasticidade comportamental limitada em girinos de Rhinella ornata (Anura, Bufonidae

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Renan N. Costa

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Os girinos de anuros são elementos importantes das redes tróficas de ambientes aquáticos, sendo recurso alimentar de diversos tipos de predadores. Desta maneira, os girinos apresentam uma grande variedade de mecanismos de defesa que podem ser morfológicos, comportamentais e/ou fisiológicos. A impalatabilidade, produzida pelo acúmulo de substâncias tóxicas na pele, é um mecanismo comum em muitas linhagens de anfíbios. No entanto, alguns predadores não são afetados por estas substâncias tóxicas, o que pode favorecer o desenvolvimento de mecanismos alternativos de defesa contra predação. Neste contexto, nosso objetivo foi avaliar se girinos impalatáveis de Rhinella ornata (Spix, 1824, podem apresentar mecanismos comportamentais de defesa contra predação na presença de predadores que não são afetados pelas substâncias tóxicas em sua pele. Para testar nossa hipótese, utilizamos dois tipos de predadores aquáticos: um heteróptero aquático do gênero Belostoma e uma larva de libélula do gênero Aeshna. Os girinos foram colocados em aquários com pistas visuais e químicas dos predadores (experimento de risco direto, somente pistas químicas (experimento de risco indireto e ausência completa de sinais de predadores (controle. Em ambos os casos, o comportamento de natação foi observado durante 5 minutos. Durante os experimentos não houve alteração no comportamento de natação dos girinos.

Anomalías oculares en híbridos Bufo paranecmis ♂ x Bufo arenarum ♀ (Anura: Bufonidae

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Rengel, Dora

1994-01-01

Full Text Available Los híbridos entre Bufo paracnemis x Bufo arenarum se encuadran en los llamados "híbridos vitales". Los resultados han evidenciado relevantes anomalías oculares que se manifiestan en un 90% de los casos. En algunas larvas falta el cristalino tanto en uno como en ambos ojos (20%; en otras larvas el cristalino se encuentra ubicado en posición opuesta al normal (25% o bien puede ocurrir que se forme un ojo normal y el otro de forma distinta (20%. El análisis histológico mostró anomalías en la zona retiniana, evidenciándose a partir de los estratos pigmentarios, repliegues y movimientos flexuosos (5%. También existen ojos replegados sobre sí mismos (5%. Las alteraciones más severas llevaron a procesos de anoftalmia (10%. En ocasiones (5% en lugar del ojo se evidencian grumos de pigmento. Se obtuvo un 10% con ojos normales. Los otros órganos presentan analogía con los de las larvas de Bufo paracnemis, inclusive la librea dorsal. The hybrids between Bufo paracnemis x Bufo arenarum are counted among tbe so called "vital hybrids". Our results have revealed relevant ocular anomalies in 90% of cases. In some larvae the lens is lacking in either one or both eyes (20%; in others the lens it is found in an opposite position to normal (25% or else one normal and one different eye is formed (20%. Histological analysis reveals anomalies in the retinal area, observing flexuous movements in the pigmentary strata (5%. Eyes folded over themselves were also observed (5%. The most severe alterations produced cases of anophtalmia (10%. On occasions (5%, groupings of pigments were found instead of the eyes. l0% of the larvae were normal. The other organs show analogies to those of the larvae of Bufo paracnemis, including the dorsal pattem.

Three new species of Pristimantis (Lissamphibia, Anura from montane forests of the Cordillera Yanachaga in Central Peru

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William E. Duellman

2007-12-01

Full Text Available We describe three additional new species of Pristimantis from the Cordillera Yanachaga, a part of the Andes in central Peru. Analyses of DNA sequences of the mitochondrial rRNA genes show that onespecies is a close relative of P. bipunctatus (P. conspicillatus Group, another is a close relative of P. stictogaster (P. peruvianus Group, and the third is related to several species in the P. unistrigatus Group. The first two species are morphologically similar to their closest relatives but occur at lower elevations. Twenty-nine species of Pristimantis and Phrynopus are known from the vicinity of the Cordillera Yanachaga. The number of species, especially of Pristimantis, is high in the humid montane forestin comparison with other sites in humid montane forests in Peru, but the number is lower than on the western slopes of the Andes in Ecuador.

Descriptions of the tadpoles of two poison frogs, Ameerega parvula and Ameerega bilinguis (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from Ecuador

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Poelman, E.H.; Verkade, J.C.; Wijngaarden, van R.P.A.; Félix-Novoa, C.

2010-01-01

Tadpoles of two sister species of Ameerega are described. Tadpoles of Ameerega parvula can be distinguished from those of A. bilinguis based on slight differences in their oral disc structure and configuration of the tail fin. Both tadpoles have a tooth row formula 2/3 that is typical for many

A new species of Phrynopus (Anura, Strabomantidae from Peru, with comments on the osteology of the genus

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Linda Trueb

2008-09-01

Full Text Available A new, small species of Phrynopus is described from the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental just north of the Río Huallaga in central Peru. The species resembles P. montium, but is distinguished from it and other congeners by its spatulate snout. The anterior end of the maxillary arcade is broadly rounded in dorsal view, and composed of wide premaxillae that bear extraordinarily large alary processes that are deflected posteriorly at an acute angle. The configuration of the premaxillae accounts for the wide, depressed snout in this species, which in other osteological features resembles P. montium. The osteology of Phrynopus montium is described in some detail in comparison to the new species, with theintention of establishing a baseline for future morphological studies and taxonomic descriptions of strabomantine anurans of this and related genera.

Red hot chili pepper. A new Calluella stoliczka, 1872 (Lissamphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) from Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo).

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Das, Indraneil; Min, Pui Yong; Hsu, Wayne W; Hertwig, Stefan T; Haas, Alexander

2014-04-07

A new brightly-coloured (olive and red) species of microhylid frog of the genus Calluella Stoliczka 1872 is described from the upper elevations of Gunung Penrissen and the Matang Range, Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo). Calluella capsa, new species, is diagnosable in showing the following combination of characters: SVL up to 36.0 mm; dorsum weakly granular; a faint dermal fold across forehead; toe tips obtuse; webbing on toes basal; lateral fringes on toes present; outer metatarsal tubercle present; and dorsum greyish-olive, with red spots; half of venter bright red, the rest with large white and dark areas. The new species is the eighth species of Calluella to be described, and the fourth known from Borneo. A preliminary phylogeny of Calluella and its relatives is presented, and the new taxon compared with congeners from Malaysia and other parts of south-east Asia. 

Diet and nematode infection in Proceratoprhys boiei (Anura: Cycloramphidae from two Atlantic rainforest remnants in Southeastern Brazil

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Thaís Klaion

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Proceratophrys boiei is an endemic cycloramphid anuran inhabiting the leaf litter of Atlantic rainforests in Southeastern Brazil. We analyzed the whole digestive tract of 38 individuals of Proceratophrys boiei collected in two Atlantic Rainforest areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to study the diet composition and the helminth fauna associated with this species. The main food items in P. boiei's diet were Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Blattaria. Five nematode species were found: Aplectana delirae, Cosmocerca parva, Oxyascaris oxyascaris, Physaloptera sp. (larval stage only and an unidentified nematode. Overall prevalence was 71% and mean infection intensity was 7.3 ± 5.8 neatodes per individual.Proceratophrys boiei é um anuro da familia Cycloramphidae que vive no folhico e é endêmico de areas de floresta na Mata Atlantica do Sudeste do Brasil. Nós analisamos o trato digestivo de 38 indivíduos de Proceratophrys boiei provenientes de duas áreas de Mata Atlântica no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, para estudar a composição da dieta e a fauna helmíntica associada a esta espécie. s principais itens alientares na dieta de P. boiei fora Coleoptera, rthoptera e Blattaria. Cinco espécies de nematóides foram encontradas: Aplectana delirae, Cosmocerca parva, Oxyascaris oxyascaris, Physaloptera sp. (apenas larvas e uma espécie de nematóide não identificada. A prevalência total foi de 71% e a intensidade media de infecção foi de 7,3 ± 5,8 nematóides por indivíduo.

Redescription and molecular diagnosis of Hepatozoon theileri (Laveran, 1905) (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae), infecting Amietia quecketti (Anura: Pyxicephalidae).

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Netherlands, Edward C; Cook, Courtney A; Smit, Nico J; du Preez, Louis H

2014-08-01

Blood smears prepared from the peripheral blood of 20 wild caught Amietia quecketti (Boulenger) from the North-West University Botanical Gardens, North West Province, South Africa, were examined for the presence of haemogregarines. A haemogregarine species comparative in morphology, host and geographical locality to that of Haemogregarina theileri Laveran, 1905 was detected. The original description of H. theileri was based solely on frog peripheral blood gamont stages. Later, further parasite stages, including trophozoites and merogonic liver stages, were recorded in a related Amietia sp. from equatorial Africa. This species was originally classified as a member of the genus Haemogregarina Danilewsky, 1885, but due to the close life cycle and morphological resemblance to those of Hepatozoon species, H. theileri was later transferred from Haemogregarina to Hepatozoon Miller, 1908. In the present study, meront and merozoite stages not described before, along with previously observed trophozoite, immature and mature gamont stages, are described from the peripheral blood of hosts. In addition, comparative phylogenetic analysis of the partial 18S rDNA sequence of Hepatozoon theileri to those of other haemogregarine species, including those of species of Hepatozoon and a Haemogregarina, support the taxonomic transfer of H. theileri to Hepatozoon, nesting H. theileri within a clade comprising species parasitising other amphibians. This is the first molecular and phylogenetic analysis of an African anuran species of Hepatozoon.

The advertisement call of Proceratophrys branti Brandão, Caramaschi, Vaz-Silva Campos, 2013 (Amphibia, Anura, Odontophrynidae).

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De Andrade, Sheila Pereira; Rocha, Cezar Filho; Vaz-Silva, Wilian

2018-02-15

Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 currently comprises 40 species (Frost 2017) of which 15 are allocated into the Proceratophrys cristiceps species group (sensu Brandão et al. 2013). The species in this group are characterized by the absence of postocular swellings and, except for P. concavitympanum, are found in seasonally open habitats in Brazilian Cerrado and Caatinga morphoclimatic domains (Giaretta et al. 2000; Ávila et al. 2012; Teixeira Jr. et al. 2012; Brandão et al. 2013). Information on advertisement calls is available for 11 species of the group (Eterovick Sazima 1998; Nunes Juncá 2006; Brasileiro et al. 2008; Santana et al. 2010; Ávila et al. 2012; Martins Giaretta 2011; 2012; 2013; Ferreira et al. 2016). Proceratophrys branti Brandão, Carmaschi, Vaz-Silva Campos, 2013 has been recently described and allocated in the P. cristiceps species group. The species occurs in open areas in the north-central portion of the Brazilian Cerrado, in the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais and Tocantins (Brandão et al. 2013). Herein we describe for the first time its advertisement call, based on recordings made in an area of Cerrado biome in the state of Tocantins.

Description of two new sympatric species of the genus Leptolalax (Anura: Megophryidae from western Yunnan of China

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Jian-Huan Yang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The Asian leaf litter toads of the genus Leptolalax represent a highly diverse species group and currently contain 53 recognized species. During herpetological surveys in Yingjiang County, western Yunnan of China, we collected series of Leptolalax specimens from an isolated small fragment of montane evergreen forest. Subsequent study based on acoustic, morphological and molecular data reveals that there were three different species among the specimens sampled: while one of them belongs to Leptolalax ventripunctataus, the other two species represent unknown taxa and are described herein: Leptolalax purpurus sp. nov. and Leptolalax yingjiangensis sp. nov. The two new species can be distinguished from other congeners by the molecular divergences, acoustic data, and by a combination of morphological characters including: body size, dorsal and ventral patterns, dorsal skin texture, sizes of pectoral and femoral glands, degree of webbing and fringing on the toes and fingers, dorsum coloration and iris coloration in life. Our results further reveal that species diversity of the genus Leptolalax still remains highly underestimated and warrants further attention.

Nematodes parásitos de Chaunus granulosus major (Müller & Hellmich, 1936 (Anura: Bufonidae en Corrientes, Argentina

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González, Cynthia Elizabeth

2006-08-01

Full Text Available En nuestro país, estudios previos referidos a la nematofauna de Chaunus granulosus major (Müller y Hellmich, 1936 han sido realizados en la provincia de Corrientes por Mordeglia y Digiani (1998 quienes han reportado la especie Cosmocerca parva Travassos, 1925. Con el presente estudio se incorporan tres nuevos registros de nematodes a la fauna parasitaria de Ch. g. major de la Argentina.

Primer registro de Elachistocleis skotogaster Lavilla, Vaira & Ferrari, 2003 (Anura: Microhylidae para la provincia de Formosa, Argentina

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Kehr, Arturo Ignacio

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Entre el 4 de marzo y el 25 de abril de 2011, en 6 sistemas de trampas instalados en la Provinciade Formosa, Ciudad de Las Lomitas, Departamento Patiño, Ruta Nacional N° 81, Establecimiento Sumayen 2000 (24°39'49,4" S; 60°38'29,9" O; 137 m.s.n.m.; datum WGS84, fueron colectados 32 microhílidos con vientre gris manchado de blanco, y características franjas y manchas de color naranja endiferentes partes de las patas, axilas e ingle. Dichos ejemplares, correspondientes al género Elachistocleis se encuentran depositados en la colección herpetológica del Laboratorio de Herpetología del Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Luego de analizar los ejemplares colectados (fijados y preservados en formol al 10% consideramos que se trata de E. skotogaster por presentarlas siguientes características morfológicas externas especificadas por Lavilla et al. (2003.

Microhabitat partitioning between leiuperidae and bufonidae species (amphibia: anura) in tropical dry forest areas in Colombian Caribbean

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Blanco Torres, Argelina; Bonilla Gomez, Maria Argenis

2010-01-01

We analyzed partitioning of microhabitats by five species of frogs in the families, Bufonidae (Rhinella marina, r. granulosa), and Leiuperidae (Engystomops pustulosus, Pleurodema brachyops and Pseudopaludicola pusilla) in six different localities of the Colombian Caribbean with tropical dry forest fragments and different land uses. We identified 29 types of microhabitats; permanent ponds in pastures with trees (CPPA) and flooded pastures without trees (PISA) were the most important environmental used. Engystomops pustulosus used the must microhabitats, and none are used by specialist species. Thus, differences in the use of resource on regional and local scales appeared. Dynamics of microhabitat uses was influenced by the climatic variations of the tropical dry forest. Microhabitats distribution as a mechanism of coexistence in these species is implemented for dry season but in rainfall season this mechanism not exists.

Species limits within the widespread Amazonian treefrog Dendropsophus parviceps with descriptions of two new species (Anura, Hylidae

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C. Daniel Rivadeneira

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The genus Dendropsophus is one of the most speciose among Neotropical anurans and its number of described species is increasing. Herein, molecular, morphological, and bioacoustic evidence are combined to assess species limits within D. parviceps, a widely distributed species in the Amazon Basin. Phylogenetic relationships were assessed using 3040 bp sequences of mitochondrial DNA, genes 12S, ND1, and CO1. The phylogeny shows three well-supported clades. Bioacoustic and morphological divergence is congruent with those clades demonstrating that Dendropsophus parviceps is a species complex. Dendropsophus parviceps sensu stricto occurs in the Amazon basin of Ecuador, northern Peru, southern Colombia and northwestern Brazil. It is sister to two previously undescribed species, D. kubricki sp. n. from central Peru and D. kamagarini sp. n. from southern Peru, northeastern Bolivia, and northwestern Brazil. Genetic distances (uncorrected p, gene 12S between D. parviceps and the new species is 3 to 4%. Dendropsophus kamagarini sp. n. can be distinguished from D. parviceps by having a prominent conical tubercle on the distal edge of the upper eyelid (tubercle absent in D. parviceps. Dendropsophus kubricki sp. n. differs from D. parviceps by having scattered low tubercles on the upper eyelids (smooth in D. parviceps. Dendropsophus parviceps and both new species differ from all their congeners by their small size (adult maximum SVL = 28.39 mm in females, 22.73 mm in males and by having a bright orange blotch on the hidden areas of the shanks and under arms. The advertisement call of the two new species has lower dominant frequency relative to D. parviceps. Probable speciation modes are discussed. Available evidence indicates that ecological speciation along an elevation gradient is unlikely in this species complex.

Redescription of Oswaldocruzia chambrieri (Strongylida: Molineidae) from Rhinella margaritifera (Anura: Bufonidae) in Caxiuanã National Forest, Brazil.

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Willkens, Yuri; Maldonado, Arnaldo; Dos Santos, Jeannie Nascimento; Maschio, Gleomar Fabiano; de Vasconcelos Melo, Francisco Tiago

2016-09-01

Oswaldocruzia chambrieri Ben Slimane et Durette-Desset, 1993 is redescribed from specimens collected from the small intestine of the South American common toad, Rhinella margaritifera, from Caxiuanã National Forest in Pará, Brazil, using light and scanning microscopy and molecular analysis of Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) - coding regions of DNA. The discovered nematodes are characterized by a type III caudal bursa with two papillae, rays 4 with a median groove, and spicules divided into a blade, a shoe and a fork. Cervical alae are absent, the cephalic vesicle is divided into two portions, and the synlophe has low ridges without chitinous supports. The present study establishes the Caxiuanã National Forest as a new location for O. chambrieri, which had previously been reported as a parasite of R. margaritifera in Ecuador, uses light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify new morphological characters of the species and represents the second molecular sequence deposited for the Oswaldocruzia genus.

Territorial and mating behavior in Phyllomedusa azurea (Anura: Hylidae at a temporary pond in west-central Brazil

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Taís Borges Costa

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We studied territorial and mating behavior of Phyllomedusa azurea in the municipality of Cocalzinho de Goiás, Goiás, which is locatedin central Brazil. During the mating season, male P. azurea engage in territorial behavior that is associated with vocalizations—advertisement, territorial, fight, or a combination of two more of these. When one male frog invades the territory of another, they commonly emit of territorial calls and engage in physical combat. Three main behavioral traits were observed in mating males—viz., “male-singer,” “active search” and “male-shifter.” Malesvocalize during the amplexus and oviposition. No aggression between females P. azurea was observed.

A new species of Rhinella Fitzinger, 1826 from the Atlantic Rain Forest, Eastern Brazil (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae

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Ulisses Caramaschi

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A new species of the genus Rhinella is described from Canavieiras, southern State of Bahia, in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Eastern Brazil. Rhinella hoogmoedi sp. nov. is characterized by the medium size for the genus (SVL 39.4-52.1 mm in males, snout rounded in dorsal view, with a vertical apical ridge which gives a nearly mucronate aspect, and nearly acute in profile, antorbital and supra-orbital crests developed, parietal crest poorly developed, post-orbital crest large, forming a small lateral ledge, tympanum evident, vertebral apophyses not salient on dorsum, presence of a dorsolateral line of pointed tubercles on the external border of the parotoid gland, continuing along the lateral side of body to the groin, a rounded tubercle at the posterior corner of mouth, and vocal slits present. The new species is distributed from the State of Ceará to the State of Paraná, Brazil.Uma nova espécie do gênero Rhinella é descrita de Canavieiras, no sul do Estado da Bahia, na Floresta Atlântica do leste do Brasil. Rhinella hoogmoedi sp. nov. é caracterizada pelo tamanho médio para o gênero (CRA 39,4-52,1 mm em machos, focinho arredondado em vista dorsal, com uma prega apical vertical que lhe dá um aspecto aproximadamente mucronado, e próximo de agudo em perfil, cristas anterorbital e supra-orbital desenvolvidas, crista parietal pouco desenvolvida, crista pós-orbital grande, formando uma pequena aba lateral, tímpano evidente, apófises vertebrais não salientes no dorso, presença de uma linha dorsolateral de tubérculos pontiagudos na borda externa da glândula parotóide, continuando-se ao longo da lateral do corpo até a virilha, um tubérculo arredondado no canto posterior da boca e fendas vocais presentes. A nova espécie está distribuída do Estado do Ceará até o Estado do Paraná, Brasil.

Descripción del canto de anuncio de una población de Oreobates discoidalis (Anura: Strambomantidae

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Ferrari, Liliana

2008-09-01

Full Text Available En este trabajo, analizamos y describimos la estructura del canto de anuncio de ejemplares de una población de Oreobates discoidalis proveniente de una región de selva de montaña del Noroeste de Argentina (Ecorregión de las Yungas Andinas del Sur, según Dinerstein et al., 1995 y efectuamos una comparación con los parámetros espectrales y temporales del canto de anuncio descriptos para la especie en una población de Campos de Pinos en Bolivia por Padial et al. (2008.

Inventory of color polymorphism in populations of Dendrobates galactonotus (Anura: Dendrobatidae, a poison frog endemic to Brazil

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Marinus S. Hoogmoed

2012-12-01

Full Text Available We studied the various color morphs of Dendrobates galactonotus that occur in its range between the Amazon and Tapajós rivers, in the Brazilian states of Pará, Maranhão, northern Mato Grosso, and northern Tocantins. Dorsal coloration ranges from black to light blue and from red via orange to yellow, cream and white, with or without black spots or vermiculations. Most specimens are uniformly black below, but in some populations the color of the back has invaded the ventral surface and the black has been reduced to small areas on the seat patch and under the thighs. We could not locate any completely white populations, a color variant present in captivity and known as “Moonshine.” No regularity in the distribution of color pattern could be distinguished; the majority of localities has orange colored populations, but other color morphs are sprinkled between them. Populations are uniform, only showing onecolor, although the amount of black elements on the back may vary. Threats to this species are deforestation, fragmentation of habitat, hydroelectric projects (already functioning, under construction, or projected, gold mining, and possibly illegal international trade. Although this species is widely distributed in terrariums in Europe, the United States, and Japan, all these specimens stem from illegal exports. Genetic research to try to establish a connection between color pattern and genetic make-up of populations is in progress.

From Clinging to Digging: The Postembryonic Skeletal Ontogeny of the Indian Purple Frog, Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis (Anura: Nasikabatrachidae.

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Gayani Senevirathne

Full Text Available The Indian Purple frog, Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, occupies a basal phylogenetic position among neobatrachian anurans and has a very unusual life history. Tadpoles have a large ventral oral sucker, which they use to cling to rocks in torrents, whereas metamorphs possess adaptations for life underground. The developmental changes that underlie these shifts in habits and habitats, and especially the internal remodeling of the cranial and postcranial skeleton, are unknown. Using a nearly complete metamorphic series from free-living larva to metamorph, we describe the postembryonic skeletal ontogeny of this ancient and unique monotypic lineage. The torrent-dwelling larva possesses a dorsoventrally flattened body and a head with tiny dorsal eyes, robust lower and upper jaw cartilages, well-developed trabecular horns, and a definable gap between the trabecular horns and the tip of the snout. Unlike tadpoles of many other frogs, those of Nasikabatrachus retain larval mouthparts into late metamorphic stages. This unusual feature enables the larvae to maintain their clinging habit until near the end of metamorphosis. The subsequent ontogenetic shift from clinging to digging is correlated with rapid morphological changes and behavioral modifications. Metamorphs are equipped with a shortened tibiafibula and ossified prehallical elements, which likely facilitate initial digging using the hind limbs. Subsequently, the frogs may shift to headfirst burrowing by using the wedge-shaped skull, anteriorly positioned pectoral girdle, well-developed humeral crests and spatula-shaped forelimbs. The transition from an aquatic life in torrents to a terrestrial life underground entails dramatic changes in skeletal morphology and function that represent an extreme in metamorphic remodeling. Our analysis enhances the scope for detailed comparative studies across anurans, a group renowned for the diversity of its life history strategies.

Estimates of DNA damage by the comet assay in the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei (Anura, Eleutherodactylidae

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Laura Carolina Valencia

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to use the Comet assay to assess genetic damage in the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei. A DNA diffusion assay was used to evaluate the effectiveness of alkaline, enzymatic and alkaline/enzymatic treatments for lysing E. johnstonei blood cells and to determine the amount of DNA strand breakage associated with apoptosis and necrosis. Cell sensitivity to the mutagens bleomycin (BLM and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO was also assessed using the Comet assay, as was the assay reproducibility. Alkaline treatment did not lyse the cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes of E. johnstonei blood cells, whereas enzymatic digestion with proteinase K (40 !g/mL yielded naked nuclei. The contribution of apoptosis and necrosis (assessed by the DNA diffusion assay to DNA damage was estimated to range from 0% to 8%. BLM and 4NQO induced DNA damage in E. johnstonei blood cells at different concentrations and exposure times. Dose-effect curves with both mutagens were highly reproducible and showed consistently low coefficients of variation (CV < 10%. The results are discussed with regard to the potential use of the modified Comet assay for assessing the exposure of E. johnstonei to herbicides in ecotoxicological studies.

Estimates of DNA damage by the comet assay in the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei (Anura, Eleutherodactylidae).

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Valencia, Laura Carolina; García, Adriana; Ramírez-Pinilla, Martha Patricia; Fuentes, Jorge Luis

2011-10-01

The aim of this study was to use the Comet assay to assess genetic damage in the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei. A DNA diffusion assay was used to evaluate the effectiveness of alkaline, enzymatic and alkaline/enzymatic treatments for lysing E. johnstonei blood cells and to determine the amount of DNA strand breakage associated with apoptosis and necrosis. Cell sensitivity to the mutagens bleomycin (BLM) and 4-nitro-quinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) was also assessed using the Comet assay, as was the assay reproducibility. Alkaline treatment did not lyse the cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes of E. johnstonei blood cells, whereas enzymatic digestion with proteinase K (40 μg/mL) yielded naked nuclei. The contribution of apoptosis and necrosis (assessed by the DNA diffusion assay) to DNA damage was estimated to range from 0% to 8%. BLM and 4NQO induced DNA damage in E. johnstonei blood cells at different concentrations and exposure times. Dose-effect curves with both mutagens were highly reproducible and showed consistently low coefficients of variation (CV ≤ 10%). The results are discussed with regard to the potential use of the modified Comet assay for assessing the exposure of E. johnstonei to herbicides in ecotoxicological studies.

A New Locality for Rana ridibunda caralitana Arıkan, 1988 (Anura: Ranidae in the Central Anatolia.

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Dinçer Ayaz

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Orta Anadolu’da Rana ridibunda caralitana Arıkan, 1988 için yeni bir lokalite. Bu çalışmada, Bor (Niğde’dan toplanan 18 (10 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀ ergin ova kurbağası örneği, başta renk-desen olmak üzere yapılan morfolojik analiz sonucunda incelenmiştir. İncelenen örneklerin caralitana formuna ait olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Böylece caralitana’nın dağılış areali genişletilmiştir

The creation of voxel phantoms for the purpose of environmental dosimetry

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Caffrey, E.; Higley, K. [Oregon State University (United States)

2014-07-01

Basic geometric shapes have long been used as the standard for calculating radiation dose rates in non-human biota (NHB). Regulation standards have seen a shift recently, towards protection of NHB as its own endpoint. As such, there has been a growing interest in improving the calculations for NHB dose rates. To address calls for additional data, the development of voxelized models for the International Commission on Radiological Protection's (ICRP) twelve reference animal and plants (RAP) has been undertaken. Voxel models of a crab (Metacarcinus magister), flatfish (Pleuronectiformes), trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), worm (Lumbricina), honey bee (Apis), frog (Anura), and rat, (Rattus) have been created to date. The purpose of this submission is to describe the processes of creating these voxel phantoms from radiological imaging data (i.e., Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), etc.). CT/MRI images of the organism are obtained and uploaded into a software package capable of segmenting the images (3D Doctor was used for the crab, flatfish, trout, worm, and honey bee). On each image slice, individual organs and other relevant anatomical features (e.g. bones or other structural tissues) are identified and segmented. Once segmentation is complete, a boundary file that describes the positioning of the organs and tissues in lattice geometry format is exported into software called Voxelizer, created by the Human Monitoring Laboratory of Canada. This software writes the boundary file geometry into an input file for Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) based simulations. The user can then add appropriate materials, densities, and a desired source term. These simulations yield absorbed fraction (AF) values that are used in subsequent dose calculations with environmental concentration data. AFs are now available for the crab, flatfish, trout, worm, and honey bee at twelve photon and nine electron energies, consistent with ICRP AFs for human dosimetry

Responses of terrestrial herpetofauna to persistent, novel ecosystems resulting from mountaintop removal mining

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Williams, Jennifer M.; Brown, Donald J.; Wood, Petra B.

2017-01-01

Mountaintop removal mining is a large-scale surface mining technique that removes entire floral and faunal communities, along with soil horizons located above coal seams. In West Virginia, the majority of this mining occurs on forested mountaintops. However, after mining ceases the land is typically reclaimed to grasslands and shrublands, resulting in novel ecosystems. In this study, we examined responses of herpetofauna to these novel ecosystems 10–28 y postreclamation. We quantified differences in species-specific habitat associations, (sub)order-level abundances, and habitat characteristics in four habitat types: reclaimed grassland, reclaimed shrubland, forest fragments in mined areas, and nonmined intact forest. Habitat type accounted for 33.2% of the variation in species-specific captures. With few exceptions, forest specialists were associated with intact forest and fragmented forest sites, while habitat generalists were either associated with grassland and shrubland sites or were distributed among all habitat types. At the (sub)order level, salamander (Order Urodela) captures were highest at fragmented and intact forest sites, frog and toad (Order Anura) captures were lowest at intact forest sites, and snake (Suborder Serpentes) captures were highest at shrubland sites. Habitat type was a strong predictor for estimated total abundance of urodeles, but not for anurans or snakes. Tree stem densities in grasslands differed from the other three habitat types, and large trees (>38 cm diameter at breast height) were only present at forest sites. Overstory vegetation cover was greater in forested than in reclaimed habitat types. Ground cover in reclaimed grasslands was distinct from forest treatments with generally less woody debris and litter cover and more vegetative cover. It is important to consider the distributions of habitat specialists of conservation concern when delineating potential mountaintop mine sites, as these sites will likely contain unsuitable

Phylogeny of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) based on complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear RAG1.

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San Mauro, Diego; Gower, David J; Oommen, Oommen V; Wilkinson, Mark; Zardoya, Rafael

2004-11-01

We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial (mt) genome of five individual caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) representing five of the six recognized families: Rhinatrema bivittatum (Rhinatrematidae), Ichthyophis glutinosus (Ichthyophiidae), Uraeotyphlus cf. oxyurus (Uraeotyphlidae), Scolecomorphus vittatus (Scolecomorphidae), and Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Caeciliidae). The organization and size of these newly determined mitogenomes are similar to those previously reported for the caecilian Typhlonectes natans (Typhlonectidae), and for other vertebrates. Nucleotide sequences of the nuclear RAG1 gene were also determined for these six species of caecilians, and the salamander Mertensiella luschani atifi. RAG1 (both at the amino acid and nucleotide level) shows slower rates of evolution than almost all mt protein-coding genes (at the amino acid level). The new mt and nuclear sequences were compared with data for other amphibians and subjected to separate and combined phylogenetic analyses (Maximum Parsimony, Minimum Evolution, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Inference). All analyses strongly support the monophyly of the three amphibian Orders. The Batrachia hypothesis (Gymnophiona, (Anura, Caudata) receives moderate or good support depending on the method of analysis. Within Gymnophiona, the optimal tree (Rhinatrema, (Ichthyophis, Uraeotyphlus), (Scolecomorphus, (Gegeneophis Typhlonectes) agrees with the most recent morphological and molecular studies. The sister group relationship between Rhinatrematidae and all other caecilians, that between Ichthyophiidae and Uraeotyphlidae, and the monophyly of the higher caecilians Scolecomorphidae+Caeciliidae+Typhlonectidae, are strongly supported, whereas the relationships among the higher caecilians are less unambiguously resolved. Analysis of RAG1 is affected by a spurious local rooting problem and associated low support that is ameliorated when outgroups are excluded. Comparisons of trees using the

Impacts of UVB radiation on food consumption of forest specialist tadpoles.

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Londero, James Eduardo Lago; Dos Santos, Caroline Peripolli; Segatto, Ana Lúcia Anversa; Passaglia Schuch, André

2017-09-01

Solar ultraviolet radiation B (UVB) is an important environmental stressor for amphibian populations due to its genotoxicity, especially in early developmental stages. Nonetheless, there is an absence of works focused on the UVB effects on tadpoles' food consumption efficiency. In this work, we investigated the effects of the exposure to a low environmental-simulated dose of UVB radiation on food consumption of tadpoles of the forest specialist Hypsiboas curupi [Hylidae, Anura] species. After UVB treatment tadpoles were divided and exposed to a visible light source or kept in the dark, in order to indirectly evaluate the efficiency of DNA repair performed by photolyases and nucleotide excision repair (NER), respectively. The body mass and the amount of food in tadpoles' guts were verified in both conditions and these data were complemented by the micronuclei frequency in blood cells. Furthermore, the keratinized labial tooth rows were analyzed in order to check for possible UVB-induced damage in this structure. Our results clearly show that the body weight decrease induced by UVB radiation occurs due to the reduction of tadpoles' food consumption. This behavior is directly correlated with the genotoxic impact of UVB light, since the micronuclei frequency significantly increased after treatments. Surprisingly, the results indicate that photoreactivation treatment was ineffective to restore the food consumption activity and body weight values, suggesting a low efficiency of photolyases enzymes in this species. In addition, UVB treatments induced a higher number of breaks in the keratinized labial tooth rows, which could be also associated with the decrease of food consumption. This work contributes to better understand the process of weight loss observed in tadpoles exposed to UVB radiation and emphasizes the susceptibility of forest specialist amphibian species to sunlight-induced genotoxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Studying the evolutionary significance of thermal adaptation in ectotherms: The diversification of amphibians' energetics.

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Nespolo, Roberto F; Figueroa, Julio; Solano-Iguaran, Jaiber J

2017-08-01

A fundamental problem in evolutionary biology is the understanding of the factors that promote or constrain adaptive evolution, and assessing the role of natural selection in this process. Here, comparative phylogenetics, that is, using phylogenetic information and traits to infer evolutionary processes has been a major paradigm . In this study, we discuss Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models (OU) in the context of thermal adaptation in ectotherms. We specifically applied this approach to study amphibians's evolution and energy metabolism. It has been hypothesized that amphibians exploit adaptive zones characterized by low energy expenditure, which generate specific predictions in terms of the patterns of diversification in standard metabolic rate (SMR). We complied whole-animal metabolic rates for 122 species of amphibians, and adjusted several models of diversification. According to the adaptive zone hypothesis, we expected: (1) to find "accelerated evolution" in SMR (i.e., diversification above Brownian Motion expectations, BM), (2) that a model assuming evolutionary optima (i.e., an OU model) fits better than a white-noise model and (3) that a model assuming multiple optima (according to the three amphibians's orders) fits better than a model assuming a single optimum. As predicted, we found that the diversification of SMR occurred most of the time, above BM expectations. Also, we found that a model assuming an optimum explained the data in a better way than a white-noise model. However, we did not find evidence that an OU model with multiple optima fits the data better, suggesting a single optimum in SMR for Anura, Caudata and Gymnophiona. These results show how comparative phylogenetics could be applied for testing adaptive hypotheses regarding history and physiological performance in ectotherms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High levels of diversity uncovered in a widespread nominal taxon: continental phylogeography of the neotropical tree frog Dendropsophus minutus.

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Marcelo Gehara

Full Text Available Species distributed across vast continental areas and across major biomes provide unique model systems for studies of biotic diversification, yet also constitute daunting financial, logistic and political challenges for data collection across such regions. The tree frog Dendropsophus minutus (Anura: Hylidae is a nominal species, continentally distributed in South America, that may represent a complex of multiple species, each with a more limited distribution. To understand the spatial pattern of molecular diversity throughout the range of this species complex, we obtained DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase I (COI and the 16S rhibosomal gene (16S for 407 samples of D. minutus and closely related species distributed across eleven countries, effectively comprising the entire range of the group. We performed phylogenetic and spatially explicit phylogeographic analyses to assess the genetic structure of lineages and infer ancestral areas. We found 43 statistically supported, deep mitochondrial lineages, several of which may represent currently unrecognized distinct species. One major clade, containing 25 divergent lineages, includes samples from the type locality of D. minutus. We defined that clade as the D. minutus complex. The remaining lineages together with the D. minutus complex constitute the D. minutus species group. Historical analyses support an Amazonian origin for the D. minutus species group with a subsequent dispersal to eastern Brazil where the D. minutus complex originated. According to our dataset, a total of eight mtDNA lineages have ranges >100,000 km2. One of them occupies an area of almost one million km2 encompassing multiple biomes. Our results, at a spatial scale and resolution unprecedented for a Neotropical vertebrate, confirm that widespread amphibian species occur in lowland South America, yet at the same time a large proportion of cryptic diversity still remains to be discovered.

Environmentally-relevant concentrations of atrazine induce non-monotonic acceleration of developmental rate and increased size at metamorphosis in Rhinella arenarum tadpoles.

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Brodeur, Julie C; Sassone, Alina; Hermida, Gladys N; Codugnello, Nadia

2013-06-01

Despite of the various studies reporting on the subject, anticipating the impacts of the widely-used herbicide atrazine on anuran tadpoles metamorphosis remains complex as increases or decreases of larval period duration are almost as frequently reported as an absence of effect. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of environmentally-relevant concentrations of atrazine (0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000μg/L) on the timings of metamorphosis and body size at metamorphosis in the common South American toad, Rhinella arenarum (Anura: bufonidae). None of the atrazine concentrations tested significantly altered survival. Low atrazine concentrations in the range of 1-100μg/L were found to accelerate developmental rate in a non-monotonic U-shaped concentration-response relationship. This observed acceleration of the metamorphic process occurred entirely between stages 25 and 39; treated tadpoles proceeding through metamorphosis as control animals beyond this point. Together with proceeding through metamorphosis at a faster rate, tadpoles exposed to atrazine concentrations in the range of 1-100μg/L furthermore transformed into significantly larger metamorphs than controls, the concentration-response curve taking the form of an inverted U in this case. The no observed effect concentration (NOEC) was 0.1μg atrazine/L for both size at metamorphosis and timings of metamorphosis. Tadpoles exposed to 100μg/L 17β-estradiol presented the exact same alterations of developmental rate and body size as those treated with 1, 10 and 100μg/L of atrazine. Elements of the experimental design that facilitated the detection of alterations of metamorphosis at low concentrations of atrazine are discussed, together with the ecological significance of those findings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Convergent Substitutions in a Sodium Channel Suggest Multiple Origins of Toxin Resistance in Poison Frogs.

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Tarvin, Rebecca D; Santos, Juan C; O'Connell, Lauren A; Zakon, Harold H; Cannatella, David C

2016-04-01

Complex phenotypes typically have a correspondingly multifaceted genetic component. However, the genotype-phenotype association between chemical defense and resistance is often simple: genetic changes in the binding site of a toxin alter how it affects its target. Some toxic organisms, such as poison frogs (Anura: Dendrobatidae), have defensive alkaloids that disrupt the function of ion channels, proteins that are crucial for nerve and muscle activity. Using protein-docking models, we predict that three major classes of poison frog alkaloids (histrionicotoxins, pumiliotoxins, and batrachotoxins) bind to similar sites in the highly conserved inner pore of the muscle voltage-gated sodium channel, Nav1.4. We predict that poison frogs are somewhat resistant to these compounds because they have six types of amino acid replacements in the Nav1.4 inner pore that are absent in all other frogs except for a distantly related alkaloid-defended frog from Madagascar, Mantella aurantiaca. Protein-docking models and comparative phylogenetics support the role of these replacements in alkaloid resistance. Taking into account the four independent origins of chemical defense in Dendrobatidae, phylogenetic patterns of the amino acid replacements suggest that 1) alkaloid resistance in Nav1.4 evolved independently at least seven times in these frogs, 2) variation in resistance-conferring replacements is likely a result of differences in alkaloid exposure across species, and 3) functional constraint shapes the evolution of the Nav1.4 inner pore. Our study is the first to demonstrate the genetic basis of autoresistance in frogs with alkaloid defenses. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Seasonal maturation of Glypthelmins vitellinophilum (Trematoda: Digenea in Lysapsus limellus (Anura: Pseudidae from an Argentinian subtropical permanent pond Maturação sazonal de Glypthelmins vitellinophilum (Trematoda: Digenea em Lysapsus limellus (Anura: Pseudidae em uma lagoa permanente subtropical da Argentina

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M. I. Hamann

2006-02-01

Full Text Available From December 1995 to November 2000, the seasonal maturation of Glypthelmins vitellinophilum Dobbin, 1958, in its definitive host, the frog Lysapsus limellus Cope, 1862, was studied in a subtropical permanent pond in northeastern Argentina. The objectives of this study were: 1 to determine the infrapopulation dynamics of the parasite, analyzing the seasonal maturation cycle throughout the years; and 2 to examine the relationship between the intensity of trematode infection in different developmental stages (recruitment, growth and maturation and the host's body length. Of a total of 1,400 frogs examined over 60 months (5 years, 38% were found to be infected with G. vitellinophilum, and the intensity of infection was 1-15 trematodes per frog. Specimens of G. vitellinophilum were present in L. limellus throughout the years, but did not show a pronounced seasonal maturation cycle. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed with reference to climatic fluctuations and biotic factors. The infective period of the parasite (stage I occurred in summer, autumn and spring, coinciding with the time each frog cohort appeared. These infections were found principally in small body sizes (classes 1 and 2 of L. limellus. Juvenile and nongravid specimens of worms (stage II and III were found in frogs of different body sizes throughout the period of investigation. Gravid specimens of the parasite (stage IV were generally recorded in autumn, winter and spring, mainly in the bodies of larger frogs. The body length of Trematodes in stages I and IV was significantly and positively correlated with that of the frogs.De dezembro de 1995 a novembro de 2000, a maturação sazonal de Glypthelmins vitellinophilum Dobbin, 1958, em seu hospedeiro definitivo, a rã Lysapsus limellus Cope, 1862, foi estudada em uma lagoa permanente subtropical no nordeste da Argentina. Os objetivos deste estudo foram: 1 determinar a dinâmica de infrapopulação do parasita, analisando o ciclo de maturação sazonal ao longo dos anos; e 2 examinar a relação entre intensidade de infecção do trematódeo em diferentes estádios do desenvolvimento (recrutamento, crescimento e maturação e o comprimento de corpo da rã. De 1.400 espécimens de rãs em 60 meses (5 anos, foram achados 38% infetados com G. vitellinophilum, e a intensidade de infecção era 1-15 trematódeos por rã. Espécimes de G. vitellinophilum estavam presentes em L. limellus ao longo dos anos, mas não mostraram um ciclo sazonal pronunciado de maturação. São discutidas possíveis razões para estes resultados com referência a flutuações climáticas e fatores bióticos. O período infectante do parasita (estádio I aconteceu no verão, outono e primavera, coincidentemente com o tempo de aparecimento de cada corte das rãs. Estas infecções eram principalmente registradas em tamanhos de corpo pequenos (classes 1 e 2 de L. limellus. Espécimes de parasitas juvenis e não grávidas (estádios II e III eram encontradas em diferentes tamanhos de rãs ao longo do período de investigação. Espécimes de parasitas grávidas (estádio IV eram geralmente registradas no outono, inverno e primavera, principalmente nos tamanhos de corpo maiores de rãs. O comprimento de corpo do trematódeo dos estádios I e IV eram significativa e positivamente correlatos com o comprimento de corpo da rã.

The diet of Scinax angrensis (Lutz tadpoles in an area of the Atlantic Forest (Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae Dieta de girinos de Scinax angrensis (Lutz na Floresta Atlântica (Mangaratiba, Rio deJaneiro (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae

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Izidro F. de Sousa Filho

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Scinax angrensis (Lutz, 1973 is an endemic species, which occurs in low altitude hillside forests, distributed from the municipalities of Mangaratiba to Parati in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The aim of this study was to compare the morphology of S. angrensis tadpoles in two different stages of development, and verify their feeding spectrum. The mouth morphology of the two stages studied (27 and 37 appeared similar, with a difference in the size of the oral opening as well as an increase in the dimensions of the body. The examined species presented a trophic spectrum comprised of algae, protozoan, rotifers, microcrustaceans, nematodes, vegetation and invertebrate remains, fungus hyphae, and sand grains. Significant differences were found between dimensions of the two stages, but not between diets, although a differentiated preference with regards to planktonic items has been verified. The results suggest that the partitioning of feeding resources is not only related to morphology and occupation of different microhabitats but also to the feeding behaviour of tadpoles. The relevance of important food items to the natural diet of S. angrensis tadpoles, especially the diatoms and filamentous algae, reveal the importance of the periphytic community to the conservation of this species in the Atlantic Forest.Scinax angrensis (Lutz, 1973 é uma espécie endêmica ocorrendo em florestas de encosta de baixa altitude, no sul do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. O objetivo do presente estudo foi o de comparar a morfologia e verificar o espectro alimentar de girinos de S. angrensis de dois estágios diferenciados de desenvolvimento. A morfologia bucal dos dois estágios (27 e 37 apresentou-se similar, havendo diferença de tamanho da abertura oral, bem como aumento das dimensões do corpo e da cauda. A espécie examinada apresentou um espectro trófico integrado por algas, protozoários, rotíferos, microcrustáceos, nematódeos, restos de vegetais e de invertebrados, hifas de fungo e grãos de areia. Foram verificadas diferenças significativas entre as dimensões dos dois estágios, embora não se tenha encontrado uma diferença significativa entre as dietas, apesar de se ter observado uma preferência diferenciada por itens planctônicos. Os resultados sugerem que a partilha de recursos alimentares está relacionada não só com a morfologia e ocupação de diferentes microhábitats, mas também ao comportamento alimentar dos girinos. A relevância de itens importantes para a dieta natural dos girinos de S. angrensis, especialmente as algas diatomáceas e filamentosas, revela a importância da comunidade perifítica para a conservação desta espécie de anuro na Mata Atlântica.

Pigmentação testicular em Physalaemus nattereri (Steindachner (Amphibia, Anura com observações anatômicas sobre o sistema pigmentar extracutâneo Testicular pigmentation in Physalaemus nattereri (Steindachner (Amphibia, Anura with anatomical observations on the extracutaneous pigmentary system

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Classius de Oliveira

2005-06-01

Full Text Available O presente estudo foi realizado com o intuito de relatar a ocorrência e morfologia de células pigmentares viscerais constituintes do "sistema pigmentar extracutâneo" em Physalaemus nattereri (Steindachner, 1863 (Leptodactylidae. Foram utilizados dez exemplares machos para a análise macroscópica e obtenção de fragmentos testiculares incluídos em resina e corados com H/E. Os anuros, dentre outros animais exotérmicos, possuem células especiais, os melanócitos, que se caracteriza por intensa pigmentação e sintetiza melanina, além de melanomacrófagos, que se caracteriza por atividade fagocítica e muitas vezes apresentam intensa pigmentação. A nomenclatura destas células não é consensual e, por isso, várias denominações são apresentadas, principalmente nos seguintes órgãos: fígado (como sinônimo de células de Kupffer, rins, baço e menos freqüentemente em outras localizações, com os termos - células pigmentares, células pigmentares extracutâneas, macrófagos pigmentados, melanomacrófagos, melanófagos, melanóforos e melanócitos. Para os anuros os estudos são recentes e relatam células pigmentares em poucas espécies. Em Physalaemus nattereri e alguns anuros, os pigmentos melânicos são encontrados, além da cútis, em outros órgãos constituindo um sistema pigmentar extracutâneo, com diferentes ocorrências, tipos e quantidade em distintas espécies. Associados ao aparelho reprodutor de P. nattereri, os melanócitos foram observados nas gônadas, na albugínea e no interstício, especialmente associado com vasos sangüíneos. A notória presença de numerosas células com pigmento distribuídas no testículo confere uma coloração que varia do preto mesclado com branco ao preto intenso. Trata-se de uma rara peculiaridade e não há informações sobre seu significado funcional ou valor biológico.The testes in the anurans are paired ovoid organs constituted by seminiferous structures surrounded by the fibrous connective tissue, commonly unprovided of pigments. This study tried to analyze the morphological characteristics of rare and conspicuous pigment-containing cells and their relationship with other structures. The pigment cells are variously and indistinctly also termed Kuppfer cells in the liver, pigment cells, extracutaneous pigment cells, pigmented macrophages, melanomacrophages, melanophage, melanophores and melanocytes in the liver, spleen and kidney and other visceral structures of exothermic vertebrates. Ten male samples of Physalaemus nattereri (Steindachner, 1863 (Leptodactylidae were used. After macroscopic analyses, the testicular fragments were submitted to the histological routine, fixed with karnovisky, embedded Historesin and coloration with Haematoxylin/Eosin. A rare peculiarity was the presence of numerous pigment-containing cells (melanocytes randomly distributed in the albuginea tunic and testicular interstitium, giving the testes a dark brown coloration. This unusual characteristic has been rarely described and in other lower vertebrates, the pigment cells can be found in different organs, constituting an extracutaneous pigmentary system of unknown function. Further, it was identified a conspicuous variation, as to presence and distribution pattern due to possible species-specific aspects. However, histologically there is no difference in the germ epithelium arrangement. Between the seminiferous locules, there is an inter-locular tissue composed by Leydig interstitial cells, fibroblasts, efferent ductules, melanocytes and blood vessels. This inter-locular tissue is relatively scarce, presenting melanocytes in all specimens analyzed intimate associated with blood vessels. They are irregular cells with numerous melanosomes and long cytoplasmic processes.

Dispersión de la rana toro, Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw 1802 (Anura: Ranidae, en el estado Mérida, Venezuela, entre 2005-2013 | Dispersal of bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw 1802 (Anura: Ranidae in Mérida state, Venezuela, between 2005 and 2013

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Francisco Nava-González

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus, is one of the one hundred worst invasive species in the world. Its introduction into the Venezuelan Andes is worrying due to the large number of endemic species that could be affected by its presence. We examined the dispersal of Lithobates catesbeianus in western Venezuela to identify the areas where follow-up and control are a priority to avoid further invasion. Based on data on absence and presence of the bullfrog, we updated its distribution and compared it to records from 2005 (46.001 km2 and 2010 (53.502 km2. The area invaded by 2013 was 76.417 km2, 1.6 times the distribution in 2005, growing at a rate of 3,041 km2 per year. Factors such as inclination of the terrain, presence of forests and bodies of fast moving water could be acting as barriers to further dispersal. Taking into account that the distribution of this species in Venezuela by 2013 was limited to the basins of the rivers Capazón, Las González and Quebrada La Sucia in Mérida state; the regions at the greatest risk of being invaded due to natural dispersal are downriver from these bodies of water. However, the risk of invasion exists due to human introduction in nearby areas similar to those currently inhabitedby the bullfrog. Our recommendations are the conservation and reforestation of forests in the area, the creation of early warning protocols for the areas at greatest risk of invasion, and the continuation of measures prohibiting the transportation of bullfrogs outside of their current distribution.

Current knowledge on bioacoustics of the subfamily Lophyohylinae (Hylidae, Anura and description of Ocellated treefrog Itapotihyla langsdorffii vocalizations

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Lucas Rodriguez Forti

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background Anuran vocalizations, such as advertisement and release calls, are informative for taxonomy because species recognition can be based on those signals. Thus, a proper acoustic description of the calls may support taxonomic decisions and may contribute to knowledge about amphibian phylogeny. Methods Here we present a perspective on advertisement call descriptions of the frog subfamily Lophyohylinae, through a literature review and a spatial analysis presenting bioacoustic coldspots (sites with high diversity of species lacking advertisement call descriptions for this taxonomic group. Additionally, we describe the advertisement and release calls of the still poorly known treefrog, Itapotihyla langsdorffii. We analyzed recordings of six males using the software Raven Pro 1.4 and calculated the coefficient of variation for classifying static and dynamic acoustic properties. Results and Discussion We found that more than half of the species within the subfamily do not have their vocalizations described yet. Most of these species are distributed in the western and northern Amazon, where recording sampling effort should be strengthened in order to fill these gaps. The advertisement call of I. langsdorffii is composed of 3–18 short unpulsed notes (mean of 13 ms long, presents harmonic structure, and has a peak dominant frequency of about 1.4 kHz. This call usually presents amplitude modulation, with decreasing intensity along the sequence of notes. The release call is a simple unpulsed note with an average duration of 9 ms, and peak dominant frequency around 1.8 kHz. Temporal properties presented higher variations than spectral properties at both intra- and inter-individual levels. However, only peak dominant frequency was static at intra-individual level. High variability in temporal properties and lower variations related to spectral ones is usual for anurans; The first set of variables is determined by social environment or temperature, while the second is usually related to species-recognition process. Here we review and expand the acoustic knowledge of the subfamily Lophyohylinae, highlighting areas and species for future research.

Is the red spotted green frog Hypsiboas punctatus (Anura: Hylidae) selecting its preys? The importance of prey availability.

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López, Javier A; Scarabotti, Pablo A; Medrano, María C; Ghirardi, Romina

2009-09-01

The study of the feeding ecology of amphibians is an old issue in herpetology. Notwithstanding, the lack of food resources data in many studies of amphibians feeding has lead to partial understanding of frog feeding strategies. In this study we evaluate the trophic selectivity of a red spotted green frog (Hypsiboas punctatus) population from a Middle Paraná River floodplain pond in Argentina, and discuss the importance of prey availability data when interpreting results from diet analysis. We analyzed the gut contents of 47 H. punctatus adults and compared frog's diet with the environmental food resources. Prey availability was estimated by systematically seep-netting the microhabitat where anurans were localized foraging. We identified 33 taxonomic categories from gastrointestinal contents. Numerically, the most important prey categories were dipterans, followed by hemipterans, homopterans and coleopterans. The diet similarity between males and females was high and no statistical differences in diet composition were found. The most abundant food resources in the environment were dipterans, coleopterans, homopterans and collembolans. In order to assess whether frogs were selecting their preys, we calculated Pianka's niche overlap index and Jacobs' electivity index comparing gut contents to prey availability data. Trophic niche overlap was medium but significantly higher than expected by chance. The electivity index indicated that H. punctatus foraged dipterans slightly above their environmental abundance. Among the secondary preys, hemipterans were foraged selectively, homopterans were consumed in the same proportion to their occurrence in the environment, coleopterans were foraged quite under their availability and collembolans were practically ignored by frogs. Without food resources data, H. punctatus could be classified as a specialist feeder, but dipterans also were quite abundant in the environment. Our results show that H. punctatus fit better as a generalist feeder, foraging on their main food item and some secondary preys in similar proportion to their environmental availability; even though other secondary preys are being selectively preferred or ignored by frogs. Our data illustrate the importance of including the resource availability data on diet studies to improve the understanding of amphibian feeding ecology.

Dressed in black. A New Ansonia Stoliczka, 1870 (Lissamphibia: Anura: Bufonidae) from Gunung Murud, Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo).

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Hertwig, Stefan T; Min, Pui Yong; Haas, Alexander; Das, Indraneil

2014-06-10

A new species of stream toad of the genus Ansonia is described from Gunung Murud, Pulong Tau National Park, of northern Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo. Ansonia vidua, sp. nov., is morphologically distinguished from its Bornean congeners by the following combination of characters: medium size (SVL of adult females 33.5-34.4 mm); body uniformly black-brown in life; absence of a visible pattern on dorsum or limbs; presence of two low interorbital ridges; shagreened skin on dorsum, sides and upper surfaces of the limbs with numerous homogeneously small, rounded warts; first finger shorter than second; reduced webbing between the toes and an absence of a sharp tarsal ridge. Uncorrected genetic distances between related taxa of > 4.3% in 16S rRNA gene support its status as a hitherto undescribed species.

Tadpole morphology of Leptodactylus plaumanni (Anura: Leptodactylidae, with comments on the phylogenetic significance of larval characters in Leptodactylus

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Jimena R. Grosso

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper I summarize the morphology of the Leptodactylus plaumanni tadpoles, describing the external morphology, buccal cavity, and cranial skeleton and associated muscles. A distinctive combination of traits include the truncated snout in dorsal view, dorsal fin originated anterior to the body-tail junction, submarginal papillae present in some specimens, two slight indentations in the lower lip, ceratobranchial III free from the hypobranchial plate, small ventrolateral projections of the corpus of the suprarostral cartilage, m. subarcualis rectus I with three heads, and m. subarcualis rectus II-IV inserting in ceratobranchial I and connective tissue between branchial processes II and III. The buccal cavity shares the typical features in species of the group, namely four lingual papillae, two pairs of infralabial papillae, two postnarial papillae, and one pair of not branched lateral ridge papillae. Attending to the increasing role of larval characters in phylogenetic analyses, further research is needed to understand the evolution of tadpole morphology in this genus.

Systematics of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus species complex (Anura: Hylidae): Cryptic diversity and the description of two new species

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Caminer, Marcel A.; Milá, Borja; Jansen, Martin; Fouquet, Antoine; Venegas, Pablo J.; Chávez, Germán; Lougheed, Stephen C.

2017-01-01

Genetic data in studies of systematics of Amazonian amphibians frequently reveal that purportedly widespread single species in reality comprise species complexes. This means that real species richness may be significantly higher than current estimates. Here we combine genetic, morphological, and bioacoustic data to assess the phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries of two Amazonian species of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus species group: D. leucophyllatus and D. triangulum. Our results uncovered the existence of five confirmed and four unconfirmed candidate species. Among the confirmed candidate species, three have available names: Dendropsophus leucophyllatus, Dendropsophus triangulum, and Dendropsophus reticulatus, this last being removed from the synonymy of D. triangulum. A neotype of D. leucophyllatus is designated. We describe the remaining two confirmed candidate species, one from Bolivia and another from Peru. All confirmed candidate species are morphologically distinct and have much smaller geographic ranges than those previously reported for D. leucophyllatus and D. triangulum sensu lato. Dendropsophus leucophyllatus sensu stricto occurs in the Guianan region. Dendropsophus reticulatus comb. nov. corresponds to populations in the Amazon basin of Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru previously referred to as D. triangulum. Dendropsophus triangulum sensu stricto is the most widely distributed species; it occurs in Amazonian Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, reaching the state of Pará. We provide accounts for all described species including an assessment of their conservation status. PMID:28248998

The advertisement call of Centrolene notostictum (Anura, Centrolenidae) with a new record of geographic distribution in Tolima, Colombia.

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Viuche-Lozano, Andres; Enciso-Calle, Maria Paula; Bernal, Manuel Hernando

2018-02-05

Centrolene notostictum Ruiz-Carranza Lynch,1991 is a glassfrog known from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia-in the Departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Norte de Santander and Santander (Frost 2017)-and the Venezuelan versant of the Sierra de Perijá (Rojas et al. 2012) from 1600 to 2440 masl. Although males have been found calling on the upper surface of the leaves of ferns and Heliconeaceae on the margins of a small fast-flowing stream (Rojas et al. 2012), no quantitative description of the advertisement call of C. notostictum is currently available. During fieldwork in the Galilea Natural Forest (on the western slope of Cordillera Oriental in the municipality of Villarrica, department of Tolima, Colombia) in 2016 and 2017, we found three vocalizing males of C. notostictum. Herein, we report the first geographic record of this species for the department of Tolima and describe its previously unknown advertisement call.

Multilocus Phylogeography of the Treefrog Scinax eurydice (Anura, Hylidae) Reveals a Plio-Pleistocene Diversification in the Atlantic Forest

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Menezes, Lucas; Canedo, Clarissa; Batalha-Filho, Henrique; Garda, Adrian Antonio; Gehara, Marcelo; Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras

2016-01-01

We aim to evaluate the genetic structure of an Atlantic Forest amphibian species, Scinax eurydice, testing the congruence among patterns identified and proposed by the literature for Pleistocene refugia, microrefugia, and geographic barriers to gene flow such as major rivers. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate predictions of such barriers and refugia on the genetic structure of the species, such as presence/absence of dispersal, timing since separation, and population expansions/contractions. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers on 94 tissue samples from 41 localities. We inferred a gene tree and estimated genetic distances using mtDNA sequences. We then ran population clustering and assignment methods, AMOVA, and estimated migration rates among populations identified through mtDNA and nDNA analyses. We used a dated species tree, skyline plots, and summary statistics to evaluate concordance between population’s distributions and geographic barriers and Pleistocene refugia. Scinax eurydice showed high mtDNA divergences and four clearly distinct mtDNA lineages. Species tree and population assignment tests supported the existence of two major clades corresponding to northeastern and southeastern Atlantic Forest in Brazil, each one composed of two other clades. Lineage splitting events occurred from late Pliocene to Pleistocene. We identified demographic expansions in two clades, and inexistent to low levels of migrations among different populations. Genetic patterns and demographic data support the existence of two northern Refuge and corroborate microrefugia south of the Doce/Jequitinhonha Rivers biogeographic divide. The results agree with a scenario of recent demographic expansion of lowland taxa. Scinax eurydice comprises a species complex, harboring undescribed taxa consistent with Pleistocene refugia. Two rivers lie at the boundaries among populations and endorse their role as secondary barriers to gene flow. PMID:27248688

Feeding pattern and use of reproductive habitat of the Striped toad Rhinella crucifer (Anura: Bufonidae from Southeastern Brazil

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Rodrigo B. Ferreira

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Diet composition, foraging mode, and using of reproductive habitat of Rhinella crucifer was studied in an artificial pond in Espírito Santo, Brazil. The favored substrate was leaf litter, followed by Cyperaceae/Poaceae. Calling sites, preferred for 23.3 % (n = 7 of the observed toads, were within the water, with only the head not submerged. We analyzed a total of 61 specimens, mainly males (98.5% male and 1.5% female. Seven categories of prey were found in the stomach contents: Coleoptera, Hymenoptera (Formicidae, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Gastropoda (Mollusca, Opilionida (Arachnida. Our studies indicate that the diet of Rhinella crucifer consists mainly of terrestrial colonial arthropods. Formicidae was the predominant food item in frequency of occurrence, number of prey and weight. Isoptera and Coleoptera were also relevant in terms of weight. Neither large ontogenetic dietary nor seasonal shifts were observed in the population studied. Our results suggest that no intraspecific food resource partitioning occurs in adult or juveniles. Rhinella crucifer adults avoid competition inhabiting different home range habitats and seem to be ant-specialist with a wide foraging mode.

Variation of thermal parameters in two different color morphs of a diurnal poison toad, Melanophryniscus rubriventris (Anura: Bufonidae).

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Sanabria, Eduardo A; Vaira, Marcos; Quiroga, Lorena B; Akmentins, Mauricio S; Pereyra, Laura C

2014-04-01

We study the variation in thermal parameters in two contrasting populations Yungas Redbelly Toads (Melanophryniscus rubriventris) with different discrete color phenotypes comparing field body temperatures, critical thermal maximum and heating rates. We found significant differences in field body temperatures of the different morphs. Temperatures were higher in toads with a high extent of dorsal melanization. No variation was registered in operative temperatures between the study locations at the moment of capture and processing. Critical thermal maximum of toads was positively related with the extent of dorsal melanization. Furthermore, we founded significant differences in heating rates between morphs, where individuals with a high extent of dorsal melanization showed greater heating rates than toads with lower dorsal melanization. The color pattern-thermal parameter relationship observed may influence the activity patterns and body size of individuals. Body temperature is a modulator of physiological and behavioral functions in amphibians, influencing daily and seasonal activity, locomotor performance, digestion rate and growth rate. It is possible that some growth constraints may arise due to the relationship of color pattern-metabolism allowing different morphs to attain similar sizes at different locations instead of body-size clines. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Diversification in a biodiversity hotspot--the evolution of Southeast Asian rhacophorid tree frogs on Borneo (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae).

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Hertwig, Stefan T; Schweizer, Manuel; Das, Indraneil; Haas, Alexander

2013-09-01

The tree-frog family Rhacophoridae is a major group contributing to the high pecies richness and reproductive diversity among vertebrates of Sundaland. Nonetheless, rhacophorid evolution, specially on Borneo, has not been studied within a phylogenetic context. In this study, we examine the phylogenetic relationships of 38 (out of 41) Bornean species of Rhacophoridae, in combination with data from previous phylogenetic studies. In the final super matrix of 91 species, we analyse sequence data from two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes. The resulting trees show the genus Rhacophorus as a paraphyletic assemblage. As a consequence, we transfer Rhacophorus appendiculatus and R. kajau to two other genera and propose the new phylogeny-based combinations--Kurixalus appendiculatus and Feihyla kajau, respectively. Furthermore, we use our phylogenetic hypotheses to reconstruct the evolution of reproductive modes in rhacophorid tree frogs. Direct development to the exclusion of a free larval stage evolved twice independently, once in an ancestor of the Pseudophilautus+Raorchestes clade in India and Sri Lanka, and once within Philautus in Southeast Asia. The deposition of egg clutches covered by a layer of jelly in Feihyla is also present in F. kajau and thus confirms our generic reassignment. The remarkably high diversity of rhacophorid tree frogs on Borneo is the outcome of a complex pattern of repeated vicariance and dispersal events caused by past changes in the climatic and geological history of the Sunda shelf. We identified geographic clades of closely related endemic species within Rhacophorus and Philautus, which result from local island radiations on Borneo. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ecological aspects of the casque-headed frog Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura, Hylidae in a Restinga habitat in southeastern Brazil

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Daniel Oliveira Mesquita

2004-09-01

Full Text Available We describe some aspects of the ecology of Aparasphenodon brunoi, a species associated with bromeliads. We comment on the relationships of this species with bromeliad size, microhabitat use, diet and sexual dimorphism. This study was conducted on a Restinga habitat near Presidente Kennedy, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern coast of Brazil. When the animals were found inside the bromeliads, we measure bromeliad and head size of frogs. We analyzed stomach contents and determined the sex and reproductive condition. We found 17 individuals (58.6% in bromeliad leafs, six (20.7% in Cactaceae, three (10.3% in liana and three (10.3% on trunks. The correlation between head measurements and bromeliad size were high, indicating that animals apparently use bromeliads based on their size, which could be related to the minimization of water loss. The most common prey items were beetles, ants, and insect larvae, suggesting that the species is relatively generalist in prey consumption. Aparasphenodon brunoi showed significant sexual size and shape dimorphism with females having larger bodies than males (size and females having tibia, eye diameter and SVL larger than males (shape, but larger sample size and more detailed ecological and life history data are needed to elucidate the factors that have led to sexual size dimorphism.

Evidence from peptidomic analysis of skin secretions that allopatric populations of Xenopus gilli (Anura:Pipidae) constitute distinct lineages.

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Conlon, J Michael; Mechkarska, Milena; Coquet, Laurent; Leprince, Jérôme; Jouenne, Thierry; Vaudry, Hubert; Measey, G John

2015-01-01

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Endangered Cape Platanna Xenopus gilli inhabits disjunct ranges at the tip of Cape Peninsula and near the town of Kleinmond on opposite sides of False Bay in the extreme southwest of Africa. Peptidomic analysis of host-defense peptides in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from frogs from the Cape Peninsula range resulted in the identification of two magainins, two peptide glycine-leucine-amide (PGLa) peptides, two xenopsin-precursor fragment (XPF) peptides, nine caerulein-precursor fragment (CPF) peptides, and a peptide related to peptide glycine-glutamine (PGQ) previously found in an extract of Xenopus laevis stomach. The primary structures of the peptides indicate a close phylogenetic relationship between X. gilli and X. laevis but only magainin-1, PGLa and one CPF peptide are identical in both species. Consistent with previous data, the CPF peptides show the greatest antimicrobial potency but are hemolytic. There are appreciable differences in the expression of host-defense peptide genes in frogs from the population of animals sampled near Kleinmond as peptides corresponding to magainin-G2, XPF-G1, XPF-G2, and four CPF peptides, present in secretions from the Cape Peninsula frogs, were not identified in the skin secretions from Kleinmond frogs. Conversely, PGLa-G3, XPF-G3, and three CPF peptides were identified in the Kleinmond frogs but not in the Cape Peninsula animals. The data support the conclusion from morphometric analyses and comparisons of the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial genes that the disjunct populations of X. gilli have undergone appreciable genetic, morphological, and phenotypic divergence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The tadpole of Hypsiboas leptolineatus (Braun and Braun, 1977), a species in the Hypsiboas polytaenius clade (Anura; Hylidae)

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Both,C.; Kwet,A.; Solé,M.

2007-01-01

The larval morphology of Hypsiboas leptolineatus was studied. The tadpole has an ovoid body in lateral view, wider than deep; snout rounded with dorsal reniform nostrils; spiracle sinistral with lateral wall attached to body; anal tube dextral; tail fins convex with acuminate tip; oral disc ventral; labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1); moderately developed beaks with serrated jaw sheaths. These external oral features are compared with those of the known tadpoles in the Hypsiboas polytaenius...

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the cranial and anterior spinal nerves in early tadpoles of Xenopus laevis (Pipidae, Anura).

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Naumann, Benjamin; Olsson, Lennart

2018-04-01

Xenopus laevis is one of the most widely used model organism in neurobiology. It is therefore surprising, that no detailed and complete description of the cranial nerves exists for this species. Using classical histological sectioning in combination with fluorescent whole mount antibody staining and micro-computed tomography we prepared a detailed innervation map and a freely-rotatable three-dimensional (3D) model of the cranial nerves and anterior-most spinal nerves of early X. laevis tadpoles. Our results confirm earlier descriptions of the pre-otic cranial nerves and present the first detailed description of the post-otic cranial nerves. Tracing the innervation, we found two previously undescribed head muscles (the processo-articularis and diaphragmatico-branchialis muscles) in X. laevis. Data on the cranial nerve morphology of tadpoles are scarce, and only one other species (Discoglossus pictus) has been described in great detail. A comparison of Xenopus and Discoglossus reveals a relatively conserved pattern of the post-otic and a more variable morphology of the pre-otic cranial nerves. Furthermore, the innervation map and the 3D models presented here can serve as an easily accessible basis to identify alterations of the innervation produced by experimental studies such as genetic gain- and loss of function experiments. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Is the taxonomy of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) in need of rescue? A reply to Condez et al. (2017).

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Pie, Marcio R; Ribeiro, Luiz F; Bornschein, Marcos R

2017-11-20

Brachycephalus is a fascinating genus of miniaturized frogs endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Bornschein et al. 2016a). Given the many new species that have been recently discovered (20 species over the past 10 years [Frost 2017]) and their often microendemic distribution (see Bornschein et al. 2016a), there has been an increasing awareness about the need for more extensive field work to locate additional new species, to describe their geographical distributions, and to devise comprehensive efforts to ensure their conservation. In a recent correspondence in Zootaxa, Condez et al. (2017) singled out nine of those new species that have been described by our research group (Ribeiro et al. 2015; Pie & Ribeiro 2015; Bornschein et al. 2016b); two additional species (Ribeiro et al. 2017) were described after their paper was published. According to Condez et al. (2017), our species descriptions included "inadequate diagnoses, which lacked indispensable information for any further comparisons among species" (p. 395). Herein, we explore the extent to which their arguments would undermine the validity of those species.

Morphological and karyotypic contributions for a better taxonomic definition of the frog ischnocnema ramagii (Boulenger, 1888) (anura, brachycephalidae)

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Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras; Ananias, Fernando; Fonseca, Patricia M.; Silva, Ana Paula Z.

2009-01-01

Acesso restrito. Texto completo disponível no PORTAL de PERIÓDICOS da CAPES. p. 164-172. In this study we describe the morphological variation of Ischnocnema ramagii from a population sample within the Municipality of Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil, and characterize two extremely distinct morphotypes within this taxon (striped vs. non-striped dorsum); we describe its karyotype, and compare the karyotypic structure of the distinct morphotypes recognized herein. Specimens with str...

Molecular systematics of terraranas (Anura: Brachycephaloidea) with an assessment of the effects of alignment and optimality criteria.

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Padial, José M; Grant, Taran; Frost, Darrel R

2014-06-26

Brachycephaloidea is a monophyletic group of frogs with more than 1000 species distributed throughout the New World tropics, subtropics, and Andean regions. Recently, the group has been the target of multiple molecular phylogenetic analyses, resulting in extensive changes in its taxonomy. Here, we test previous hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships for the group by combining available molecular evidence (sequences of 22 genes representing 431 ingroup and 25 outgroup terminals) and performing a tree-alignment analysis under the parsimony optimality criterion using the program POY. To elucidate the effects of alignment and optimality criterion on phylogenetic inferences, we also used the program MAFFT to obtain a similarity-alignment for analysis under both parsimony and maximum likelihood using the programs TNT and GARLI, respectively. Although all three analytical approaches agreed on numerous points, there was also extensive disagreement. Tree-alignment under parsimony supported the monophyly of the ingroup and the sister group relationship of the monophyletic marsupial frogs (Hemiphractidae), while maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses of the MAFFT similarity-alignment did not. All three methods differed with respect to the position of Ceuthomantis smaragdinus (Ceuthomantidae), with tree-alignment using parsimony recovering this species as the sister of Pristimantis + Yunganastes. All analyses rejected the monophyly of Strabomantidae and Strabomantinae as originally defined, and the tree-alignment analysis under parsimony further rejected the recently redefined Craugastoridae and Pristimantinae. Despite the greater emphasis in the systematics literature placed on the choice of optimality criterion for evaluating trees than on the choice of method for aligning DNA sequences, we found that the topological differences attributable to the alignment method were as great as those caused by the optimality criterion. Further, the optimal tree-alignment indicates that insertions and deletions occurred in twice as many aligned positions as implied by the optimal similarity-alignment, confirming previous findings that sequence turnover through insertion and deletion events plays a greater role in molecular evolution than indicated by similarity-alignments. Our results also provide a clear empirical demonstration of the different effects of wildcard taxa produced by missing data in parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses. Specifically, maximum likelihood analyses consistently (81% bootstrap frequency) provided spurious resolution despite a lack of evidence, whereas parsimony correctly depicted the ambiguity due to missing data by collapsing unsupported nodes. We provide a new taxonomy for the group that retains previously recognized Linnaean taxa except for Ceuthomantidae, Strabomantidae, and Strabomantinae. A phenotypically diagnosable superfamily is recognized formally as Brachycephaloidea, with the informal, unranked name terrarana retained as the standard common name for these frogs. We recognize three families within Brachycephaloidea that are currently diagnosable solely on molecular grounds (Brachycephalidae, Craugastoridae, and Eleutherodactylidae), as well as five subfamilies (Craugastorinae, Eleutherodactylinae, Holoadeninae, Phyzelaphryninae, and Pristimantinae) corresponding in large part to previous families and subfamilies. Our analyses upheld the monophyly of all tested genera, but we found numerous subgeneric taxa to be non-monophyletic and modified the taxonomy accordingly.

Chromosome Banding in Amphibia. XXXVI. Multimorphic Sex Chromosomes and an Enigmatic Sex Determination in Eleutherodactylus johnstonei (Anura, Eleutherodactylidae).

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Schmid, Michael; Steinlein, Claus

2018-01-01

A detailed cytogenetic study on the leaf litter frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei from 14 different Caribbean islands and the mainlands of Venezuela and Guyana revealed the existence of multimorphic XY♂/XX♀ sex chromosomes 14. Their male sex determination and development depends either on the presence of 2 telocentric chromosomes 14 (XtYt), or on 1 submetacentric chromosome 14 (Xsm) plus 1 telocentric chromosome 14 (Yt), or on the presence of 2 submetacentric chromosomes 14 (XsmYsm). The female sex determination and development requires either the presence of 2 telocentric chromosomes 14 (XtXt) or 2 submetacentric chromosomes 14 (XsmXsm). In all individuals analyzed, the sex chromosomes 14 carry a prominent nucleolus organizer region in their long arms. An explanation is given for the origin of the (XtYt)♂, (XsmYt)♂, (XsmYsm)♂, (XtXt)♀, and (XsmXsm)♀ in the different populations of E. johnstonei. Furthermore, the present study gives detailed data on the chromosome banding patterns, in situ hybridization experiments, and the genome size of E. johnstonei. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Multilocus Phylogeography of the Treefrog Scinax eurydice (Anura, Hylidae) Reveals a Plio-Pleistocene Diversification in the Atlantic Forest.

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Menezes, Lucas; Canedo, Clarissa; Batalha-Filho, Henrique; Garda, Adrian Antonio; Gehara, Marcelo; Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras

2016-01-01

We aim to evaluate the genetic structure of an Atlantic Forest amphibian species, Scinax eurydice, testing the congruence among patterns identified and proposed by the literature for Pleistocene refugia, microrefugia, and geographic barriers to gene flow such as major rivers. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate predictions of such barriers and refugia on the genetic structure of the species, such as presence/absence of dispersal, timing since separation, and population expansions/contractions. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers on 94 tissue samples from 41 localities. We inferred a gene tree and estimated genetic distances using mtDNA sequences. We then ran population clustering and assignment methods, AMOVA, and estimated migration rates among populations identified through mtDNA and nDNA analyses. We used a dated species tree, skyline plots, and summary statistics to evaluate concordance between population's distributions and geographic barriers and Pleistocene refugia. Scinax eurydice showed high mtDNA divergences and four clearly distinct mtDNA lineages. Species tree and population assignment tests supported the existence of two major clades corresponding to northeastern and southeastern Atlantic Forest in Brazil, each one composed of two other clades. Lineage splitting events occurred from late Pliocene to Pleistocene. We identified demographic expansions in two clades, and inexistent to low levels of migrations among different populations. Genetic patterns and demographic data support the existence of two northern Refuge and corroborate microrefugia south of the Doce/Jequitinhonha Rivers biogeographic divide. The results agree with a scenario of recent demographic expansion of lowland taxa. Scinax eurydice comprises a species complex, harboring undescribed taxa consistent with Pleistocene refugia. Two rivers lie at the boundaries among populations and endorse their role as secondary barriers to gene flow.

A new species of Brachycephalus (Anura, Brachycephalidae) from the coast of Santa Catarina State, southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

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De Carli Monteiro, Juliane Petry; Condez, Thais Helena; De Anchietta Garcia, Paulo Christiano; Comitti, EstevÃo Jasper; Amaral, Ivan Borel; Haddad, CÉlio Fernando Baptista

2018-04-12

We describe a new species of Brachycephalus from municipality of São Francisco do Sul and municipality of Itapoá, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, southern Atlantic Forest. The new species is known from six localities from near sea level up to 250 meters and represents the first record of a "pumpkin-toadlet" occurring in the lowlands. Morphological traits and phylogenetic analysis of a fragment the 16S mtDNA gene place the new species in the Brachycephalus pernix group. The new species is supported by external morphology, osteology, advertisement call, and mtDNA divergence. It is characterized, among other traits by a dorsal body color dark green with a dark brown vertebral stripe, and an orange background; snout-vent length of 9.2-10.8 mm in males and 11.1-12.4 mm in females; and advertisement call short (0.02-0.03 seconds), composed of one high-frequency note (dominant frequency 6.6-7.3 kHz). We observed synchronized alternation in the emission of vocalizations among neighbor males, indicating that males of the new species are able to hear and use vocalizations to interact with each other. We provide descriptions of clutch, eggs, and juvenile and observations on parental care. The new species has not been recorded within any protected area and can be threatened by human-induced habitat loss and modification.

Revisión sobre la distribución geográfica de Physalaemus albifrons (Spix, 1824 (Anura: Leptodactylidae

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Langone, José A.

2001-09-01

Full Text Available Existen con frecuencia en la literatura neotropical, confusiones respecto a la distribución geográfica de las especies de anuros. En el caso de las confusiones del género Physalaemus fueron y son debidas a identificaciones erradas, producto de descripciones originales vagas y del difícil acceso o inexistencia de material tipo. La presente nota trata sobre una de estas confusiones.

Descrição do girino de Lysapsus laevis (Parker, com notas sobre o ambiente, hábitos e desenvolvimento (Anura, Hylidae, Pseudinae Description of the tadpole of Lysapsus laevis (Parker, with notes on the habitat, habits, and development (Anura, Hylidae, Pseudinae

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Ulisses Caramaschi

2004-09-01

Full Text Available O girino de Lysapsus laevis (Parker, 1935 é descrito e figurado, com base em exemplares coletados na Vila Surumu, Estado de Roraima, Brasil. No estágio 37, o girino possui 61,4 mm de comprimento total; corpo triangular em vista lateral, ovóide em vistas dorsal e ventral, correspondendo a 28% do comprimento total; olhos laterais, parcialmente visíveis em vistas dorsal e ventral; disco oral ânteroventral, pequeno; fórmula dentária, 2(2/3(1; espiráculo curto, sinistro; tubo anal longo, largo, direito, mediano; em vida, dorso do corpo verde, ventre branco iridescente; musculatura caudal e nadadeiras verdes; terço anterior da nadadeira caudal e tubo anal com manchas irregulares iridescentes; metade distal da cauda cinza a cinza escuro; íris bronze. Notas sobre o ambiente, hábitos e desenvolvimento são apresentadas.The tadpole of Lysapsus laevis (Parker, 1935 is described and figured, based on specimens from Vila Surumu, State of Roraima, northern Brazil. In stage 37, the tadpole attains 61.4 mm in total length; body triangular in lateral view, ovoid in dorsal and ventral views, corresponding to 28% of the total length; eyes lateral, partially visible in dorsal and ventral views; oral disc anteroventral, small; labial tooth row formula, 2(2/3(1; spiracle short, sinistral; anal tube large, wide, medium; in life, dorsum of body green, venter iridescent white; caudal musculature and fins green; anterior third of caudal fin and anal tube with irregular iridescent stains; distal half of tail gray to dark gray; iris bronze. Notes on the habitat, habits, and development are provided.

Seasonality, age structure and reproduction of Leptodactylus (Lithodytes lineatus (Anura, Leptodactylidae in Rondônia state, southwestern Amazon, Brazil Sazonalidade, estrutura etária e reprodução de Leptodactylus (Lithodytes lineatus (Anura, Leptodactylidae no estado de Rondônia, Brasil

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Paulo Sérgio Bernarde

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Leptodactylus(Lithodytes lineatus (Schneider, 1799 is an Amazonian leaf litter frog considered rare or uncommon in several studies on anuran communities. Despite being a widely distributed frog in Amazonian forests, knowledge of the biology and ecology of this species is relatively scarce. This species has been reported to live in association with leaf-cutter ant nests (Atta spp. during the breeding period. In this paper we present data on the seasonality of this species and some reproductive information gathered at a locality of Rondônia state, northwestern Brazil. Field work was carried out between April 2001 and March 2002, with the use of pitfall traps with drift fences as a survey method. Leptodactylus (L. lineatus had a higher capture frequency in this locality compared to that of other studies carried out in other Amazonian localities, possibly because this species has secretive habits, such as calling and breeding from nests of leaf-cutting ants, and are difficult to find during visual encounter surveys. The breeding period occurs between October and March. Calling males and egg-bearing females were found between September and February and juvenile recruitment occurred mainly from the end of the rainy season to the beginning of the dry season (February to June. Males and females show sexual dimorphism in SVL, females being significantly larger than males. The number of ovarian eggs per female varies from 110 to 328 and analyses indicate that there is a significant correlation with SVL.Leptodactylus(Lithodytes lineatus (Schneider, 1799 é uma espécie de anuro amazônico considerado raro ou incomum em diversos estudos de comunidades de anfíbios. Embora apresente ampla distribuição na Floresta Amazônica, conhecimento sobre a sua biologia e ecologia são escassos. Esta espécie tem sido relatada por viver em associação com ninhos de formigas cortadeiras (Atta spp. durante o período reprodutivo. Neste trabalho, nós apresentamos dados de sazonalidade e reprodução desta espécie em uma localidade do estado de Rondônia, noroeste do Brasil. Trabalhos de campo foram conduzidos de abril de 2001 a março de 2002, com o uso de armadilhas de queda com rede direcionadora. Leptodactylus (L. lineatus teve uma alta taxa de captura nesta localidade, quando comparada com outros estudos em outras localidades na Amazônia, possivelmente devido a esta espécie possuir hábitos crípticos, como vocalizar e reproduzir dentro de ninhos de formigas, e ser dificilmente encontrada durante procura visual ativa. O período reprodutivo ocorre entre outubro e março. Machos vocalizando e fêmeas ovuladas foram encontrados entre setembro e janeiro e o recrutamento de juvenis ocorreu principalmente no final do período chuvoso. Machos e fêmeas apresentaram dimorfismo sexual quanto ao comprimento rostro-cloacal (CRC, sendo as fêmeas maiores que os machos. O número de folículos ovarianos por fêmea variou de 110 a 328 e análises indicaram que existe uma correlação significativa entre este número e o CRC.

Observações sobre história natural de Zachaenus carvalhoi Izecksohn, 1983“1982” (Amphibia: Anura: Cycloramphidae

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Cássio Zandomenico Zocca

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Reportamos a densidade populacional, o comportamento parental e de defesa, aspectos da biologia reprodutiva e a estrutura do sítio de oviposição de Zachaenus carvalhoi. Amostramos 168 parcelas de 5x5 m, estabelecidas no interior florestal e nos três tipos de matrizes circundantes da Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi em Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo. A densidade populacional foi de 0,07 indivíduos/100 m2, representados por dois machos e uma fêmea, todos encontrados no interior da floresta. Um macho estava em repouso acima e o outro abaixo da camada de serrapilheira, enquanto a fêmea foi encontrada junto a 20 ovos em uma cavidade em meio a radículas e coberta por serrapilheira. A fêmea defendeu os ovos quando incomodada. Um macho encontrado inflou o corpo e exibiu reflexo parcial de Bombina como comportamentos defensivos. Essa espécie possui girinos endotróficos que completam o desenvolvimento dentro no ninho. Suspeitamos que Z. carvalhoi pode estar seriamente ameaçado em fragmentos florestais por possivelmente estar restrito às áreas florestais e pela baixa densidade populacional.

Feeding habits of the leaf litter frog Haddadus binotatus (Anura, Craugastoridae from two Atlantic Forest areas in southeastern Brazil

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LÍVIA COCO

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Haddadus binotatus is an endemic anuran of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and currently, there is no information about the diet of this species. We analyzed the diet of two populations of this anuran in two states in southeast Brazil. Samplings were carried out in 2004 in the state of Rio de Janeiro and in 2009 and 2010 in the state of Espírito Santo. Haddadus binotatus presented a rich diet composition, preying 19 prey types. Orthoptera, Coleoptera, and Blattodea were the most important preys in the Rio de Janeiro population, and Orthoptera, Araneae and Hemiptera were the most important in the Espírito Santo population. The diet composition differed numerically between the two localities, but not in terms of volume, which can reflect local differences in the prey availability in the two habitats. The jaw width limited the size of prey, which is expected for predators who swallow the preys without chewing. The proportion of individuals with empty stomachs was higher in the Rio de Janeiro population (39.2% than in the Espírito Santo population (17.9%, suggesting that the former could be in a lower energy balance. The females of the species were larger than the males, which may result from the production of larger eggs.

An addition to the diversity of dendrobatid frogs in Venezuela: description of three new collared frogs (Anura: Dendrobatidae: Mannophryne

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César Luis Barrio-Amorós

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Three new species of collared frogs of the genus Mannophryne are described from Venezuela. Two are newly discovered taxa from the Venezuelan Andes, whereas the third species, previously confused with M. trinitatis, is from the Caracas area in the Cordillera de la Costa. The call of the three new species and that of Mannophryne collaris are described. Taxonomic, zoogeographic, and conservation issues are discussed.

Population estimates of Dendrobates tinctorius (Anura: Dendrobatidae at three sites in French Guiana and first record of chytrid infection

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Elodie A. Courtois

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The Neotropics shelter the highest number of frog species on Earth and is also one of the regions where anurans are most threatened. Nonetheless, few data are available to assess the population status of Neotropical anurans. We studied three populations (Tresor, Favard, and Nouragues of the poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius, in French Guiana and used Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR to make robust estimations of the species’ density at these three sites. In addition, we assessed the prevalence of the pathogen fungal Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd in two populations (Favard and Nouragues. Based on the CMR protocol, the densities of frogs was 8.43 individuals/100 m² at Favard, 4.28 individuals/100 m² at Nouragues and from 2.30 to 4.67 individuals/100 m² at Tresor (depending on the CMR model used; these data provide a baseline for population densities of D. tinctorius in French Guiana, against which future population estimates can be compared. We found that 25 encounter events may be sufficient for stable population estimates, if the captures are concentrated in time. Bd was detected at both sites (Favard 7/152; Nouragues 3/18.

Description of the tadpoles of three rare species of megophryid frogs (Amphibia: Anura: Megophryidae) from Gunung Mulu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

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Oberhummer, Evelyne; Barten, Catherin; Schweizer, Manuel; Das, Indraneil; Haas, Alexander; Hertwig, Stefan T

2014-07-09

The megophryid frogs Leptobrachella brevicrus, Leptolalax dringi and Megophrys dringi are species exclusively known  from highly localised areas in isolated mountain ranges on Borneo. The tadpoles and adults in this study were collected at the shared type locality for the three species in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo). The species identities of larvae were determined via comparison to syntopic adults using DNA barcoding techniques based on partial 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequences. The genetic data supported the status of the three taxa as valid species. Descriptions of colouration in life and after preservation, external morphological features, morphometric measurements and ecological notes in comparison to congeneric species are supplied. The tadpoles of L. brevicrus and L. dringi show similar adaptations to a fossorial lifestyle. These include an elongated, vermiform body, a relatively long tail and small eyes. Both were found in the gravel beds of a small mountain stream. In contrast, the larvae of M. dringi are adapted to occupying and feeding at the surface of pools within the stream. 

Differential jumping performance in newly metamorphosed Blanchard's cricket frogs, Acris blanchardi (Anura: Hylidae), from fish- and invertebrate-dominated ponds

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Taylor L. Hall; Daniel Saenz; Matthew A. Kwiatkowski

2013-01-01

Organisms that adopt phenotypically plastic anti-predator strategies during larval stages may incur fitness costs later in development. These costs are typically difficult to define in many species. The difficulty identifying ecological trade-offs may result from experimental comparisons that do not adequately mirror naturally occurring predator-prey relationships. To...

Effects of prey size and foraging mode on the ontogenetic change in feeding niche ofColostethus stepheni (Anura: Dendrobatidae).

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Lima, Albertina P; Moreira, Gloria

1993-03-01

The feeding niche ofColostethus stepheni changes during ontogeny. Small individuals eat small arthropods, principally mites and collembolans, and larger frogs eat bigger prey of other types. The shift in prey types is not a passive effect of selection for bigger prey. There is a strong relationship between electivity for prey types and frog size, independent of electivity for prey size. Four indices of general activity during foraging (number of movements, velocity, total area utilized and time spent moving), which are associated with electivity for prey types in adult frogs and lizards, did not predict the ontogenetic change in the diet ofC. stepheni. Apparently, the behavioral changes that cause the ontogenetic change inC. stepheni are more subtle than shifts in general activity during foraging. Studies of niche partitioning in communities of anurans that do not take into consideration ontogenetic changes in diet and seasonal changes in the size structures of populations present a partial and possibly erroneous picture of the potential interactions among species.

The advertisement call and geographic distribution of Proceratophrys dibernardoi Brandão, Caramaschi, Vaz-Silva & Campos 2013 (Anura, Odontophrynidae).

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Ferreira, Cláudia Márcia Marily; Sugai, José Luiz Massao Moreira; DE Souza, Franco Leandro; DE Andrade, Sheila Pereira; Vaz-Silva, Wilian; Bastos, Rogério Pereira; DE Morais, Alessandro Ribeiro

2016-12-09

Proceratophrys dibernardoi Brandão, Caramaschi, Vaz-Silva & Campos 2013 has recently been described and allocated into the P. cristiceps species group, but no information about its advertisement calls has been provided (Brandão et al. 2013). Here, we describe for the first time the advertisement calls of P. dibernardoi based on specimens from Central Brazil. We also expand P. dibernardoi´s geographic distribution by reporting a new population in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, constituting the westernmost record for this species, and extending its known range approximately 330 km westward of the municipality of Aporé, State of Goiás (P. dibernardoi´s former westernmost record).

What happened in the South American Gran Chaco? Diversification of the endemic frog genus Lepidobatrachus Budgett, 1899 (Anura: Ceratophryidae).

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Brusquetti, Francisco; Netto, Flavia; Baldo, Diego; Haddad, Célio F B

2018-06-01

The Chaco is one the most neglected and least studied regions of the world. This highly-seasonal semiarid biome is an extensive continuous plain without any geographic barrier, and in spite of its high species diversity, the events and processes responsible have never been assessed. Miocene marine introgressions and Pleistocene glaciations have been mentioned as putative drivers of diversification for some groups of vertebrates in adjacent biomes of southern South America. Here we used multilocus data (one mitochondrial and six nuclear loci) from the three species of the endemic frog genus Lepidobatrachus (Lepidobatrachus asper, Lepidobatrachus laevis, and Lepidobatrachus llanensis) to determine if any of the historical events suggested as drivers of vertebrate diversification in southern South America are related to the diversification of the genus and if the Chaco is indeed a biome without barriers. Using fossil calibration in a coalescent framework we estimated that the genus diversified in the second half of the Miocene, coinciding with marine introgressions. Genetic patterns and historical demography suggest an important role of old archs and cratons as refuges during floods. In one species of the genus, L. llanensis, genetic structure reveals some breaks along the landscape, the main one of which corresponds to an area of the central Chaco that may act as a climatic barrier. Additionally, we found differential effects of the main Chacoan rivers on species of Lepidobatrachus that could be related to the time of persistence of populations in the areas influenced by these rivers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A distinctive new frog species (Anura, Mantellidae supports the biogeographic linkage of two montane rainforest massifs in northern Madagascar

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Mark D. Scherz

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We describe a new species of the genus Gephyromantis, subgenus GephyromantisVatomantis (Mantellidae, Mantellinae, from moderately high elevation (1164–1394 m a.s.l. on the Marojejy, Sorata, and Andravory Massifs in northern Madagascar. The new species, Gephyromantis (Vatomantis lomorina sp. n. is highly distinct from all other species, and was immediately recognisable as an undescribed taxon upon its discovery. It is characterised by a granular, mottled black and green skin, reddish eyes, paired subgular vocal sacs of partly white colour, bulbous femoral glands present only in males and consisting of three large granules, white ventral spotting, and a unique, amplitude-modulated advertisement call consisting of a series of 24–29 rapid, quiet notes at a dominant frequency of 5124–5512 Hz. Genetically the species is also strongly distinct from its congeners, with uncorrected pairwise distances ≥10 % in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene to all other nominal Gephyromantis species. A molecular phylogeny based on 16S sequences places it in a clade with species of the subgenera Laurentomantis and Vatomantis, and we assign it to the latter subgenus based on its morphological resemblance to members of Vatomantis. We discuss the biogeography of reptiles and amphibians across the massifs of northern Madagascar, the evidence for a strong link between Marojejy and Sorata, and the role of elevation in determining community sharing across this landscape.

Pseudophilautus dilmah, a new species of shrub frog (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae from a threatened habitat Loolkandura in Sri Lanka

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L.J. Mendis Wickramasinghe

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A new species of shrub frog Pseudophilautus dilmah is described from the Central Hills of Sri Lanka.  This unique species is distinguished from all the other congeners from a combination of characters; snout rounded in lateral aspect, bluntly pointed in dorsal and ventral aspect, canthus rostralis rounded, vomerine teeth, lingual papilla and nuptial pads absent, dermal fringe distinct on inside of fingers III and IV, small blunt tubercles on metacarpal and ulnar folds, toes basally webbed, interorbital area smooth, upper eyelid prominent tubercles present, anterior and posterior dorsum without horny spinules but tubercles present, upper part of flank weakly granular, supratympanic fold distinct, prominent small calcar present at the distal end of the tibia, throat granular, chest and belly coarsely granular.  Based on comparison of 16s rRNA gene we also show that the species is genetically distinct from other members of Pseudophilautus for which gene sequences are available.  The high rate of deforestation and anthropogenic activities threaten this population in its natural habitat. 

Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae, Chiasmocleis avilapiresae Peloso and Sturaro, 2008: First record from the state of Acre, southwestern Amazonia, Brazil

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Sampaio, P. R. M.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We record for the first time the presence of Chiasmocleis avilapiresae in the state of Acre, Brazil. This microhylidfrog is found throughout Amazon in Brazil and no information about its distribution in the Acre state was reported previously.An increase on sampling efforts, revision of material housed in herpetological collections, and use of diverse herpetofaunasampling methods might reveal additional localities and more information about this species.

Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae, Chiasmocleis avilapiresae Peloso and Sturaro, 2008: first record for the state of Acre, southwestern Amazonia, Brazil

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Sampaio, Paulo; da Silva, Talisson; Peloso, Pedro

2016-01-01

We record for the first time the presence of Chiasmocleis avilapiresae in the state of Acre, Brazil. This microhylid frog is found throughout Amazon in Brazil and no information about its distribution in the Acre state was reported previously. An increase on sampling efforts, revision of material housed in herpetological collections, and use of diverse herpetofauna sampling methods might reveal additional localities and more information about this species.

Phenotypic and molecular variation in the green and black poison-dart frog Dendrobates auratus (Anura: Dendrobatidae from Costa Rica

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Lisa D Patrick

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The green and black poison-dart frog Dendrobates auratus exhibits high intraspecific variation in hue color and pattern throughout its range, making it a very popular species in the pet trade. We analyzed the correspondence between color variation and molecular variation of D. auratus from Costa Rica using RAPD analysis. Twenty-six random primers were analyzed for variation in 99 individuals from seven populations. Color pattern was scored from digital images of the dorsal and ventral views. In general, frogs from the Caribbean coast had significantly more light coloration than black color but cannot be grouped by population based only on hue pattern. Only 3 RAPD primers were found to be polymorphic, representing a total of 16 loci. Most of the molecular variation encountered here occurs within populations, thus making unclear the degree of population structure and differentiation. Further examination of COI mtDNA sequences from our samples also supports these results. Partial Mantel correlations suggested that the pattern of molecular variation is not congruent with the variation in color pattern in this species, an outcome that is discussed in terms of phenotypic evolution. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 (Suppl. 1: 313-321. Epub 2009 November 30.

Redescription of the Advertisement Call of Five Species of Thoropa (Anura, Cycloramphidae, Including Recordings of Rare and Endangered Species.

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Carlos H L Nunes-de-Almeida

Full Text Available Frogs of the genus Thoropa comprise six endemic Brazilian species on the Eastern side of the country. Little is known about their natural history, especially about their acoustic communication. Therefore, aiming to provide an overview of their vocalizations, we analyzed and redescribed male advertisement calls of three living and two possibly extinct species. The smaller species, T. petropolitana and T. lutzi, produce simple calls (one single note with a higher frequency range than the remaining larger ones. On the other hand, the larger species present complex calls, with more than one note: T. megatympanum calls have three notes, T. taophora calls have four notes, and T. miliaris calls varies from three to six notes. Population snout-vent length negatively correlated with peak of dominant frequency as expected. However, highlighted differences between two populations of T. lutzi, which could indicate need of further taxonomic evaluation of those lineages. Peculiar morphology, such as the absence of vocal sacs and slits, may have contributed to their call variation and highly banded frequency structure. If the observed population differences reflect species-level differences, T. lutzi may be classified as a critically endangered species, as T. petropolitana. Furthermore, we provided a suggestion to an unusual behavior in frogs: calling with the mouth open in the smaller species of the genus.

Redescription of the Advertisement Call of Five Species of Thoropa (Anura, Cycloramphidae), Including Recordings of Rare and Endangered Species.

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Nunes-de-Almeida, Carlos H L; Assis, Clodoaldo L; Feio, Renato N; Toledo, Luís Felipe

2016-01-01

Frogs of the genus Thoropa comprise six endemic Brazilian species on the Eastern side of the country. Little is known about their natural history, especially about their acoustic communication. Therefore, aiming to provide an overview of their vocalizations, we analyzed and redescribed male advertisement calls of three living and two possibly extinct species. The smaller species, T. petropolitana and T. lutzi, produce simple calls (one single note) with a higher frequency range than the remaining larger ones. On the other hand, the larger species present complex calls, with more than one note: T. megatympanum calls have three notes, T. taophora calls have four notes, and T. miliaris calls varies from three to six notes. Population snout-vent length negatively correlated with peak of dominant frequency as expected. However, highlighted differences between two populations of T. lutzi, which could indicate need of further taxonomic evaluation of those lineages. Peculiar morphology, such as the absence of vocal sacs and slits, may have contributed to their call variation and highly banded frequency structure. If the observed population differences reflect species-level differences, T. lutzi may be classified as a critically endangered species, as T. petropolitana. Furthermore, we provided a suggestion to an unusual behavior in frogs: calling with the mouth open in the smaller species of the genus.

Cryptic within cryptic: genetics, morphometrics, and bioacoustics delimitate a new species of Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) from Eastern Cuba.

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Rodríguez, Ariel; Dugo-Cota, Álvaro; Montero-Mendieta, Santiago; Gonzalez-Voyer, Alejandro; Bosch, Roberto Alonso; Vences, Miguel; Vilà, Carles

2017-01-20

We studied the variation in genetics, bioacustics, and morphology in Eleutherodactylus glamyrus, a regionally endemic frog species restricted to high elevations in the Sierra Maestra Massif, Western Cuba that was originally described as a cryptic species hidden under the name E. auriculatus. Genetic analysis of mtDNA sequences of the 16S and cob genes identify two allopatric and strongly supported mitochondrial clades (phylogroups) which also showed no haplotype sharing in the nuclear Rag-1 gene. Bioacustic, and morphological comparisons concordantly identify these two phylogroups as independent evolutionary lineages. Therefore, we herein restrict the name Eleutherodactylus glamyrus Estrada and Hedges to populations represented in our analyses as the western phylogroup (Cordillera del Turquino to Pico La Bayamesa) and consider specimens from the eastern phylogroup (Sierra del Cobre) to represent a new species described and named as Eleutherodactylus cattus. Our results add to the growing list of Eleutherodactylus species endemic to Cuba and highlight the importance of combining different sources of evidence for obtaining robust assessments of species limits in amphibians.

No ecological opportunity signal on a continental scale? Diversification and life-history evolution of African true toads (Anura: Bufonidae)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Liedtke, H. C.; Müller, H.; Rödel, M.-O.; Menegon, M.; Gonwouo, L. N.; Barej, M. F.; Gvoždík, Václav; Schmitz, A.; Channing, A.; Nagel, P.; Loader, S. P.

2016-01-01

Roč. 70, č. 8 (2016), s. 1717-1733 ISSN 0014-3820 R&D Projects: GA ČR GJ15-13415Y Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Amphibia * BAMM * bGMYC * disparity * evolutionary rate dynamics * molecular phylogeny Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 4.201, year: 2016

Variation in timing of ossification affects inferred heterochrony of cranial bones in Lissamphibia.

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Sheil, Christopher A; Jorgensen, Michael; Tulenko, Frank; Harrington, Sean

2014-09-01

The evolutionary origin of Lissamphibia likely involved heterochrony, as demonstrated by the biphasic lifestyles of most extant orders, differences between Anura (with tadpole-to-froglet metamorphosis) and Urodela (which lack strongly defined metamorphosis), and the appearance of direct development among separate lineages of frogs. Patterns in the timing of appearance of skeletal elements (i.e., ossification sequence data) represent a possible source of information for understanding the origin of Lissamphibia, and with the advent of analytical methods to directly optimize these data onto known phylogenies, there has been a renewed interest in assessing the role of changes in these developmental events. However, little attention has been given to the potential impact of variation in ossification sequence data--this is particularly surprising given that different criteria for collecting these data have been employed. Herein, new and previously published ossification data are compiled and all pairs of data for same-species comparisons are selected. Analyses are run to assess the impact of using data that were collected by different methodologies: (1) wild- versus lab-raised animals; (2) different criteria for recognizing timing of ossification; and (3) randomly selecting ossification sequences for species from which multiple studies have been published, but for which the data were collected by different criteria. Parsimov-based genetic inference is utilized to map ossification sequence data onto an existing phylogeny to reconstruct ancestral sequences of ossification and infer instances of heterochrony. All analyses succeeded in optimizing sequence data on internal nodes and instances of heterochrony were identified. However, among all analyses little congruence was found in reconstructed ancestral sequences or among inferred instances of heterochrony. These results indicate a high degree of variation in timing of ossification, and suggest a cautionary note about use

Cenozoic biogeography and evolution in direct-developing frogs of Central America (Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylus) as inferred from a phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes.

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Crawford, Andrew J; Smith, Eric N

2005-06-01

We report the first phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data for the Central American component of the genus Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylinae), one of the most ubiquitous, diverse, and abundant components of the Neotropical amphibian fauna. We obtained DNA sequence data from 55 specimens representing 45 species. Sampling was focused on Central America, but also included Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, and the USA. We sequenced 1460 contiguous base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial genome containing ND2 and five neighboring tRNA genes, plus 1300 bp of the c-myc nuclear gene. The resulting phylogenetic inferences were broadly concordant between data sets and among analytical methods. The subgenus Craugastor is monophyletic and its initial radiation was potentially rapid and adaptive. Within Craugastor, the earliest splits separate three northern Central American species groups, milesi, augusti, and alfredi, from a clade comprising the rest of Craugastor. Within the latter clade, the rhodopis group as formerly recognized comprises three deeply divergent clades that do not form a monophyletic group; we therefore restrict the content of the rhodopis group to one of two northern clades, and use new names for the other northern (mexicanus group) and one southern clade (bransfordii group). The new rhodopis and bransfordii groups together form the sister taxon to a clade comprising the biporcatus, fitzingeri, mexicanus, and rugulosus groups. We used a Bayesian MCMC approach together with geological and biogeographic assumptions to estimate divergence times from the combined DNA sequence data. Our results corroborated three independent dispersal events for the origins of Central American Eleutherodactylus: (1) an ancestor of Craugastor entered northern Central America from South American in the early Paleocene, (2) an ancestor of the subgenus Syrrhophus entered northern Central America from the Caribbean at the end of the Eocene, and (3) a wave of

Osteology and chondrocranial morphology of Gastrophryne carolinensis (Anura: Microhylidae, with a review of the osteological diversity of New World microhylids

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Linda Trueb

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Microhylidae is a large, cosmopolitan anuran family. Recent molecular analyses have demonstrated the monophyly of the family—a conclusion that is supported by the larval morphology, coupled with the unique mode of tongue protrusion in adults, and a suite of osteological and myological characters seemingly associated with this innovation in feeding. Despite this functional constraint, osteological diversity probably exceeds that of any other anuran family, and this diversity is especially evident in the New Worldmicrohylids that comprise two clades, Gastrophryninae and Otophryninae. To facilitate comparisons among these clades, we describe the larval chondrocranium, skeletal development, and adult osteology of Gastrophryne carolinensis. We provide a phylogeneticcontext for these comparisons through a novel phylogenetic analysis of 45 microhylid genera based on data for one mitochondrial and three nuclear loci from previously published studies. Nearly all relationships within the monophyletic Gastrophryninae are resolvedwith robust support. Based on these results, we found that the larval chondrocrania of gastrophrynines share morphological features that distinguish them from Otophryne and other anurans. Among the adults, all gastrophrynines show evidence of an anterior shift ofthe jaws that is correlated with specializations in the otic region, and with the alignment of the planum antorbitale, the cartilage wall separating the nasal capsule from the orbits. The larval infrarostral and the adult mandibles lack a typical anuran mandibular symphysis, and the mentomeckelian bone of the adult is modified with a special process. The most variable part of the skull is the palate in which a neopalatine usually is absent and the vomer may be single or divided. The posteromedial processes of the hyoids of gastrophynines tend to be elaborated, and some taxa bear a peculiar transverse slit in the posterior part of the hyoid corpus. The anterior zonal elements of the pectoral girdle are reduced or absent, and the posterior parts enlarged and shifted posteriorly. Most taxa have eight presacral vertebrae; depending on the taxon the last presacral is amphicoelous or procoelous.

Redescripción de la morfología larval externa de dos especies del grupo de Leptodactylus fuscus (Anura, Leptodactylidae

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José A. Langone

2005-10-01

Full Text Available The larvae of Leptodactylus gracilis (D’Orbigny y Bibron, 1840 and L. mystacinus Bumeister, 1861 are re-described and compared with previous descriptions noting intraspecific variation in oral disccharacteristics (arrangement of papillae and rows of cornified teeth. The external morphological analysis of larvae of the Leptodactylus fuscus group suggest that the lack of comparable descriptions among species, as well as the lack of analyses of theirintraspecific variation, limits the use of larval characteristics for diagnostic purposes.

Evolutionary origins and genetic variation of the Seychelles treefrog, Tachycnemis seychellensis (Duméril and Bibron, 1841) (Amphibia: Anura: Hyperoliidae).

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Maddock, Simon T; Day, Julia J; Nussbaum, Ronald A; Wilkinson, Mark; Gower, David J

2014-06-01

The hyperoliid frog Tachycnemis seychellensis, the only species of its genus, is endemic to the four largest granitic islands of the Seychelles archipelago and is reliant on freshwater bodies for reproduction. Its presence in the Seychelles is thought to be the product of a transoceanic dispersal, diverging from the genus Heterixalus, its closest living relative (currently endemic to Madagascar), between approximately 10-35Ma. A previous study documented substantial intraspecific morphological variation among island populations and also among populations within the largest island (Mahé). To assess intraspecific genetic variation and to infer the closest living relative(s) of T. seychellensis, DNA sequence data were generated for three mitochondrial and four nuclear markers. These data support a sister-group relationship between T. seychellensis and Heterixalus, with the divergence between the two occurring between approximately 11-19Ma based on cytb p-distances. Low levels of genetic variation were found among major mitochondrial haplotype clades of T. seychellensis (maximum 0.7% p-distance concatenated mtDNA), and samples from each of the islands (except La Digue) comprised multiple mitochondrial haplotype clades. Two nuclear genes (rag1 and tyr) showed no variation, and the other two (rho and pomc) lacked any notable geographic structuring, counter to patterns observed within presumably more vagile Seychelles taxa such as lizards. The low levels of genetic variation and phylogeographic structure support an interpretation that there is a single but morphologically highly variable species of Seychelles treefrog. The contrasting genetic and morphological intraspecific variation may be attributable to relatively recent admixture during low sea-level stands, ecophenotypic plasticity, local adaptation to different environmental conditions, and/or current and previously small population sizes. Low genetic phylogeographic structure but substantial morphological variation is unusual within anurans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CEPF Western Ghats Special Series: Description of tadpole stages of the Malabar Tree Toad Pedostibes tuberculosis Gunther, 1875 (Anura: Bufonidae

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K.P. Dinesh

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Pedostibes tuberculosus, the Malabar tree toad, was described 137 years ago from the Malabar region (now the coastal parts of Kerala of the Western Ghats. Since the description of this arboreal toad, not much information is available on the natural history, breeding habits and life cycle except for its description, range of distribution and advertisement call details. In the present account, the tadpole stages of this toad from Gosner tadpole Stage 21 to 45 are presented and the phytotelmatic mode of life of this toad has been confirmed by locating the tadpoles within the Ochlandra reed culm.

The advertisement call of Bokermannohyla flavopicta Leite, Pezzuti & Garcia, 2012 (Anura: Hylidae) from the mountains of Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil.

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Rocha, Pedro Carvalho; Thompson, Julia Resende; Leite, Felipe Sá Fortes; Garcia, Paulo Christiano De Anchietta

2016-01-07

Bokermannohyla Faivovich, Haddad, Garcia, Frost, Campbell & Wheeler (2005) is a Brazilian treefrog genus currently composed of 32 species (Brandão et al. 2012; Leite et al. 2012; Frost 2015). The genus comprehends four, putatively monophyletic, species groups: B. circumdata, B. claresignata, B. martinsi, and B. pseudopseudis (sensu Faivovich et al. 2005). The B. pseudopseudis group includes nine species: B. alvarengai (Bokermann 1956), B. flavopicta Leite et al. 2012, B. ibitiguara (Cardoso 1983), B. itapoty Lugli & Haddad 2006a, B. oxente Lugli & Haddad 2006b, B. pseudopseudis (Miranda-Ribeiro 1937), B. sagarana Leite et al. 2011, B. sapiranga Brandão et al. 2012, and B. saxicola (Bokermann 1964).

Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis in aqueous suspension on the South American common frog Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) tadpoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lajmanovich, Rafael C.; Junges, Celina M.; Cabagna-Zenklusen, Mariana C.; Attademo, Andrés M.; Peltzer, Paola M.; Maglianese, Mariana; Márquez, Vanina E.; Beccaria, Alejandro J.

2015-01-01

The effects of commercial formulations of Bacillus thuringiensisvar.israelensis (Bti) on non-target organisms are still a matter of debate; in amphibians, the risks of Bti are little known. To evaluate the toxicity of a commercial liquid (aqueous suspension, AS) formulation of Bti (Introban ® ) on Leptodactylus latrans tadpoles, including median lethal concentration (LC 50 ) and no-and lowest–observed-effect concentrations (NOEC and LOEC, respectively), as well as the possible effects of Bti on oxidative responses, erythrocytes genotoxicity, and histology of the intestines. In the laboratory, tadpoles were exposed to nominal concentrations of 0 (control), 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/L of formulated Bti-AS. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activities, as well as formation of erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities (ENAs), and histological effect were measured in tadpoles displaying survival rates >85%. L. latrans tadpoles were sensitive to exposure to Bti-AS, reaching 100% mortality after 48 h of exposure at the highest concentration. Bti-AS induced GST and CAT enzymes and genotoxicity (erythrocyte's nuclear abnormalities), and caused intestine's histopathology. Our results demonstrate that toxicity of Bti-AS is dose-dependent for L. latrans tadpoles and that sublethal exposure alters enzymes of oxidative stress, induces genotoxicity, and causes intestine damage. Further research is needed to evaluate the ecotoxicological risk of the massive use of Bti formulations on amphibian populations that commonly used suburban wastewater or urban waterbodies to reproduce and where this biopesticide is frequently applied. - Highlights: • An ecotoxicological evaluation of a Bti formulation on amphibian was conducted. • Toxicity of Bti-AS was dose-dependent for Leptodactylus latrans tadpoles. • Sublethal exposure altered the enzymes of oxidative stress (GST and CAT). • Bti-AS was genotoxic because increased MN frequencies (CO: 0.82–2.74‰). • Bti-AS caused the inflammatory infiltration in the lamina propria of intestine

The occurrence of amphibians in bromeliads from a southeastern Brazilian restinga habitat, with special reference to Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura, Hylidae).

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Teixeira, R L; Schineider, J A P; Almeida, G I

2002-05-01

Five species of anuran amphibians, all belonging to the family Hylidae, were collected at Praia das Neves, municipality of President Kennedy, southeastern Brazil. The species were represented by four genera: Scinax, Hyla, Aparasphenodon, and Trachycephalus. Four species (A. brunoi, Hyla albomarginata, Scinax altera, and S. cuspidatus) were found during the dry season (August 1999), and two (A. brunoi and Trachycephalus nigromaculatus) in the rainy season (February 2000). Aparasphenodon brunoi was the most abundant species in Praia das Neves. Some reproductive aspects and feeding habits of this hylid were investigated. Aparasphenodon brunoi was found mainly inside the bromeliad Aechmea lingulata, the largest plant analyzed. Fifteen specimens were collected during the dry season (August 1999) (11 males and 4 females). During the rainy season (February 2000), we collected 14 specimens (3 males, 10 females, and 1 juvenile). Sex-ratio was 1:1. Frogs ranged in snout-vent length from 31.2 to 69.3 mm. Females were larger than males. One female had 1,451 fully developed oocytes in her ovaries. The major groups of prey found in the stomachs were: Insecta, Myriapoda, and Arachnida. Blattodea, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera (only ants) were the main food types in frequency, number, and weight. Aparasphenodon brunoi is a threatened species in many habitats of southeastern Brazil. Only natural vegetation protection may guarantee its survival during the immediate future.

Neogene amphibians and reptiles (Caudata, Anura, Gekkota, Lacertilia, and Testudines from the south of Western Siberia, Russia, and Northeastern Kazakhstan

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Davit Vasilyan

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background The present-day amphibian and reptile fauna of Western Siberia are the least diverse of the Palaearctic Realm, as a consequence of the unfavourable climatic conditions that predominate in this region. The origin and emergence of these herpetofaunal groups are poorly understood. Aside from the better-explored European Neogene localities yielding amphibian and reptile fossil remains, the Neogene herpetofauna of Western Asia is understudied. The few available data need critical reviews and new interpretations, taking into account the more recent records of the European herpetofauna. The comparison of this previous data with that of European fossil records would provide data on palaeobiogeographic affiliations of the region as well as on the origin and emergence of the present-day fauna of Western Siberia. An overview of the earliest occurrences of certain amphibian lineages is still needed. In addition, studies that address such knowledge gaps can be useful for molecular biologists in their calibration of molecular clocks. Methods and Results In this study, we considered critically reviewed available data from amphibian and reptile fauna from over 40 Western Siberian, Russian and Northeastern Kazakhstan localities, ranging from the Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene. Herein, we provided new interpretations that arose from our assessment of the previously published and new data. More than 50 amphibians and reptile taxa were identified belonging to families Hynobiidae, Cryptobranchidae, Salamandridae, Palaeobatrachidae, Bombinatoridae, Pelobatidae, Hylidae, Bufonidae, Ranidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, and Emydidae. Palaeobiogeographic analyses were performed for these groups and palaeoprecipitation values were estimated for 12 localities, using the bioclimatic analysis of herpetofaunal assemblages. Conclusion The Neogene assemblage of Western Siberia was found to be dominated by groups of European affinities, such as Palaeobatrachidae, Bombina, Hyla, Bufo bufo, and a small part of this assemblage included Eastern Palaearctic taxa (e.g. Salamandrella, Tylototriton, Bufotes viridis. For several taxa (e.g. Mioproteus, Hyla, Bombina, Rana temporaria, the Western Siberian occurrences represented their most eastern Eurasian records. The most diverse collection of fossil remains was found in the Middle Miocene. Less diversity has been registered towards the Early Pleistocene, potentially due to the progressive cooling of the climate in the Northern Hemisphere. The results of our study showed higher-amplitude changes of precipitation development in Western Siberia from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene, than previously assumed.

Ecological and reproductive aspects of Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura: Hylidae in an ombrophilous forest area of the Atlantic Rainforest Biome, Brazil

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Laura Gomez-Mesa

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Presented is the first information on the ecological and reproductive aspects of the treefrog, Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920, living in ombrophilous forest areas of the Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil. We recorded the species’ daily activity and over the course of a year, population density during the year, microhabitat usage, diet, and some reproductive features (quantity, diameter and mean mass of oocytes, mean reproductive effort of female. Field sampling was conducted monthly from June 2015 to July 2016. Searches for treefrogs were systematic, using visual encounter surveys along 14 plots RAPELD long term research modules established in the forest. For each captured individual, we recorded the hour, microhabitat used, and perch height. The diet of the population was ascertained based on 15 individuals collected outside the study plot areas. Treefrogs used seven different types of microhabitats in the forest but the preferred microhabitats were tree-trunks and lianas. The amount of accumulated rainfall and air temperature interacted to explain the number of A. brunoi individuals active throughout the year. The reproductive strategy for females of this comparatively large arboreal frog in the ombrophilous forest is to produce clutches with a large number (900.8 ± 358.1 of relatively small-sized eggs. We conclude that in the ombrophious forest of the Vale Natural Reserve, A. brunoi is a nocturnal arboreal treefrog active throughout the year but activity increases during the wet season as a result of increased precipitation. In the forest, treefrogs tend to perch mainly on tree-trunks and lianas about 1 m above ground, where it feeds preferably on relatively large bodied arthropod prey. When living in the ombrophilous forest of the Atlantic rainforest, A. brunoi may change some features of its ecology (e.g. marked difference in the use of bromeliads compared to when living in restinga habitats.

Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis in aqueous suspension on the South American common frog Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) tadpoles

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Lajmanovich, Rafael C., E-mail: lajmanovich@hotmail.com [National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Faculty of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (FBCB-UNL), Ciudad Universitaria Paraje el Pozo s/n, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina); Junges, Celina M. [National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Faculty of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (FBCB-UNL), Ciudad Universitaria Paraje el Pozo s/n, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina); Cabagna-Zenklusen, Mariana C. [Faculty of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (FBCB-UNL), Ciudad Universitaria Paraje el Pozo s/n, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina); Attademo, Andrés M.; Peltzer, Paola M. [National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Faculty of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (FBCB-UNL), Ciudad Universitaria Paraje el Pozo s/n, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina); Maglianese, Mariana; Márquez, Vanina E.; Beccaria, Alejandro J. [Faculty of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (FBCB-UNL), Ciudad Universitaria Paraje el Pozo s/n, 3000 Santa Fe (Argentina)

2015-01-15

The effects of commercial formulations of Bacillus thuringiensisvar.israelensis (Bti) on non-target organisms are still a matter of debate; in amphibians, the risks of Bti are little known. To evaluate the toxicity of a commercial liquid (aqueous suspension, AS) formulation of Bti (Introban{sup ®}) on Leptodactylus latrans tadpoles, including median lethal concentration (LC{sub 50}) and no-and lowest–observed-effect concentrations (NOEC and LOEC, respectively), as well as the possible effects of Bti on oxidative responses, erythrocytes genotoxicity, and histology of the intestines. In the laboratory, tadpoles were exposed to nominal concentrations of 0 (control), 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/L of formulated Bti-AS. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activities, as well as formation of erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities (ENAs), and histological effect were measured in tadpoles displaying survival rates >85%. L. latrans tadpoles were sensitive to exposure to Bti-AS, reaching 100% mortality after 48 h of exposure at the highest concentration. Bti-AS induced GST and CAT enzymes and genotoxicity (erythrocyte's nuclear abnormalities), and caused intestine's histopathology. Our results demonstrate that toxicity of Bti-AS is dose-dependent for L. latrans tadpoles and that sublethal exposure alters enzymes of oxidative stress, induces genotoxicity, and causes intestine damage. Further research is needed to evaluate the ecotoxicological risk of the massive use of Bti formulations on amphibian populations that commonly used suburban wastewater or urban waterbodies to reproduce and where this biopesticide is frequently applied. - Highlights: • An ecotoxicological evaluation of a Bti formulation on amphibian was conducted. • Toxicity of Bti-AS was dose-dependent for Leptodactylus latrans tadpoles. • Sublethal exposure altered the enzymes of oxidative stress (GST and CAT). • Bti-AS was genotoxic because increased MN frequencies (CO: 0.82–2.74‰). • Bti-AS caused the inflammatory infiltration in the lamina propria of intestine.

The occurrence of amphibians in bromeliads from a Southeastern Brazilian restinga habitat, with special reference to Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura, Hylidae

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TEIXEIRA R. L.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Five species of anuran amphibians, all belonging to the family Hylidae, were collected at Praia das Neves, municipality of Presidente Kennedy, southeastern Brazil,. The species were represented by four genera: Scinax, Hyla, Aparasphenodon, and Trachycephalus. Four species (A. brunoi, Hyla albomarginata, Scinax altera, and S. cuspidatus were found during the dry season (August 1999, and two (A. brunoi and Trachycephalus nigromaculatus in the rainy season (February 2000. Aparasphenodon brunoi was the most abundant species in Praia das Neves. Some reproductive aspects and feeding habits of this hylid were investigated. Aparasphenodon brunoi was found mainly inside the bromeliad Aechmea lingulata, the largest plant analyzed. Fifteen specimens were collected during the dry season (August 1999 (11 males and 4 females. During the rainy season (February 2000, we collected 14 specimens (3 males, 10 females, and 1 juvenile. Sex-ratio was 1:1. Frogs ranged in snout-vent length from 31.2 to 69.3 mm. Females were larger than males. One female had 1,451 fully developed oocytes in her ovaries. The major groups of prey found in the stomachs were: Insecta, Myriapoda, and Arachnida. Blattodea, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera (only ants were the main food types in frequency, number, and weight. Aparasphenodon brunoi is a threatened species in many habitats of southeastern Brazil. Only natural vegetation protection may guarantee its survival during the immediate future.

On the distinctive call of a threatened phenotype of Allobates femoralis (Anura: Aromobatidae and its recognition by allopatric conspecific males

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Emerson Pontes-da-Silva

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The brilliant-thighed frog [Allobates femoralis (Boulenger, 1884]; is distributed across the Amazon basin and aggregates several allopatric evolutionary lineages, some of which present variation in their advertisement calls. In 2009, an unregistered call phenotype was discovered in the region of Altamira and Vitória do Xingu, State of Pará, Brazil, where males emit advertisement calls formed by six notes, differing from the typical four-note calls described for other A. femoralis populations. In this study, we describe in detail these untypical calls. Additionally, we test whether the aggressive responses of males of a 4-note reference population (Reserva Ducke - RFAD, in Manaus, State of Amazonas is differential towards the 6-note calls of males recorded in Altamira (Pará State, and towards 4-note calls recorded in one location at the Tapajós-Xingu interfluve (Belterra, Pará State, and in RFAD. Playback experiments were conducted between 2011-2012, and used standardized stimuli produced from natural call recordings. A total of 30 independent experiments were conducted, 10 for each stimuli class. We measured the phonotaxis of focal males in relation to the loudspeaker, considering the time to orientation and the time to approach the loudspeaker. We found that not all A. femoralis males at RFAD promptly recognize calls from males recorded in Altamira. However, when considering only males who approached the loudspeaker, differences in aggressive reactions were not seen between stimuli classes. Our findings show that the ability to recognize calls from Altamira as belonging to co-specific males is not universal among males at RFAD. The new A. femoralis phenotype occurs in areas potentially impacted by the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex and complementary studies indicate that no gene flow exists between this group and A. femoralis from adjacent regions. Hence, developments in Altamira may put this incipient speciation process at risk.

Histological evidence of chytridiomycete fungal infection in a free-ranging amphibian, Afrana fuscigula (Anura: Ranidae, in South Africa : short communication

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E.P. Lane

2003-06-01

Full Text Available The 1st recorded histological evidence of chytridiomycete fungal infection in a free-ranging ranid amphibian in South Africa is presented. Literature on causes of a worldwide decline in amphibian populations is briefly reviewed.

Histological evidence of chytridiomycete fungal infection in a free-ranging amphibian, Afrana fuscigula (Anura: Ranidae), in South Africa : short communication

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E.P. Lane; C. Weldon; J. Bingham

2003-01-01

The 1st recorded histological evidence of chytridiomycete fungal infection in a free-ranging ranid amphibian in South Africa is presented. Literature on causes of a worldwide decline in amphibian populations is briefly reviewed.

Phylogenetic relationships within anuran clade Terrarana, with emphasis on the placement of Brazilian Atlantic rainforest frogs genus Ischnocnema (Anura: Brachycephalidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Canedo, Clarissa; Haddad, Célio F B

2012-11-01

We present a phylogenetic hypothesis of the anuran clade Terrarana based on partial sequences of nuclear (Tyr and RAG1) and mitochondrial (12S, tRNA-Val, and 16S) genes, testing the monophyly of Ischnocnema and its species series. We performed maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference analyses on 364 terminals: 11 outgroup terminals and 353 ingroup Terrarana terminals, including 139 Ischnocnema terminals (accounting for 29 of the 35 named Ischnocnema species) and 214 other Terrarana terminals within the families Brachycephalidae, Ceuthomantidae, Craugastoridae, and Eleutherodactylidae. Different optimality criteria produced similar results and mostly recovered the currently accepted families and genera. According to these topologies, Ischnocnema is not a monophyletic group. We propose new combinations for three species, relocating them to Pristimantis, and render Eleutherodactylus bilineatus Bokermann, 1975 incertae sedis status within Holoadeninae. The rearrangements in Ischnocnema place it outside the northernmost Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, where the fauna of Terrarana comprises typical Amazonian genera. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A new species of Pristimantis (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from the foothills of the Andes in Manu National Park, southeastern Peru

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Shepack, Alexander; von May, Rudolf; Ttito, Alex; Catenazzi, Alessandro

2016-01-01

Abstract We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the humid sub-montane forest of the Región Cusco in Peru. Pristimantis pluvialis sp. n. was collected in the Kosñipata and Entoro valleys at elevations from 740 to 1110 m a.s.l., near the borders of Manu National Park and within the Huachiperi Haramba Queros Conservation Concession. The new species can be distinguished from other members of the genus Pristimantis by its rostral tubercle, smooth dorsal skin, and by its advertisement call. Pristimantis lacrimosus and Pristimantis waoranii superficially most resemble the new species, but Pristimantis pluvialis sp. n. differs from both species by having a rostral tubercle (absent in Pristimantis waoranii and variable in Pristimantis lacrimosus) and larger size, from Pristimantis lacrimosus by its call emitted at a lower frequency, and from Pristimantis waoranii for its dorsal coloration with dark markings. Two other species have partially overlapping distributions and resemble the new species, Pristimantis mendax and Pristimantis olivaceus, but they produce advertisement calls with much higher dominant frequencies than the advertisement call of the new species. Furthermore, Pristimantis mendax differs from the new species by lacking a rostral tubercle and by having a sigmoid inner tarsal fold, whereas Pristimantis olivaceus differs by being smaller and by having dorsal skin shagreen with scattered tubercles. The new species has snout-vent length of 21.8–26.9 mm in males (n = 12) and 28.8 mm in a single female. PMID:27408563

Advertisement call of Scinax littoralis and S. angrensis (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae, with notes on the reproductive activity of S. littoralis

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Michel V. Garey

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Scinax littoralis and S. angrensis are poorly known Atlantic forest endemic species from the Scinax catharinae group, which is known from southern and southeastern Brazil. Herein, we describe the advertisement calls of these two species and compare them to other species within the S. catharinae group. Additionally, we provide information on breeding sites, and calling activity in S. littoralis. Advertisement calls of S. angrensis and S. littoralis are composed of multi-pulsed notes with multiple frequency bands and frequency modulation. Scinax littoralis has a higher minimum and maximum frequency, and lower dominant frequency than S. angrensis, while Scinax littoralis has a longer call. Scinax littoralis appears to be a habitat generalist, occurring from secondary to mature forests, and breeding both in temporary and in permanent ponds. Male S. littoralis were usually observed calling perched on shrub stems, and displayed satellite behavior when the male density was high.

Extra-intestinal localization of Goussia sp (Apicomplexa) oocysts in Rana dalmatina (Anura: Ranidae), and the fate of infection after metamorphosis

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirků, M.; Modrý, David

2006-01-01

Roč. 70, č. 3 (2006), s. 237-241 ISSN 0177-5103 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/03/1544; GA ČR GD524/03/H133 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Goussia * Rana * Coccidia Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.509, year: 2006

Revisión sobre la distribución geográfica de Physalaemus albifrons (Spix, 1824) (Anura: leptodactylidae)

OpenAIRE

Langone, José A.

2001-01-01

Existen con frecuencia en la literatura neotropical, confusiones respecto a la distribución geográfica de las especies de anuros. En el caso de las confusiones del género Physalaemus fueron y son debidas a identificaciones erradas, producto de descripciones originales vagas y del difícil acceso o inexistencia de material tipo. La presente nota trata sobre una de estas confusiones.

Five new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae from the coastal cloud forest of the Península de Paria, Venezuela

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Hinrich Kaiser

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Fieldwork in the cloud forest of Venezuela’s remote Península de Paria in 2001 resulted in the collection of several specimens that could unquestionably be classified as members of the genus Pristimantis.  Subsequent analysis of comparative material in museum collections brought the total number of specimens to 44, and these collectively represent five new species. Two of these species, P. geminus sp. nov. and P. nubisilva sp. nov., have phenotypes remarkably similar to the Trinidadian P. urichi, supporting a prediction that Pristimantis from easternmost Venezuela may have given rise to Trinidadian forms. Pristimantis hoogmoedi sp. nov. is easily identified by its large size and red eyes. Two of the species, P. longicorpus sp. nov. and P. pariagnomus sp. nov., are very distinct morphologically but are known only from the holotypes. The former is characterized by an elongate body form supported by relatively short limbs, whereas the latter has very distinctive hand morphology and is likely the smallest Venezuelan frog. Chromosome banding studies of P. nubisilva sp. nov. and P. hoogmoedi sp. nov. revealed chromosome numbers of 2n = 36 and 2n = 26, respectively, with an unusual submetacentric fusion chromosome 11;18 in some males of the former and a unique meiotic pairing of chromosomes in males of the latter.  All five species can be readily distinguished by their osteology, such as by the extent of the sphenethmoid and features on the roof of the mouth, as well as by the shape and rearrangement of mesopodial elements.  The unexpectedly high diversity of Pristimantis in this region, along with high endemism of amphibians and reptiles in general, underscores the position of the Península de Paria as a center for frog biodiversity in Venezuela.  The similarity of these Paria species to Pristimantis from Trinidad, Tobago and the central Cordillera de la Costa represents a tangible piece of evidence for the close biogeographic link of the anuran fauna of these landmasses.

Neogene amphibians and reptiles (Caudata, Anura, Gekkota, Lacertilia, and Testudines) from the south of Western Siberia, Russia, and Northeastern Kazakhstan.

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Vasilyan, Davit; Zazhigin, Vladimir S; Böhme, Madelaine

2017-01-01

The present-day amphibian and reptile fauna of Western Siberia are the least diverse of the Palaearctic Realm, as a consequence of the unfavourable climatic conditions that predominate in this region. The origin and emergence of these herpetofaunal groups are poorly understood. Aside from the better-explored European Neogene localities yielding amphibian and reptile fossil remains, the Neogene herpetofauna of Western Asia is understudied. The few available data need critical reviews and new interpretations, taking into account the more recent records of the European herpetofauna. The comparison of this previous data with that of European fossil records would provide data on palaeobiogeographic affiliations of the region as well as on the origin and emergence of the present-day fauna of Western Siberia. An overview of the earliest occurrences of certain amphibian lineages is still needed. In addition, studies that address such knowledge gaps can be useful for molecular biologists in their calibration of molecular clocks. In this study, we considered critically reviewed available data from amphibian and reptile fauna from over 40 Western Siberian, Russian and Northeastern Kazakhstan localities, ranging from the Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene. Herein, we provided new interpretations that arose from our assessment of the previously published and new data. More than 50 amphibians and reptile taxa were identified belonging to families Hynobiidae, Cryptobranchidae, Salamandridae, Palaeobatrachidae, Bombinatoridae, Pelobatidae, Hylidae, Bufonidae, Ranidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, and Emydidae. Palaeobiogeographic analyses were performed for these groups and palaeoprecipitation values were estimated for 12 localities, using the bioclimatic analysis of herpetofaunal assemblages. The Neogene assemblage of Western Siberia was found to be dominated by groups of European affinities, such as Palaeobatrachidae, Bombina, Hyla , Bufo bufo , and a small part of this assemblage included Eastern Palaearctic taxa (e.g. Salamandrella , Tylototriton , Bufotes viridis ). For several taxa (e.g. Mioproteus, Hyla, Bombina , Rana temporaria ), the Western Siberian occurrences represented their most eastern Eurasian records. The most diverse collection of fossil remains was found in the Middle Miocene. Less diversity has been registered towards the Early Pleistocene, potentially due to the progressive cooling of the climate in the Northern Hemisphere. The results of our study showed higher-amplitude changes of precipitation development in Western Siberia from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene, than previously assumed.

Descrição da larva de Scinax similis (Cochran com notas comparativas sobre o grupo "ruber" no sudeste do Brasil (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae Description of the larva of Scinax similis (Cochran with comparative notes on the Scinax ruber group in Southeastern Brazil (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae

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Ana C.R Alves

1999-06-01

Full Text Available The larva of Scinax similis (Cochran, 1952 is described from Ilha do Fundão (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Comparisons with other species of the group that occur in Southeastern Brazil are added. The larva of S. similis can be distinguished by the following diagnostic features: (1 eyes large in relation to body length (17,3%, body height (26,8%, and body width (29,7%, interocular distance three times larger than eye diameter; (2 lower beak with two transverse stripes, proximal half white and distal half black.

Vocalizations, tadpole, and natural history of Crossodactylus werneri Pimenta, Cruz Caramaschi, 2014 (Anura: Hylodidae), with comments on distribution and intraspecific variation.

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Vidigal, Izadora; De Carvalho, Thiago R; Clemente-Carvalho, Rute B G; Giaretta, Ariovaldo A

2018-02-28

Crossodactylus werneri was described based on specimens collected in the 1970's at Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, being also reported for nearby localities. We collected specimens that we assigned to C. werneri, and recorded calls of the species during fieldworks at Serra das Cabras (Campinas, state of São Paulo). In this paper, we describe for the first time the vocalizations, tadpole, coloration in life, and comment on aspects of the natural history of C. werneri. Besides, the examination of specimens in zoological collections allowed us to extend the geographic range for this species. We also make remarks on morphological/chromatic variation and provide 16S rDNA sequences for the species. Adults were found along a slow-flowing streamlet with sandy/muddy bottom within a small fragment of secondary forest. Males called between sunset and first hours of the night. Advertisement call consisted of series of pulsed notes. Call duration lasted around 3 s, emitted at the highest rate of 17 calls per minute and six notes per second. Note duration lasted around 18 ms. Notes had poorly defined pulses (irregular and/or weak amplitude modulations along the note). The dominant frequency was about 3380 Hz. Territorial call had a long, well-defined pulsed portion followed by a higher-amplitude "squeak". The dominant frequency was around 3400 Hz. Tadpoles were essentially similar to those of other Crossodactylus species, except by not having nostril ornamentation. Our record of C. werneri in Serra das Cabras might be regarded a rediscovery of this species since C. werneri had not been recorded for more than 30 years until our first record of C. werneri in the field from 2011 and subsequent years. Our record is approximately 100 km west, and Mococa 200 km northwest, from Santo Antônio do Pinhal, the westernmost previous record for C. werneri up to date. Gene sequences (16S rRNA) give insights into the genetic divergence between C. werneri and some congeners.

Parasitism of Hylodes phyllodes (Anura: Cycloramphidae by Hannemania sp. (Acari: Trombiculidae in an area of Atlantic Forest, Ilha Grande, Southeastern Brazil

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Hatano F.H.

2007-06-01

Full Text Available We studied some parameters of the parasitism by the mite Hannemania sp. on the endemic frog Hylodes phyllodes in the Atlantic Forest of Ilha Grande (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Prevalence, mean abundance, mean intensity and total intensity of infestation, body regions infected, and host sexual differences in parasitism rate of the larvae of Hannemania sp. on individuals of H. phyllodes were assessed. Prevalence was 86.5% (N = 37; total of 1,745 larvae of Hannemania sp for male hosts and 91.7% (N =12; total of 330 larvae for female hosts, with no significant difference between the sexes. Overall prevalence of Hannemania sp. on H. phyllodes was 87.7%. Mean intensity of infestation in males (54.5 ± 42.5; range 1-173 larvae was higher than in females (29.9 ± 47.6; range 1-166. We conclude that the rates of intensity, abundance, and prevalence of Hannemania larvae parasitizing Hylodes phyllodes at Ilha Grande were considerably high, suggesting that this species of anuran constitutes a relevant host for this mite species to complete its lifecycle in the area. Differences between males and females in infestation rates probably reflect their differential use of space in the forest.

Cryptic genetic diversity is paramount in small-bodied amphibians of the genus Euparkerella (Anura: Craugastoridae endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic forest.

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Luciana A Fusinatto

Full Text Available Morphological similarity associated to restricted distributions and low dispersal abilities make the direct developing "Terrarana" frogs of the genus Euparkerella a good model for examining diversification processes. We here infer phylogenetic relationships within the genus Euparkerella, using DNA sequence data from one mitochondrial and four nuclear genes coupled with traditional Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction approaches and more recent coalescent methods of species tree inference. We also used Bayesian clustering analysis and a recent Bayesian coalescent-based approach specifically to infer species delimitation. The analysis of 39 individuals from the four known Euparkerella species uncovered high levels of genetic diversity, especially within the two previously morphologically-defined E. cochranae and E. brasiliensis. Within these species, the gene trees at five independent loci and trees from combined data (concatenated dataset and the species tree uncovered six deeply diverged and geographically coherent evolutionary units, which may have diverged between the Miocene and the Pleistocene. These six units were also uncovered in the Bayesian clustering analysis, and supported by the Bayesian coalescent-based species delimitation (BPP, and Genealogical Sorting Index (GSI, providing thus strong evidence for underestimation of the current levels of diversity within Euparkerella. The cryptic diversity now uncovered opens new opportunities to examine the origins and maintenance of microendemism in the context of spatial heterogeneity and/or human induced fragmentation of the highly threatened Brazilian Atlantic forest hotspot.

A new species of the genus Centrolene (Amphibia : Anura : Centrolenidae) from Ecuador with comments on the taxonomy and biogeography of Glassfrogs

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Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; McDiarmid, R.W.

2006-01-01

We describe a new species of Glassfrog, Centrolene mariaelenae n. sp., from the Contrafuerte de Tzunantza, southeastern Ecuador. The new species is assigned to the Centrolene gorzulai species group, a clade previously known only from the Guayana Shield region, because the parietal peritoneum is transparent and the hepatic peritoneum is covered by guanophores. We analyze the diversity patterns of Glassfrogs from eastern Ecuador. The distribution of the new species herein described supports previous hypothesis of a biogeographical connection between the Andes and the Guayana Shield for various groups of plants and animals; particularly a relationship between the Guayana Shield and the sandstone outcrops mountain ranges of southeastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. We also comment on the infrageneric and generic classification of Glassfrogs, and propose the new combinations Centrolene balionotum n. comb., Cochranella antisthenesi n. comb., and Cochranella pulverata n. comb.

Phylogenetic patterns and correlation of key structures for jumping: bone crests and cross-sectional areas of muscles in Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae).

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Ponssa, María Laura; Fratani, Jéssica; Abdala, Virginia

2018-05-01

Anurans are characterized by their saltatory mode of locomotion, which is associated with a specific morphology. The coordinated action of the muscles and bones of the pelvic girdle is key to the transmission of the force of the hindlimbs to the axial skeleton during jumping. Two features are critical for optimal locomotory performance: the cross-sectional area of muscle and the bone crest attachment sites. The first character is a proxy of the force exerted by the muscle, whereas the crests are muscle attachments sites related to muscle force. The provisory relationship between these features has previously been identified and bone crest size can be used to infer the magnitude and, therefore, muscle force in fossils records. In this work, we explore the correlation between the cross-sectional area of essential muscles to the jumping mechanism (longissimus dorsi, extensor iliotibialis B, tenuissimus, puboischiofemoralis internus B, coccygeo-sacralis and coccygeo-iliacus) and the bone crests where these muscles are inserted (dorsal tubercle, dorsal crest and urostylar crest) in species of the genus Leptodactylus. This genus, along with other leptodactylids, exhibits a diversity of locomotor modes, including jumping, hopping, swimming and burrowing. We therefore analyzed the morphometric variation in the two features, cross-sectional area and bone crest area, expecting a correlation with different locomotor types. Our results showed: (i) a correlation between the urostylar crest and the cross-sectional area of the related muscles; (ii) that the bone crest surface area of urostyle and ilium and the cross-sectional area of the corresponding muscles can be utilized to infer locomotor faculties in leptodactylid frogs; and (iii) that the evolution of both characters demonstrates a general tendency from lower values in leptodactylid ancestors to higher values in the Leptodactylus genus. The results attest to the importance of the comparison of current ecological and phylogenetic analogues as they allow us to infer functionality and behavior in fossil and extant groups based on skeletal evidence. Phylogenetic patterns in character evolution and their correlation with locomotory types could imply that functional restrictions are also inherited in leptodactylid. © 2018 Anatomical Society.

Another puzzle piece: new record of the Fringed Leaf Frog, Cruziohyla craspedopus (Funkhouser, 1957) (Anura: Phyllomedusidae), in the eastern Amazon Rainforest

OpenAIRE

Moraes, Leandro; Pavan, Dante

2017-01-01

We report new occurrence of Cruziohyla craspedopus (Funkhouser, 1957) in the eastern Amazon Rainforest. This is only the second record from the state of Pará, Brazil and represents the easternmost known point of this species' range.

Respiration and hemoglobin function in the giant African bullfrog Pyxicephalus adspersus Tschudi (Anura: Pyxicephalidae) during rest, exercise and dormancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Aardt, W.J; Weber, Roy E.

2010-01-01

The survival strategies of frogs exposed to harsh conditions include various forms of dormancy. Giant bullfrogs Pyxicephalus adspersus subjected to slow desiccation without access to moist substrata over winter in cocoons during dormancy. We found that Pyxicephalus can survive long periods of dor...

Una nueva especie de rana de cristal del género Hyalinobatrachium (Anura: Centrolenidae del Delta del Río Orinoco, Venezuela

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J. Celsa Señaris

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Se describe una nueva especie de Hyalinobatrachium del grupo fleischmanni, H. mondolfii, de las planicies inundables del delta del río Orinoco, Venezuela. Hyalinobatrachium mondolfii se distingue del resto de las especies del grupo por la siguiente combinación de caracteres: peritoneo parietal translúcido, pericardio y peritoneos visceral y hepático blancos, coloración dorsal en vida verde claro con diminutos puntos amarillos y en preservativo crema uniforme con diminutos melanóforos oscuros (visibles solo bajo magnificación, huesos blancos en vida, palmeadura de manos y pies extensa, cabeza redondeada en vista dorsal e inclinada en vista lateral, piel dorsal granular y un canto con frecuencia fundamental superior a los 5 000 HzA new species of Hyalinobatrachium of the fleischmanni group, H. mondolfii, is described from the Orinoco delta floodplains in Venezuela. This new species can be distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: parietal peritoneum clear, pericardium white, visceral and hepatic peritoneum white, color in life pale green with diminute yellow spots and, in preservative, cream with small dark melanophores (visible only under magnification, bones white in life, extense webbing, snout round in dorsal view and inclinate in lateral view, dorsal skin granulate and a advertisement call with a fundamental frequency greater than 5000 Hz

Systematics of Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa with the description of a new species and comments on the taxonomy of Trachycephalus typhonius (Anura, Hylidae)

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Ron, Santiago R.; Venegas, Pablo J.; Ortega-Andrade, H. Mauricio; Gagliardi-Urrutia, Giussepe; Salerno, Patricia E.

2016-01-01

Abstract Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa is an Amazonian hylid of uncertain phylogenetic position. Herein DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes are used to determine its phylogenetic relationships. New sequences and external morphology of Trachycephalus typhonius are also analyzed to assess the status of Ecuadorian and Peruvian populations. The phylogeny shows unequivocally that Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa is nested within the genus Tepuihyla, tribe Lophiohylini. This position was unexpected because the remaining species of Ecnomiohyla belong to the tribe Hylini. To solve the paraphyly of the genus Ecnomiohyla, Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa is transferred to the genus Tepuihyla. Comparisons of DNA sequences, external morphology, and advertisement calls between populations of Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa from Ecuador and Peru indicate that the Peruvian population represents an undescribed species. The new species is described and a species account is provided for Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa. Trachycephalus typhonius is paraphyletic relative to Trachycephalus cunauaru, Trachycephalus hadroceps, and Trachycephalus resinifictrix. The phylogenetic position of populations from western Ecuador indicates that they represent a species separate from Trachycephalus typhonius sensu stricto. We resurrect the name Hyla quadrangulum (Trachycephalus quadrangulum comb. n.) for those populations. Amazonian populations of “Trachycephalus typhonius” from Ecuador and Peru are genetically and morphologically distinct from Trachycephalus typhonius sensu stricto and are conspecific with the holotype of Hyla macrotis. Therefore, we also resurrect Hyla macrotis, a decision that results in Trachycephalus macrotis comb. n. PMID:27917043

The advertisement and aggressive calls of Rhinella abei (Baldissera, Caramaschi, and Haddad, 2004) (Anura: Bufonidae) from Campo Largo, Paraná, Brazil.

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Batista, Vinicius Guerra; Ramalho, Werther Pereira; Amaral, Diogo Ferreira Do; Maciel, Natan Medeiros; Bastos, Rogério Pereira

2016-05-04

Rhinella abei is a medium-sized species (snout-to-vent length 57.0-76.4 mm in males; 60.4-83.9 mm in females-Baldissera et al. 2004) of the Rhinella crucifer species group, distributed in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, from the State of Paraná to northern Rio Grande do Sul (Frost 2016). It is recorded in forested areas (Conte & Rossa-Feres 2007), or while breeding along forest edges and open habitats. Information on advertisement calls of species in the R. crucifer group is available for R. casconi, R. crucifer, R. inopina and R. ornata (Andrade et al. 2015; Heyer et al. 1990; Oliveira et al. 2014; Roberto et al. 2014). Here we describe the advertisement and aggressive calls of R. abei recorded in the municipality of Campo Largo (25.507472° S, 49.376632° W, datum "WGS84"), southeast State of Paraná, Brazil.

Large-scale phylogenetic analyses provide insights into unrecognized diversity and historical biogeography of Asian leaf-litter frogs, genus Leptolalax (Anura: Megophryidae).

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Chen, Jin-Min; Poyarkov, Nikolay A; Suwannapoom, Chatmongkon; Lathrop, Amy; Wu, Yun-He; Zhou, Wei-Wei; Yuan, Zhi-Yong; Jin, Jie-Qiong; Chen, Hong-Man; Liu, He-Qun; Nguyen, Truong Quang; Nguyen, Sang Ngoc; Duong, Tang Van; Eto, Koshiro; Nishikawa, Kanto; Matsui, Masafumi; Orlov, Nikolai L; Stuart, Bryan L; Brown, Rafe M; Rowley, Jodi J L; Murphy, Robert W; Wang, Ying-Yong; Che, Jing

2018-07-01

Southeast Asia and southern China (SEA-SC) harbor a highly diverse and endemic flora and fauna that is under increasing threat. An understanding of the biogeographical history and drivers of this diversity is lacking, especially in some of the most diverse and threatened groups. The Asian leaf-litter frog genus Leptolalax Dubois 1980 is a forest-dependent genus distributed throughout SEA-SC, making it an ideal study group to examine specific biogeographic hypotheses. In addition, the diversity of this genus remains poorly understood, and the phylogenetic relationships among species of Leptolalax and closely related Leptobrachella Smith 1928 remain unclear. Herein, we evaluate species-level diversity based on 48 of the 53 described species from throughout the distribution of Leptolalax. Molecular analyses reveal many undescribed species, mostly in southern China and Indochina. Our well-resolved phylogeny based on multiple nuclear DNA markers shows that Leptolalax is not monophyletic with respect to Leptobrachella and, thus, we assign the former to being a junior synonym of the latter. Similarly, analyses reject monophyly of the two subgenera of Leptolalax. The diversification pattern of the group is complex, involving a high degree of sympatry and prevalence of microendemic species. Northern Sundaland (Borneo) and eastern Indochina (Vietnam) appear to have played pivotal roles as geographical centers of diversification, and paleoclimatic changes and tectonic movements seem to have driven the major divergence of clades. Analyses fail to reject an "upstream" colonization hypothesis, and, thus, the genus appears to have originated in Sundaland and then colonized mainland Asia. Our results reveal that both vicariance and dispersal are responsible for current distribution patterns in the genus. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Análisis comparativo de la estructura del canto del anuncio de tres poblaciones de Melanophryniscus rubriventris (Vellar, 1947 (Anura: Bufonidae

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Ferrari, Liliana

2008-02-01

Full Text Available La estructura de la señal acústica en anuros ha sido considerada especie-específica y utilizada incluso para el reconocimiento de nuevas especies indistinguibles por caracteres morfológicos. En este trabajo, presentamos una descripción de la estructura del canto de Melanophryniscus rubriventris y un análisis comparativo de parámetros espectrales y temporales del canto de anuncio en tres poblaciones argentinas, cada una de ellas asignadas a una de las tres subespecies tradicionalmente reconocidas. El canto de anuncio emitido por los machos de M. rubriventris puede describirse como un trino agudo formado por dos segmentos: el primero está compuesto por una serie de emisiones cortas, aisladas y no pulsadas seguidas por el segundo segmento que conforma un trino rápido con una frecuencia constante de pulsos. La estructura del canto en dos segmentos coincide con las descripciones realizadas para otras cinco especies del género, pero difiere en los componentes temporales y espectrales. Las comparaciones de los cantos de las distintas poblaciones estudiadas de M. rubriventris no revelan ninguna diferencia significativa. Estas evidencias no parecen sustentar la existencia de subespecies ni que se deban efectuar cambios en el status específico de las poblaciones argentinas. The structure of the acoustic signal in anurans has been considered species-specific and used even for the recognition of new indistinguishable species by morphologic characters. In this work, we presented a description of the structure of the call of Melanophryniscus rubriventris and a comparative analysis of spectral and temporal parameters of the advertisement call in three Argentine populations assigned to three traditionally recognized subspecies. The call emitted by males of M. rubriventris can be described like an acute trill formed by two segments: a first segment with a series of short, unpulsed isolated emissions followed by the second segment: a fast trill of a constant frequency of pulses. The structure of the call in two segments agrees with the descriptions made for other five species of the genus, but it differs in the temporal and spectral components. The call of the different studied populations from M. rubriventris does not reveal any significant difference. These evidences do not seem to sustain the existence of subspecies, or changes in the specific status of the Argentine populations.

On the occurrence and identity of triploids of Rana kl. esculenta Linnaeus and R. lessonae Camerano in The Netherlands (Anura: Ranidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blommers-Schlösser, Rose M.A.

1990-01-01

According to electrophoresis and erythrocyte size the genotypes of 756 waterfrogs, collected during 1986—1988 in 54 localities in The Netherlands, were classified as belonging to 5 different genotypes: 331 diploid R. lessonae (LL), 5 triploid R. lessonae (LLL), 250 diploid R. kl. esculenta (LR), 133

Análisis comparativo de la estructura del canto del anuncio de tres poblaciones de Melanophryniscus rubriventris (Vellar, 1947) (Anura: Bufonidae)

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Ferrari, Liliana; Vaira, Marcos

2008-01-01

La estructura de la señal acústica en anuros ha sido considerada especie-específica y utilizada incluso para el reconocimiento de nuevas especies indistinguibles por caracteres morfológicos. En este trabajo, presentamos una descripción de la estructura del canto de Melanophryniscus rubriventris y un análisis comparativo de parámetros espectrales y temporales del canto de anuncio en tres poblaciones argentinas, cada una de ellas asignadas a una de las tres subespecies tradicionalmente reconoci...

Acerca de la localidad tipo y la distribución geográfica de Melanophryniscus klappenbachi Prigione & Langone, 2000 (Anura: Bufonidae

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Baldo, Diego

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Dada la distribución geográfica de esta especie en Argentina, Prigioni y Langone (op. cit. sugieren que las citas de M. stelzneri fulvoguttatus para las provincias de Santa Fe (Baldo y Arzamendia, 1997 y Santiago del Estero (Basso y Williams, 1996 y para la localidad formoseña de Bartolomé de las Casas (Gallardo, 1961; 1966 debían ser reexaminadas. Del examen del material en el que se basaron dichas citas, concluyo que pertenecen a M. klappenbachi.

Eupsophus calcaratus (Anura, Leptodactilydae: ampliación de su distribución geográfica y hábitats en Argentina

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Úbeda, Carmen A.

2000-03-01

Full Text Available Argentina, Provincia de Chubut, Departamento de Futaleufú: 1 Parque Nacional Los Alerces, margen NE del Lago Menéndez, proximidad desembocadura Arroyo Zanjón Hondo, (42°42' S, 71°41' O, 520 m snm, 14/febrero/1997. Un ejemplar macho adulto, colector: Carmen A. MACN 37034. 2 Parque Nacional Los Alerces, Arroyo Torrecillas, Lago Menéndez, 18/enero/1972. Colector: Monaglio. MACN 29946. 3 Parque Nacional Los Alerces, Lago Futalaufquen, 25/abril/1969. Colector: Foerster. CENAI 7163. 4 Parque Nacional Los Alerces, margen norte del Lago 1 [actualmente parte del Lago Amutui Quimei], (43°01' S, 71°46' O, 1-2/1971. Colectores: Monadio, Garrido y Bianchini. MACN 29723/28.

Systematics of treefrogs of the Hypsiboas calcaratus and Hypsiboas fasciatus species complex (Anura, Hylidae with the description of four new species

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Marcel Caminer

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We review the systematics of the Hypsiboas calcaratus species complex, a group of widely distributed Amazonian hylid frogs. A comprehensive analysis of genetic, morphological, and bioacoustic datasets uncovered the existence of eleven candidate species, six of which are confirmed. Two of them correspond to Hypsiboas fasciatus and Hypsiboas calcaratus and the remaining four are new species that we describe here. Hypsiboas fasciatus sensu stricto has a geographic range restricted to the eastern Andean foothills of southern Ecuador while Hypsiboas calcaratus sensu stricto has a wide distribution in the Amazon basin. Hypsiboas almendarizae sp. n. occurs at elevations between 500 and 1950 m in central and northern Ecuador; the other new species (H. maculateralis sp. n., H. alfaroi sp. n., and H. tetete sp. n. occur at elevations below 500 m in Amazonian Ecuador and Peru. The new species differ from H. calcaratus and H. fasciatus in morphology, advertisement calls, and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Five candidate species from the Guianan region, Peru, and Bolivia are left as unconfirmed. Examination of the type material of Hyla steinbachi, from Bolivia, shows that it is not conspecific with H. fasciatus and thus is removed from its synonymy.

Systematics of Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa with the description of a new species and comments on the taxonomy of Trachycephalus typhonius (Anura, Hylidae).

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Ron, Santiago R; Venegas, Pablo J; Ortega-Andrade, H Mauricio; Gagliardi-Urrutia, Giussepe; Salerno, Patricia E

2016-01-01

Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa is an Amazonian hylid of uncertain phylogenetic position. Herein DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes are used to determine its phylogenetic relationships. New sequences and external morphology of Trachycephalus typhonius are also analyzed to assess the status of Ecuadorian and Peruvian populations. The phylogeny shows unequivocally that Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa is nested within the genus Tepuihyla , tribe Lophiohylini. This position was unexpected because the remaining species of Ecnomiohyla belong to the tribe Hylini. To solve the paraphyly of the genus Ecnomiohyla , Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa is transferred to the genus Tepuihyla . Comparisons of DNA sequences, external morphology, and advertisement calls between populations of Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa from Ecuador and Peru indicate that the Peruvian population represents an undescribed species. The new species is described and a species account is provided for Ecnomiohyla tuberculosa . Trachycephalus typhonius is paraphyletic relative to Trachycephalus cunauaru , Trachycephalus hadroceps , and Trachycephalus resinifictrix . The phylogenetic position of populations from western Ecuador indicates that they represent a species separate from Trachycephalus typhonius sensu stricto . We resurrect the name Hyla quadrangulum ( Trachycephalus quadrangulum comb. n. ) for those populations. Amazonian populations of " Trachycephalus typhonius " from Ecuador and Peru are genetically and morphologically distinct from Trachycephalus typhonius sensu stricto and are conspecific with the holotype of Hyla macrotis . Therefore, we also resurrect Hyla macrotis , a decision that results in Trachycephalus macrotis comb. n.

A new species of Psychrophrynella (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae from the humid montane forests of Cusco, eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes

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Alessandro Catenazzi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We describe a new species of Psychrophrynella from the humid montane forest of the Department Cusco in Peru. Specimens were collected at 2,670–3,165 m elevation in the Área de Conservación Privada Ukumari Llakta, Japumayo valley, near Comunidad Campesina de Japu, in the province of Paucartambo. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of Psychrophrynella but P. bagrecito and P. usurpator by possessing a tubercle on the inner edge of the tarsus, and from these two species by its yellow ventral coloration on abdomen and limbs. Furthermore, the new species is like P. bagrecito and P. usurpator in having an advertisement call composed of multiple notes, whereas other species of Psychrophrynella whose calls are known have a pulsed call (P. teqta or a short, tonal call composed of a single note. The new species has a snout-vent length of 16.1–24.1 mm in males and 23.3–27.7 mm in females. Like other recently described species in the genus, this new Psychrophrynella inhabits high-elevation forests in the tropical Andes and likely has a restricted geographic distribution.

Reproduction of the exotic bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802 (Anura, Ranidae in creeks of the Atlantic Rainforest of Minas Gerais, Brazil

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Lilian Gomes Afonso

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Reproduction of the exotic bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus was studied every two months from January 2005 to December 2006, analyzing tadpoles, juveniles, and adult vocalizations at three creeks located in the largest Brazilian center of ornamental fish breeding. Absolute and relative tadpole frequencies were measured bimonthly in three development stages: G1 (no limbs, G2 (hind limbs present, G3 (fore and hind limbs and I (metamorphs. Results show that, during warmest months, a greater proportion of tadpoles in G1, G2, and G3 phases were found in Santo Antônio and Chato creeks, while G1, G3, and I phases were more common in Gavião creek. Tadpoles in G1 and G2 phases predominated in coldest months at all locations. Male calls and highest average water temperatures and rainfall were recorded at 3 streams during the hottest months. Management measures should be adopted, such as the extermination of larval and adult stages, and initiatives should be taken to prevent new re-introductions, such as: (1 installation of fences around tanks where adults are located, (2 placement of protective screens on the pipes that release waste water from tanks directly into streams, (3 capacity building and educational measures on the problems of biological invasions for staff working on ornamental fish farms.

Reproduction of the exotic bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802 (Anura, Ranidae in creeks of the Atlantic Rainforest of Minas Gerais, Brazil

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Lilian Gomes Afonso

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Reproduction of the exotic bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus was studied every two months from January 2005 to December 2006, analyzing tadpoles, juveniles, and adult vocalizations at three creeks located in the largest Brazilian center of ornamental fish breeding. Absolute and relative tadpole frequencies were measured bimonthly in three development stages: G1 (no limbs, G2 (hind limbs present, G3 (fore and hind limbs and I (metamorphs. Results show that, during warmest months, a greater proportion of tadpoles in G1, G2, and G3 phases were found in Santo Antônio and Chato creeks, while G1, G3, and I phases were more common in Gavião creek. Tadpoles in G1 and G2 phases predominated in coldest months at all locations. Male calls and highest average water temperatures and rainfall were recorded at 3 streams during the hottest months. Management measures should be adopted, such as the extermination of larval and adult stages, and initiatives should be taken to prevent new re-introductions, such as: (1 installation of fences around tanks where adults are located, (2 placement of protective screens on the pipes that release waste water from tanks directly into streams, (3 capacity building and educational measures on the problems of biological invasions for staff working on ornamental fish farms.

Non-target effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on Common toad larvae (Bufo bufo, Amphibia) and associated algae are altered by temperature.

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Baier, Fabian; Gruber, Edith; Hein, Thomas; Bondar-Kunze, Elisabeth; Ivanković, Marina; Mentler, Axel; Brühl, Carsten A; Spangl, Bernhard; Zaller, Johann G

2016-01-01

Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, horticulture, municipalities and private gardens that can potentially contaminate nearby water bodies inhabited by amphibians and algae. Moreover, the development and diversity of these aquatic organisms could also be affected by human-induced climate change that might lead to more periods with extreme temperatures. However, to what extent non-target effects of these herbicides on amphibians or algae are altered by varying temperature is not well known. We studied effects of five concentrations of the glyphosate-based herbicide formulation Roundup PowerFlex (0, 1.5, 3, 4 mg acid equivalent glyphosate L -1 as a one time addition and a pulse treatment of totally 4 mg a.e. glyphosate L -1 ) on larval development of Common toads ( Bufo bufo , L.; Amphibia: Anura) and associated algae communities under two temperature regimes (15 vs. 20 °C). Herbicide contamination reduced tail growth (-8%), induced the occurrence of tail deformations (i.e. lacerated or crooked tails) and reduced algae diversity (-6%). Higher water temperature increased tadpole growth (tail and body length (tl/bl) +66%, length-to-width ratio +4%) and decreased algae diversity (-21%). No clear relation between herbicide concentrations and tadpole growth or algae density or diversity was observed. Interactive effects of herbicides and temperature affected growth parameters, tail deformation and tadpole mortality indicating that the herbicide effects are temperature-dependent. Remarkably, herbicide-temperature interactions resulted in deformed tails in 34% of all herbicide treated tadpoles at 15 °C whereas no tail deformations were observed for the herbicide-free control at 15 °C or any tadpole at 20 °C; herbicide-induced mortality was higher at 15 °C but lower at 20 °C. These herbicide- and temperature-induced changes may have decided effects on ecological interactions in freshwater ecosystems. Although no clear dose

Non-target effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on Common toad larvae (Bufo bufo, Amphibia and associated algae are altered by temperature

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Fabian Baier

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, horticulture, municipalities and private gardens that can potentially contaminate nearby water bodies inhabited by amphibians and algae. Moreover, the development and diversity of these aquatic organisms could also be affected by human-induced climate change that might lead to more periods with extreme temperatures. However, to what extent non-target effects of these herbicides on amphibians or algae are altered by varying temperature is not well known. Methods We studied effects of five concentrations of the glyphosate-based herbicide formulation Roundup PowerFlex (0, 1.5, 3, 4 mg acid equivalent glyphosate L−1 as a one time addition and a pulse treatment of totally 4 mg a.e. glyphosate L−1 on larval development of Common toads (Bufo bufo, L.; Amphibia: Anura and associated algae communities under two temperature regimes (15 vs. 20 °C. Results Herbicide contamination reduced tail growth (−8%, induced the occurrence of tail deformations (i.e. lacerated or crooked tails and reduced algae diversity (−6%. Higher water temperature increased tadpole growth (tail and body length (tl/bl +66%, length-to-width ratio +4% and decreased algae diversity (−21%. No clear relation between herbicide concentrations and tadpole growth or algae density or diversity was observed. Interactive effects of herbicides and temperature affected growth parameters, tail deformation and tadpole mortality indicating that the herbicide effects are temperature-dependent. Remarkably, herbicide-temperature interactions resulted in deformed tails in 34% of all herbicide treated tadpoles at 15 °C whereas no tail deformations were observed for the herbicide-free control at 15 °C or any tadpole at 20 °C; herbicide-induced mortality was higher at 15 °C but lower at 20 °C. Discussion These herbicide- and temperature-induced changes may have decided effects on ecological

Revision of the characters of Centrolenidae (Amphibia : Anura : Athesphatanura), with comments on its taxonomy and the description of new taxa of glassfrogs

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Cisneros-Heredia, D.F.; McDiarmid, Roy W.

2007-01-01

Anurans of the family Centrolenidae are a diverse clade of arboreal frogs distributed across tropical America. Knowledge of their taxonomy, systematics, ecology, behavior, morphology, and other evolutionary aspects of their biology is deficient. Relationships among centrolenid species remain largely unresolved, with no satisfactory phylogenetic hypothesis, and none of the current genera has compelling evidence of monophyly. Further, understanding the phylogeny of glassfrogs is constrained by species-level taxonomic problems, including incorrect description of characters, incomplete analyses of intraspecific variation, and lack of appreciation of species diversity. Herein, we define and analyze the 23 characters that are useful, in combination, in diagnosing centrolenid species, and thereby provide a reference for the use of future workers. We propose revised classifications for the parietal and visceral peritoneal pigmentation, liver form and coloration of its associated hepatic peritoneum, nuptial excrescences, and hand ornamentation. We comment on the generic and species-level taxonomy of Centrolenidae, proposing the recognition of a new genus and describing a new species from Ecuador. We treat Hyla ocellifera Boulenger as a synonym of Centrolene prosoblepon (Boettger), Hyalinobatrachium cardiacalyptum McCranie & Wilson as a synonym of Hyalinobatrachium chirripoi (Taylor), and Hyalinobatrachium crybetes McCranie and Wilson as a synonym of Hyalinobatrachium colymbiphyllum (Taylor). We also present an annotated list of the species of glassfrogs from the Republic of Ecuador with some distributional remarks.

A new species of Hatchet-faced Treefrog Sphaenorhynchus Tschudi (Anura: Hylidae) from Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil.

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Araujo-Vieira, Katyuscia; Lacerda, João Victor A; Pezzuti, Tiago L; Leite, Felipe Sá Fortes; De Assis, Clodoaldo Lopes; Cruz, Carlos Alberto G

2015-12-21

A new species of Sphaenorhynchus is described from the Municipality of Mariana, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is characterized by the vocal sac moderately developed, single, subgular, with longitudinal folds; white canthal and dorsolateral lines delimited below by a dorsolateral black line from the tip of snout extending beyond the eye to gradually disappearing up to the flanks; and premaxilla and maxilla almost completely edentulous, each bearing 1-5 extremely small teeth. It is most similar with Sphaenorhynchus orophilus, from which it can be distinguished by having a less robust forearm in males; glandular subcloacal dermal fold; premaxilla and maxilla almost completely edentulous; and larvae with large marginal papillae in the oral disc. The new species occurs in natural ponds over ironstone outcrops (known as canga) on flat terrain, where males call from the floating vegetation.

A new species of Colostethus (Anura, Dendrobatidae from French Guiana with a redescription of Colostethus beebei (Noble, 1923 from its type locality

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Philippe J. R. Kok

2006-09-01

Full Text Available A new species of Colostethus, long mistaken for Colostethus beebei, is described from French Guiana. The new species can be distinguished from congeners by absence of median lingual process, first finger longer than second, third finger not distinctly swollen in males, differences in tadpole morphology, coloration and pattern (e.g. absence of dorsolateral stripe, bioacoustics, and reproductive behavior. A complete redescription of Colostethus beebei plus description of its tadpole and call is provided on the basis of recently collected topotypic specimens. The range of C. beebei is restricted to the Kaieteur plateau, Pakaraima Mountains, Guyana.

Feeding habits of the frog Pleurodema diplolistris (Anura, Leptodactylidae in Quaternary sand dunes of the Middle Rio São Francisco, Bahia, Brazil

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José Wellington Alves dos Santos

2003-12-01

Full Text Available In this work, we investigate the feeding habits of Pleurodema diplolistris, the most abundant anuran species of the São Francisco sand dunes, during a period of slightly over one year. The fieldwork was undertaken during four excursions to a sand dune in the semiarid Caatinga, Brazil, and the analyses were based on stomach contents. Pleurodema diplolistris were not active during the dry season. The important food categories in diet were Isoptera (winged forms, Coleoptera, and Formicidae. Small and large animals had different food comsumption patterns: small frogs showed positive electivity for termites and large frogs, for ants. The pattern was strongly influenced by large male food electivity. High levels of termite comsumption ocurred during the days of greater capture success. The pattern of high comsumption of termites detected here is different from that described in another study on lizards from the same locality and sampled in the same periods. We discuss alternative hypotheses that could explain the observed patterns.

Molecular phylogenetics of the glass frog Hyalinobatrachium orientale (Anura: Centrolenidae): evidence for Pliocene connections between mainland Venezuela and the island of Tobago.

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Jowers, Michael J; Lehtinen, Richard M; Downie, Roger J; Georgiadis, Andrew P; Murphy, John C

2015-08-01

The presence of Hyalinobatrachium orientale in Tobago and in northeastern Venezuela is puzzling as this species is unknown from the island of Trinidad, an island often hypothesized to be a stepping-stone for the mainland fauna to colonize Tobago. A period of extended isolation on Tobago could result in the Hyalinobatrachium population becoming distinct from the mainland H. orientale. Here, we use 12S and 16S rDNA gene fragments from nine H. orientale specimens from Tobago and the mainland to assess their relationship and taxonomy, as well as the tempo and mode of speciation. The results suggest H. orientale from Venezuela and Tobago are monophyletic and the two populations diverged about 3 million years ago. This estimate corresponds with the drier climate and lower sea levels of the Pliocene glaciation periods. We hypothesize that lower sea levels resulted in land-bridge formations connecting the mainland and Tobago, with a corridor of habitat allowing H. orientale to colonize Tobago to the west of Trinidad.

[Relative abundance and microhabitat use by the frog Geobatrachus walkeri (Anura: Strabomantidae) in two habitats of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia].

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Martínez Baños, Vera; Pacheco Florez, Vanesa; Ramírez-Pinilla, Martha P

2011-06-01

Geobatrachus walkeri belongs to a monotypic frog genus endemic to the San Lorenzo area, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. This species has been categorized as endangered because of its small distribution area and the decline in the extent and quality of its habitat. It inhabits two forest types with different composition and structure, the native secondary forest and a pine plantation (dominated by Pinus patula). To compare the relative abundance and microhabitat use of this species in these habitat types, 30 quadrants/environment were distributed randomly. The individual number, microhabitat use and other aspects of its natural history were registered using visual encounter surveys in both sites, including non-sampled areas in the quadrants. The relative abundance of frogs was significantly different between habitats and among seasons. The highest abundance of G. walkeri relative to the total area was found in the pine plantation, being 2.3 times higher than in the natural forest. More frogs were significantly found during the rainy season; nevertheless, active individuals were also found during the dry season. Significant differences were found in the microhabitat use with respect to the forest type and season. The most frequently microhabitat used in the two forest types was the pine leaf-litter; besides, in the native forest, the microhabitat occupied more frequently presented medium and large size stones. Geobatrachus walkeri is a successful species in pine plantations, associated permanently to its leaf-litter environment where it seems to develop its entire life cycle. The clear modifications in the soils and water, derived from the introduction of the pine plantation in this area, seem not to have negatively affected the conservation and successful maintenance of this species.

The advertisement call and comments on the distribution of Eleutherodactylus bilineatus Bokermann, 1975, an endemic frog of Bahia State, Brazil (Amphibia, Anura).

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Dias, Iuri Ribeiro; de Mira-Mendes, Caio Vinicius; Souza-Costa, Carlos Augusto; Juncá, Flora Acuña; Solé, Mirco

2017-01-01

Advertisement calls can be used to aid solving taxonomic problems and understanding the evolution of certain groups. In this study, the advertisement call of Eleutherodactylus bilineatus is described. It is composed by two different notes with a total duration of 0.529-4.241 seconds and dominant frequency of 1.72-3.45 kHz. Additionally, new data is provided on the geographical distribution of Eleutherodactylus bilineatus and the most inland record for this species.

Evolutionary dynamics of an expressed MHC class IIβ locus in the Ranidae (Anura) uncovered by genome walking and high-throughput amplicon sequencing

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Mulder, Kevin P.; Cortazar-Chinarro, Maria; Harris, D. James; Crottini, Angelica; Grant, Evan H. Campbell; Fleischer, Robert C.; Savage, Anna E.

2017-01-01

The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is a genomic region encoding immune loci that are important and frequently used markers in studies of adaptive genetic variation and disease resistance. Given the primary role of infectious diseases in contributing to global amphibian declines, we characterized the hypervariable exon 2 and flanking introns of the MHC Class IIβ chain for 17 species of frogs in the Ranidae, a speciose and cosmopolitan family facing widespread pathogen infections and declines. We find high levels of genetic variation concentrated in the Peptide Binding Region (PBR) of the exon. Ten codons are under positive selection, nine of which are located in the mammal-defined PBR. We hypothesize that the tenth codon (residue 21) is an amphibian-specific PBR site that may be important in disease resistance. Trans-species and trans-generic polymorphisms are evident from exon-based genealogies, and co-phylogenetic analyses between intron, exon and mitochondrial based reconstructions reveal incongruent topologies, likely due to different locus histories. We developed two sets of barcoded adapters that reliably amplify a single and likely functional locus in all screened species using both 454 and Illumina based sequencing methods. These primers provide a resource for multiplexing and directly sequencing hundreds of samples in a single sequencing run, avoiding the labour and chimeric sequences associated with cloning, and enabling MHC population genetic analyses. Although the primers are currently limited to the 17 species we tested, these sequences and protocols provide a useful genetic resource and can serve as a starting point for future disease, adaptation and conservation studies across a range of anuran taxa.

Molecular cloning of skin peptide precursor-encoding cDNAs from tibial gland secretion of the Giant Monkey Frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor (Hylidae, Anura).

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König, Enrico; Clark, Valerie C; Shaw, Chris; Bininda-Emonds, Olaf R P

2012-12-01

The skins of phyllomedusine frogs have long been considered as being tremendously rich sources of bioactive peptides. Previous studies of both peptides and cloning of their precursor encoding cDNAs have relied upon methanolic skin extracts or the dissected skins of recently deceased specimens and have not considered the different glands in isolation. We therefore focused our attention on the tibial gland of the Giant Monkey Frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor and constructed a cDNA library from the skin secretion that was obtained via mechanical stimulation of this macrogland. Using shotgun cloning, four precursors encoding host-defense peptides were identified: two archetypal dermaseptins, a phyllokinin and a phylloseptin that is new for this species but has been recently described from the Waxy Monkey Leaf Frog, Phyllomedusa sauvagii. Our study is the first to report defensive peptides specifically isolated from anuran tibial glands, confirming the hypothesis that these glands also contribute to chemical defense. Moreover, the discovery of novel compounds for this otherwise very well characterized species suggests that this largely neglected gland might possess a different cocktail of secretions from glands elsewhere in the same animal. We will also discuss some evolutionary implications of our findings with respect to the adaptive plasticity of secretory glands. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neocosmocercella fisherae n. sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae), a parasite of the large intestine of Phyllomedusa bicolor (Boddaert) (Anura: Phyllomedusidae) from the Brazilian Amazon.

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Dos Santos, Ana Nunes; de Oliveira Rodrigues, Allan Rodrigo; Dos Santos Rocha, Fábio José; Dos Santos, Jeannie Nascimento; González, Cynthya Elizabeth; de Vasconcelos Melo, Francisco Tiago

2018-03-01

Neocosmocercella fisherae n. sp. is the first nematode species found parasitising Phyllomedusa bicolor from the Brazilian Amazon Region. The new species has a triangular oral opening, with bi-lobed lips, and is distinguished from N. bakeri (triangular oral opening with simple lips), and from N. paraguayensis (hexagonal oral opening with bi-lobed lips). Additionally, the new species has ciliated cephalic papillae, which are absent in the other species of the genus. The reduced uterine sac and the presence of a single egg in the uterus in females are the main morphological characters that differentiate the new species from its congeners N. bakeri (8-10 eggs) and N. paraguayensis (10 eggs, based on the allotype). Additionally, the new species differs from the other two species of the genus by morphometric characters such as the size of spicules and gubernaculum in males and the vagina in females. Until now, phyllomedusid anurans are the only known hosts for the nematodes of this genus. The present work describes the third species of the genus and the first species of nematode parasitising P. bicolor.

Ecology of Ischnocnema parva (Anura: Brachycephalidae at the Atlantic Rainforest of Serra da Concórdia, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Ana Cristina J. S. Martins

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Ischnocnema (Brachycephalidae includes many species that are important members of the leaf litter frog communities in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. Ischnocnema parva (Girard, 1853 is endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest biome and is restricted to the forests of southeastern Brazil. Currently, the available information about the ecology of I. parva is scarce. We studied the diet, the habitat use, reproduction and density of I. parva in an area of Atlantic Rainforest at the Concórdia mountain range, Rio de Janeiro. Individuals of I. parva were captured in April 2005 using different sampling methods: time constrained search (transects, plots of 5 x 5 m (25 m² on the litter, and pitfall traps with drift fences. We found 240 frogs; 35 females and 205 males. Females (mean SVL = 19.1 mm were significantly larger (F1,238 = 143.016, R² = 0.375, p < 0.001 than males (13.2 mm. The species preyed mainly on arthropods, with ants and isopods being the most important items, both showing high values of importance index (Ix = 50.0 and 26.7, respectively. Ischnocnema parva is a terrestrial species whose preferential microhabitat at the Serra da Concórdia was the litter of the forest floor (78.7%. The activity was predominantly crepuscular-nocturnal and the estimated density of I. parva was 24.9 ind/100 m². For the eight ovigerous females captured, the mean number of mature oocytes per female was 25 (range: 22-30 and the oocyte mean diameter was 1.11 mm (N = 40 oocytes. Oocyte number increased with female body size (R² = 0.504, F1,6 = 6.107, p < 0.05, N = 8, indicating that as females increase in size they produce larger clutches. Some ecological aspects such as diet and microhabitat use were similar to that observed for an insular population of I. parva, whereas reproductive traits differed. Thus, long term studies are necessary to understand the extent to which these differences are explained by environmental factors.

Una especie nueva de rana arbórea del género Hyloscirtus (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae de la Cordillera del Cóndor

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Ana Almendáriz

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Las ranas ecuatorianas del género Hyloscirtus incluyen 16 especies descritas, de las cuales 11 pertenecen al grupo H. larinopygion. Su distribución se limita a los flancos de la Cordillera de los Andes, tanto al oriente como al occidente. Una evaluación de la herpetofauna en el sector meridional de la Cordillera del Cóndor (bosques montanos sobre mesetas de arenisca en la provincia de Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, condujo al descubrimiento de una especie nueva del grupo que describimos aquí como Hyloscirtus condor sp. nov.; se analizan los renacuajos, las llamadas de anuncio y se estima las relaciones filogenéticas de la especie nueva y de las especies relacionadas en base a nuevas secuencias de los genes mitocondriales 12S, tRNA Val y 16S, con un total de hasta 2508 bp. Los resultados muestran que el grupo H. larinopygion está conformado por dos clados, uno distribuido en los Andes norte y centro de Ecuador y el otro al sur. La nueva especie pertenece al clado sur y es hermana de H. tapichalaca y de una especie aparentemente no descrita de la Provincia Morona Santiago. La especie nueva difiere de sus congéneres por su patrón de coloración dorsal, que consiste de puntos amarillo obscuro en un fondo canela. Es la especie más grande del grupo H. larinopygion y comparte con H. tapichalaca la presencia de una espina prepólica grande y curvada y brazos hipertrofiados. La especie nueva habita un área remota y bien conservada de la Cordillera del Cóndor. El descubrimiento de ésta y otras especies nuevas del mismo lugar denota la importancia biológica del área y motivan al desarrollo de planes de conservación.

Ampliación de la distribución de Physalaemus biligonigerus (Cope, 1860 (Anura: Leiuperidae en la provincia de San Luis, Argentina

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Moreno, Liliana

2008-03-01

Full Text Available República Argentina, San Luis, Departamento Gral. Pedernera, Villa Mercedes (33º42'18,71" S 66º26'27,98" W. Fecha de colección: 29/XII/ 2006. Col: R. Gutierrez y L. Moreno. Los ejemplares están depositados en la Colección Herpetológica de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis (CH-UNSL 0389 – CH-UNSL 0390.

La larva de Hyla uruguaya Schmidt, 1944 (Anura: Hylidae, con comentarios sobre su biología y su status taxonómico

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Kolenc, Francisco

2003-11-01

Full Text Available Hyla uruguaya es una especie poco conocida y con relaciones taxonómicas discutidas. Su hallazgo en Uruguay ha sido esporádico. En el presente trabajo se describen su morfología larval, aspectos sobre su biología reproductiva, geonemia y ecología en Uruguay. La larva tiene cuerpo de tipo robusto y elíptico, con ojos laterales, aletas altas con dorsal expandida, espiráculo izquierdo, tubo proctodeal dextrógiro y corto, y fórmula de queratodontes [(1(1-1/(1-1(2], con una fila simple de papilas orales con claro rostral y varias papilas intramarginales subangulares. Una puesta obtenida en el laboratorio consistió de 398 huevos de 1,3 mm de diámetro. El canto de anuncio consta de una sucesión de notas multipulsadas de 22 ms de duración, con una frecuencia dominante promedio de 4146 Hz, emitidas a una frecuencia de 4,2 - 4,8 notas/s. El tren de notas puede durar hasta 13 minutos. Su canto fue registrado en la naturaleza desde fines de agosto y sus larvas se encontraron hasta fines de febrero en charcos de áreas abiertas en paisajes serranos del NE, E y SE del Uruguay. Los resultados obtenidos permitirían reconsiderar el estado de conservación de la especie en Uruguay. Sugerimos su afinidad taxonómica con las especies de Scinax del clado ruber sobre la base de caracteres larvales y discutimos su relación con la especie críptica Hyla pinima. Hyla uruguaya is a poorly known species with controversial taxonomic status. Its finding in Uruguay has been sporadic. In the present work larval morphology, some aspects of reproductive biology, geographical distribution and ecology in Uruguay are addressed. The tadpole has a robust and elliptic body, lateral eyes, high fins, left spiracle, vent tube short and dextral, labial tooth row formula of [(1(1-1/(1-1(2], a single row of oral papillae with a dorsal gap and some submarginal subangular papillae. A spawn of 398 eggs of 1,3 mm diameter was obtained in the laboratory. The advertisement call, which can be sustained up to 13 min., consists of a series of multipulsed notes of 22 ms long, with a mean dominant frequency of 4146 Hz and a note repetition rate of 4,2 - 4,8 notes/s. The call was heard in the wild since late August, and tadpoles were found up to late February in ponds of open areas in hilly landscapes of NE, E y SE Uruguay. The results allow a reconsideration of the conservation status of the species in Uruguay. The relationship with the cryptic species Hyla pinima is discussed and based on larval characters taxonomic affinities with species of the ruber clade of Scinax are suggested.

Four new species of terrestrial-breeding frogs of the genus Phrynopus (Anura: Terrarana: Craugastoridae) from Río Abiseo National Park, Peru.

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Rodriguez, Lily O; Catenazzi, Alessandro

2017-06-06

We describe four new species of terrestrial-breeding frogs belonging to the genus Phrynopus from specimens collected on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental (2800-3850 m) near and within Río Abiseo National Park, Provincia Mariscal Cáceres, Departments of San Martín and La Libertad, northeastern Peru. All four species lack a visible tympanum and inhabit the upper ridges and slopes within or adjacent to the Park. Phrynopus anancites sp. nov. and P. capitalis sp. nov. inhabit the wet montane grasslands on the upper ridges and valleys from 3600 to 3850 m. Phrynopus anancites (SVL = 25.3 mm) has coarsely aerolated skin and olive green coloration and has small vomerine teeth, while P. capitalis (female SVL = 35.6 mm) is characterized by a large head, short limbs, and distinctive dorsal pattern. Phrynopus dumicola sp. nov. (female SVL = 25.3 mm) has a short head and dark colored body with granular skin on the flanks, and is known only from forest patches along the treeline from 3225 to 3550 m, whereas P. personatus sp. nov. (female SVL = 28.2 mm) has a dark facemask and bright yellow groin spots (possibly aposematic), and inhabits a narrow band of continuous tropical montane rain forest from 2890 to 3110 m. We report infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis from one specimen of P. dumicola collected in July of 1988. With the addition of these four new species, Phrynopus now includes 32 nominal species.

A new genus and two new species of minute leptodactylid frogs from northern South America, with comments upon Phyzelaphryne (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae)

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Hoogmoed, M.S.; Lescure, J.

1984-01-01

The synonymisation of Phyzelaphryne miriamae Heyer with Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Andersson is denied and it is shown that both species are quite distinct in numerous characters. A new genus (Adelophryne) of minute leptodactylid frogs with pointed discs on the toes and a distinctly reduced fourth finger, containing two new species (A. adiastola spec. nov. and A. gutturosa spec. nov.) is described from northern South America. A key to separate the diminutive leptodactylid frogs with poin...

A new genus and two new species of minute leptodactylid frogs from northern South America, with comments upon Phyzelaphryne (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae)

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Hoogmoed, M.S.; Lescure, J.

1984-01-01

The synonymisation of Phyzelaphryne miriamae Heyer with Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Andersson is denied and it is shown that both species are quite distinct in numerous characters. A new genus (Adelophryne) of minute leptodactylid frogs with pointed discs on the toes and a distinctly reduced

Three new species of the genus Adelophryne (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae) from northeastern Brazil, with remarks on the other species of the genus

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Hoogmoed, M.S.; Borges, D.M.; Cascon, P.

1994-01-01

In the present paper three new species of the genus Adelophryne from the coastal Atlantic forest in Brazil are described. The species are separated from the two species formerly known from the Amazon forest by caatinga vegetation and a distance of at least 1600 km. A. pachydactylus from Bahia has a

Zelleriella bromelicola, sp. n. (Protozoa: Opalinatea: Entozoário de Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 (Anura, Hylidae de Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brasil

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Ismael Gióia

1988-01-01

Full Text Available Descreve-se Zelleriella bromelicola, sp. n., achada na região cecal do hilídeo Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro, infestado naturalmente com Entamoeba paulista. A célula é ovóide (105,7 um ± 1,6 x 79,3 um ± 1,9 e o núcleo tem uma massa fragmentada semi-paralela (3-5 nucléolos.Zelleriella bromelicola, sp. n., is described, from the caecal region of the hylid frog Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro, naturally infected with Entamoeba paulista. The cell is ovoid (105.7 um ± 1.6 x 79.3 um ± 1.9 and the nucleus (15.9 um ± 0.4 has a fragmented semi-parallel mass (3-5 nucleoli.

Evolutionarily significant units of the critically endangered leaf frog Pithecopus ayeaye (Anura, Phyllomedusidae) are not effectively preserved by the Brazilian protected areas network.

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de Magalhães, Rafael Félix; Lemes, Priscila; Camargo, Arley; Oliveira, Ubirajara; Brandão, Reuber Albuquerque; Thomassen, Hans; Garcia, Paulo Christiano de Anchietta; Leite, Felipe Sá Fortes; Santos, Fabrício Rodrigues

2017-11-01

Protected areas (PAs) are essential for biodiversity conservation, but their coverage is considered inefficient for the preservation of all species. Many species are subdivided into evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) and the effectiveness of PAs in protecting them needs to be investigated. We evaluated the usefulness of the Brazilian PAs network in protecting ESUs of the critically endangered Pithecopus ayeaye through ongoing climate change. This species occurs in a threatened mountaintop ecosystem known as campos rupestres . We used multilocus DNA sequences to delimit geographic clusters, which were further validated as ESUs with a coalescent approach. Ecological niche modeling was used to estimate spatial changes in ESUs' potential distributions, and a gap analysis was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the Brazilian PAs network to protect P. ayeaye in the face of climate changes. We tested the niche overlap between ESUs to gain insights for potential management alternatives for the species. Pithecopus ayeaye contains at least three ESUs isolated in distinct mountain regions, and one of them is not protected by any PA. There are no climatic niche differences between the units, and only 4% of the suitable potential area of the species is protected in present and future projections. The current PAs are not effective in preserving the intraspecific diversity of P. ayeaye in its present and future range distributions. The genetic structure of P. ayeaye could represent a typical pattern in campos rupestres endemics, which should be considered for evaluating its conservation status.

The tadpole of Chiasmocleis carvalhoi and the advertisement calls of three species of Chiasmocleis (Anura, Microhylidae from the Atlantic rainforest of southeastern Brazil

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Henrique Wogel

2004-12-01

Full Text Available The tadpole of Chiasmocleis carvalhoi is figured and described for the first time from individuals collected in the State of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. The advertisement calls of C. atlantica, C. capixaba, and C. carvalhoi also are described and compared with the advertisement calls of others Chiasmocleis species restricted to Atlantic Rainforest. The advertisement calls of C. atlantica, C. capixaba, and C. carvalhoi are similar, consisting of one pulsed note of harmonic structure emitted repetitively. Our study corroborates the monophyly of the genus Chiasmocleis based on similarities in advertisement calls. Calls of syntopic species (C. atlantica with C. carvalhoi and C. capixaba with C. schubarti were less similar than those of closely related allopatric species.

Effects of glyphosate and its commercial formulation, Roundup® Ultramax, on liver histology of tadpoles of the neotropical frog, Leptodactylus latrans (amphibia: Anura).

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Bach, Nadia C; Marino, Damián J G; Natale, Guillermo S; Somoza, Gustavo M

2018-07-01

In the last years, the agricultural expansion has led to an increased use of pesticides, with glyphosate as the most widely used worldwide. This is also the situation in Argentina, where glyphosate formulations are the most commercialized herbicides. It is known that glyphosate formulations are much more toxic than the active ingredient, and this difference in toxicity can be attributed to the adjuvants present in the formula. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare sub-lethal histological effects of the glyphosate formulation Roundup Ultramax and glyphosate active ingredient on Leptodactylus latrans tadpoles at Gosner-stage 36. Semi-static bioassays were performed using 96 h of exposure with Roundup Ultramax formulation (RU; 0.37-5.25 mg a.e./L), glyphosate (GLY; 3-300 mg/L), and a control group. RU exposure showed an increment in the melanomacrophagic cells (MMc) and melanomacrophagic centers (MMCs) from 0.37 mg a.e./L. GLY exposure showed a significant increment in the number of MMc from 15 mg/L, and of MMCs from 3 mg/L. Also, histopathological lesions were observed in the liver of tadpoles exposed to both, GLY and RU. These lesions included: lipidosis and hepatic congestion, but only RU showed significant differences respect to control, with a LOEC value of 2.22 mg a.e./L for both effects. In sum, this study represents the first evidence of adverse effects of glyphosate and RU formulation on the liver of anuran larvae at concentrations frequently found in the environment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporada e turno de vocalização de Leptodactylus natalensis Lutz, 1930 (Amphibia, Anura na mata atlântica de Pernambuco, Brasil

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Fabiana Oliveira de Amorim

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A atividade de vocalização de uma população de Leptodactylus natalensis foi monitorada em uma poça temporária entre novembro/2002 e outubro/2004. A poça está situada em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica conhecido como Refúgio Ecológico Charles Darwin, município de Igarassu, Estado de Pernambuco. Os animais apresentaram-se ativos na maioria dos meses, apresentando picos na estação seca. A atividade de vocalização foi registrada durante o dia e a noite. Houve influência negativa e significativa entre a atividade vocal e a temperatura. O número de indivíduos vocalizando não foi significantemente afetado pela precipitação pluviométrica, mas o foi pelo número de fêmeas no ambiente. Verificou-se uma grande plasticidade na atividade de vocalização de L. natalensis durante a temporada e turno.Vocalizations of a population of Leptodactylus natalensis were monitored in a temporary pond from November 2002 to October 2004. This pond is located in a fragment of Atlantic rainforest belonging to the private Ecologic Refuge Charles Darwin, in the city of Igarassu, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Individuals were active during most of the studied months, with peaks of activity during dry season. Vocal activity was recorded both in day and nighttime. There was a significant negative effect of temperature on vocal activity. The number of individuals vocalizing was not affected significantly by rainfall, but it was by the number of females on the environment. A great plasticity of vocal activities of L. natalensis was verified, both in season and turn.

Dero (Allodero lutzi Michaelsen, 1926 (Oligochaeta: Naididae associated with Scinax fuscovarius (Lutz, 1925 (Anura: Hylidae from Semi-deciduous Atlantic Rain Forest, southern Brazil

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FH. Oda

Full Text Available Amphibians are hosts for a wide variety of ecto- and endoparasites, such as protozoans and parasitic worms. Naididae is a family of Oligochaeta whose species live on a wide range of substrates, including mollusks, aquatic macrophytes, sponges, mosses, liverworts, and filamentous algae. However, some species are known as endoparasitic from vertebrates, such as Dero (Allodero lutzi, which is parasitic of the urinary tracts of frogs, but also have a free-living stage. Specimens in the parasitic stage lack dorsal setae, branchial fossa, and gills. Here we report the occurrence of D. (A. lutzi associated with anuran Scinax fuscovarius from Semi-deciduous Atlantic Rain Forest in southern Brazil. The study took place at the Caiuá Ecological Station, Diamante do Norte, Paraná, southern Brazil. Seven specimens of S. fuscovarius were examined for parasites but only one was infected. Parasites occurred in ureters and urinary bladder. Previous records of this D. (A. lutzi include the Brazilian States of Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, as well as Cuba and North America. This is a new locality record for this species in Brazil. Reports of Dero (Allodero lutzi are rare, due to difficulty of observation, and such events are restricted only the fortuitous cases. It is important to emphasize the necessity of future studies, which are fundamental to the understanding of biological and ecological aspects of this species.

EXTINCTION RISK OR LACK OF SAMPLING IN A THREATENED SPECIES: GENETIC STRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUITABILITY OF THE NEOTROPICAL FROG PRISTIMANTIS PENELOPUS (ANURA: CRAUGASTORIDAE

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ADRIANA RESTREPO

Full Text Available ABSTRACT IUCN Red Lists have been a valuable tool to prioritize conservation plans in endemic neotropical frogs. However, many areas in this region are poorly known in terms of their diversity and endemism. Based on examined museum specimens of the threatened species Pristimantis penelopus we revised its geographic distribution and determined the habitat suitability using niche modeling techniques. Using a mitochondrial fragment of COI gene, we determine the phylogenetic position and the extent of the genetic variation across its distribution in Colombia. We present the first records of P. penelopus for the Cordillera Oriental, the western versant of Cordillera Occidental and the northern portion of the Cauca river basin. Based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis, Pristimantis penelopus belongs to the P. ridens series sensu (Padial et al., 2014. The mean of intraspecific genetic variation is 2.1% and the variation among population ranges between 2.3 and 3.5%. The genetic distance between the western populations and the Magdalena Valley populations suggests a potential phylogeographic break in northwestern Antioquia. We expand the realized distribution by 258 kilometers north, 200 km east and 223 km northwest. Based on our results and according to the IUCN criteria we propose a new category for the species and highlight the need to increase the surveys in poorly known regions to better understand the geographic distribution and conservation status of listed species.

EXTINCTION RISK OR LACK OF SAMPLING IN A THREATENED SPECIES: GENETIC STRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUITABILITY OF THE NEOTROPICAL FROG PRISTIMANTIS PENELOPUS (ANURA: CRAUGASTORIDAE)

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RESTREPO, ADRIANA; VELASCO, JULIAN A.; DAZA, JUAN M.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT IUCN Red Lists have been a valuable tool to prioritize conservation plans in endemic neotropical frogs. However, many areas in this region are poorly known in terms of their diversity and endemism. Based on examined museum specimens of the threatened species Pristimantis penelopus we revised its geographic distribution and determined the habitat suitability using niche modeling techniques. Using a mitochondrial fragment of COI gene, we determine the phylogenetic position and the exte...

Advertisement call of Dendropsophus studerae (Carvalho-e-Silva, Carvalho-e-Silva and Izecksohn, 2003) (Anura: Hylidae), with new record and geographic distribution extension.

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Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras; De Abreu, Rafael Oliveira; Cruz, Deise; Herrera, Jocilene Brandão; Petersen, Emanuela; Klein, Wilfried

2014-10-30

The treefrog genus Dendropsophus Fitzinger comprises 95 species, with geographic distribution from northern Argentina and Uruguay north through tropical South and Central America to tropical southern Mexico (Frost 2014). Dendropsophus studerae was included in the D. microcephalus clade by Faivovich et al. (2005), which currently consists of 39 species (Frost 2014). The species that most resembles D. studerae is D. bipunctatus (Spix), as already stated in the original description of the former (Carvalho-e-Silva et al. 2003). Thus far, Dendropsophus studerae was only known from its type locality, in the municipality of Quebrangulo (09º19'08"S, 36º28'16"W), State of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. The original description of the species also included data on its eggs, tadpole (oral disc and external morphology) and some natural history information of adults and larvae, but its advertisement call remains undescribed. 

Advertisement call of Scinax camposseabrai (Bokermann, 1968) (Anura: Hylidae), with comments on the call of three species of the Scinax ruber clade.

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Novaes, Gabriel; Zina, Juliana

2016-02-25

Scinax camposseabrai was allocated into the Scinax ruber clade by Caramaschi & Cardoso (2006) by overall similarities as snout not pointed, breeding in open areas, and an advertisement calls with multipulsed notes. This assumption about the call was based solely on an onomatopoeia provided by Bokermann (1968). Herein we provide a formal description of the advertisement call of S. camposseabrai and compare it with described calls of other S. ruber clade species. Additionally, we provide descriptions of the advertisement calls of three sympatric species of the S. ruber clade: S. eurydice (Bokermann), S. pachycrus (Miranda-Ribeiro) and S. cf. x-signatus.

The reanalysis of biogeography of the Asian tree frog, Rhacophorus (Anura: Rhacophoridae: geographic shifts and climatic change influenced the dispersal process and diversification

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Tao Pan

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Rapid uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau and climate change in Asia are thought to have profoundly modulated the diversification of most of the species distributed throughout Asia. The ranoid tree frog genus Rhacophorus, the largest genus in the Rhacophoridae, is widely distributed in Asia and especially speciose in the areas south and east of the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we infer phylogenetic relationships among species and estimate divergence times, asking whether the spatiotemporal characteristics of diversification within Rhacophorus were related to rapid uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau and concomitant climate change. Phylogenetic analysis recovered distinct lineage structures in Rhacophorus, which indicated a clear distribution pattern from Southeast Asia toward East Asia and India. Molecular dating suggests that the first split within the genus date back to the Middle Oligocene (approx. 30 Ma. The Rhacophorus lineage through time (LTT showed that there were periods of increased speciation rate: 14–12 Ma and 10–4 Ma. In addition, ancestral area reconstructions supported Southeast Asia as the ancestral area of Rhacophorus. According to the results of molecular dating, ancestral area reconstructions and LTT we think the geographic shifts, the staged rapid rises of the Tibetan Plateau with parallel climatic changes and reinforcement of the Asian monsoons (15 Ma, 8 Ma and 4–3 Ma, possibly prompted a burst of diversification in Rhacophorus.

Análisis comparativo de la estructura del canto del anuncio de tres poblaciones de Melanophryniscus rubriventris (Vellar, 1947) (Anura: Bufonidae)

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Vaira, Marcos; Ferrari, Liliana

2008-01-01

La estructura de la señal acústica en anuros ha sido considerada especie-específica y utilizada incluso para el reconocimiento de nuevas especies indistinguibles por caracteres morfológicos. En este trabajo, presentamos una descripción de la estructura del canto de Melanophryniscus rubriventris y un análisis comparativo de parámetros espectrales y temporales del canto de anuncio en tres poblaciones argentinas, cada una de ellas asignadas a una de las tres subespecies tradicionalmente reconoci...

Estado sistemático y distribución geográfica de Argenteohyla siemersi (Mertens, 1937 en la República Argentina (Anura: Hylidae

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Williams, Jorge Daniel

1994-01-01

Full Text Available Argenteohyla siemersi pederseni n. subsp. is described from the province of Corrientes, Argentina. The new subspecies is differentiated from Argenteohyla siemersi siemersi by the coloration pattern and the presence of two longitudinal black lines in the dorsum. Comments on the habitat and biogeography are added.

Microhyla laterite sp. nov., A New Species of Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae from a Laterite Rock Formation in South West India.

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K S Seshadri

Full Text Available In recent times, several new species of amphibians have been described from India. Many of these discoveries are from biodiversity hotspots or from within protected areas. We undertook amphibian surveys in human dominated landscapes outside of protected areas in south western region of India between years 2013-2015. We encountered a new species of Microhyla which is described here as Microhyla laterite sp. nov. It was delimited using molecular, morphometric and bioacoustics comparisons. Microhyla laterite sp. nov. appears to be restricted to areas of the West coast of India dominated by laterite rock formations. The laterite rock formations date as far back as the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary and are considered to be wastelands in-spite of their intriguing geological history. We identify knowledge gaps in our understanding of the genus Microhyla from the Indian subcontinent and suggest ways to bridge them.

Similaridade cariotípica entre Barycholos ternetzi e cinco espécies do gênero Eleutherodactylus do Sudoeste do Brasil (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Eleutherodactylinae)

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Campos, João Reinaldo da Cruz de [UNESP

2006-01-01

Estudos citogenéticos comparativos foram realizados em seis espécies de Eleutherodactylinae, da região Sudeste do Brasil: Barycholos ternetzi, Eleutherodactylus binotatus, E. juipoca, Eleutherodactylus sp., E. guentheri e E. parvus. Foram feitas análises, em alguns casos pela primeira vez, com coloração pelo Giemsa, Ag-RON, banda C, coloração por CMA3 e DAPI e hibridação in situ fluorescente (FISH) com sonda de DNAr. Todas as espécies apresentaram 2n=22 e grande similaridade nos cariótipos co...

Historia natural de Trachycephalus mesophaeus (Hensel, 1867) (Anura : Hylidae) no Parque Florestal do Rio da Onça, municipio de Matinhos, estado do Parana /

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Silva, Mitzi Oliveira da

2006-01-01

Orientador : Prof. Titular Vinalto Graf Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia. Defesa: Curitiba, 2006 Inclui bibliografia Area de concentração: Zoologia

Heavy metal mediated innate immune responses of the Indian green frog, Euphlyctis hexadactylus (Anura: Ranidae): Cellular profiles and associated Th1 skewed cytokine response

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Jayawardena, Uthpala A.; Ratnasooriya, Wanigasekara D.; Wickramasinghe, Deepthi D.; Udagama, Preethi V.

2016-01-01

Immune cell and cytokine profiles in relation to metal exposure though much studied in mammals has not been adequately investigated in amphibians, due mainly to lack of suitable reagents for cytokine profiling in non-model species. However, interspecies cross reactivity of cytokines permitted us to assay levels of IFNγ, TNFα, IL6 and IL10in a common anuran, the Indian green frog (Euphlyctis hexadactylus), exposed to heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb, at ~ 5 ppm each) under field and laboratory settings in Sri Lanka. Enumeration of immune cells in blood and melanomacrophages in the liver, assay of serum and hepatic cytokines, and Th1/Th2 cytokine polarisation were investigated. Immune cell counts indicated overall immunosuppression with decreasing total WBC and splenocyte counts while neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio increased with metal exposure, indicating metal mediated stress. Serum IL6 levels of metal exposed frogs reported the highest (~ 9360 pg/mL) of all cytokines tested. Significantly elevated IFNγ production (P < 0.05) was evident in heavy metal exposed frogs. Th1/Th2 cytokine ratio in both serum and liver tissue homogenates was Th1 skewed due to significantly higher production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IFNγ in serum and TNFα in the liver (P < 0.01).Metal mediated aggregations of melanomacrophages in the liver were positively and significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with the hepatic expression of TNFα, IL6 and IL10 activity. Overall, Th1 skewed response may well be due to oxidative stress mediated nuclear factor κ-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) which enhances the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Xenobiotic stress has recently imposed an unprecedented level of threat to wildlife, particularly to sensitive species such as amphibians. Therefore, understanding the interactions between physiological stress and related immune responses is fundamental to conserve these environmental sentinels in the face of emerging eco-challenges. - Highlights: • Heavy metal pollution in wetland ecosystem is a serious ecotoxicological issue of global dimension • Immune cells and cytokine profile alternations were detected in heavy metal exposed Euphylictis hexadactylus under field and laboratory conditions • Th1 immune response showed significant positive correlation with neutrophil counts explaining the role of neutrophil function under heavy metal burden. • Heavy metal mediated inflammatory response in the liver elevated TNFα, IL6 and IL10 production, positively correlated with melanomacrophage aggregates • Th1 skewed immune response may be attributed to oxidative stress mediated NFκB activation

Assessment of water pollution in the Brazilian Pampa biome by means of stress biomarkers in tadpoles of the leaf frog Phyllomedusa iheringii (Anura: Hylidae

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TG Santos

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Brazilian Pampa biome is currently under constant threat due to increase of agriculture and improper management of urban effluents. Studies with a focus on the assessment of impacts caused by human activities in this biome are scarce. In the present study, we measured stress-related biomarkers in tadpoles of the leaf frog Phyllomedusa iheringii, an endemic species to the Pampa biome, and tested its suitability as a bioindicator for the assessment of potential aquatic contamination in selected ponds (S1 and S2 nearby agricultural areas in comparison to a reference site. A significant decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity was observed in S2 when compared to S1 and reference. The levels of total-hydroperoxides were increased in S2 site. In parallel, increased activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase were observed in S2 when compared to S1 and reference. Further studies are necessary in order to correlate the changes observed here with different chemical stressors in water, as well as to elucidate mechanisms of toxicity induced by pesticides in amphibian species endemic to the Pampa biome. Nevertheless, our study validates Phyllomedusa iheringii as a valuable bioindicator in environmental studies.

Assessment of water pollution in the Brazilian Pampa biome by means of stress biomarkers in tadpoles of the leaf frog Phyllomedusa iheringii (Anura: Hylidae).

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Santos, T G; Melo, R; Costa-Silva, D G; Nunes, Mem; Rodrigues, N R; Franco, J L

2015-01-01

The Brazilian Pampa biome is currently under constant threat due to increase of agriculture and improper management of urban effluents. Studies with a focus on the assessment of impacts caused by human activities in this biome are scarce. In the present study, we measured stress-related biomarkers in tadpoles of the leaf frog Phyllomedusa iheringii, an endemic species to the Pampa biome, and tested its suitability as a bioindicator for the assessment of potential aquatic contamination in selected ponds (S1 and S2) nearby agricultural areas in comparison to a reference site. A significant decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity was observed in S2 when compared to S1 and reference. The levels of total-hydroperoxides were increased in S2 site. In parallel, increased activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase were observed in S2 when compared to S1 and reference. Further studies are necessary in order to correlate the changes observed here with different chemical stressors in water, as well as to elucidate mechanisms of toxicity induced by pesticides in amphibian species endemic to the Pampa biome. Nevertheless, our study validates Phyllomedusa iheringii as a valuable bioindicator in environmental studies.

Hepatozoon species (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) of African bufonids, with morphological description and molecular diagnosis of Hepatozoon ixoxo sp. nov. parasitising three Amietophrynus species (Anura: Bufonidae).

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Netherlands, Edward C; Cook, Courtney A; Smit, Nico J

2014-12-20

Haemogregarines comprise a large group of apicomplexan blood parasites. In 1996 all anuran haemogregarines still in the genus Haemogregarina Danilewsky, 1885 were reassigned to the genus Hepatozoon Miller, 1908. Most (11/15, 73%) African anuran Hepatozoon species have been recorded from the family Bufonidae, however, all these are recorded from only two host species, Amietophrynus mauritanicus (Schlegel, 1841) and Amietophrynus regularis (Reuss, 1833) from Northern and central Africa. To the authors' knowledge the only description of an anuran haemogregarine from South Africa is Hepatozoon theileri (Laveran, 1905), parasitising Amietia quecketti (Boulenger, 1895). Thin blood smears for morphometrics and whole blood for molecular work, were collected from 32 Amietophrynus garmani (Meek, 1897), 12 Amietophrynus gutturalis (Power, 1927), and nine Amietophrynus maculatus (Hallowell, 1854), in Ndumo Game Reserve and Kwa Nyamazane Conservancy, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Smears were Giemsa-stained, screened for haemogregarines, parasite stages measured, compared to each other and to other described African bufonid haemogregarines. Parasite 18S rDNA was amplified using two apicomplexan-specific primer sets, HepF300/HepR900 and 4558/2733. Resulting sequences of the haemogregarine isolates from the three Amietophrynus species were compared with each other and to comparative haemogregarine sequences selected from GenBank. Morphological characteristics of parasite stages, in particular characteristically capped mature gamont stages, and molecular findings, supported all three haemogregarine isolates from all three Amietophrynus species to be the same, a species of Hepatozoon, and furthermore different morphologically from other previously recorded bufonid Hepatozoon species. The haemogregarine fell within a clade comprising other anuran Hepatozoon species and furthermore, within a monophyletic sub-clade along with H. theileri and are described as Hepatozoon ixoxo sp. nov. This is the first morphological and molecular account of Hepatozoon species within the family Bufonidae from South Africa, a study hoped to encourage the redescription and molecular analysis of those Hepatozoon species described in the past from Amietophrynus species, as well as to promote the use of both morphological and molecular characteristics in Hepatozoon species descriptions. This will aid in comprehensive Hepatozoon descriptions, which along with the use of phylogenetic analysis will give a better indication of these parasites possible vectors and life cycle dynamics.

Hepatozoon species (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) of African bufonids, with morphological description and molecular diagnosis of Hepatozoon ixoxo sp. nov. parasitising three Amietophrynus species (Anura: Bufonidae)

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Netherlands, Edward C; Cook, Courtney A; Smit, Nico J

2014-01-01

Background Haemogregarines comprise a large group of apicomplexan blood parasites. In 1996 all anuran haemogregarines still in the genus Haemogregarina Danilewsky, 1885 were reassigned to the genus Hepatozoon Miller, 1908. Most (11/15, 73%) African anuran Hepatozoon species have been recorded from the family Bufonidae, however, all these are recorded from only two host species, Amietophrynus mauritanicus (Schlegel, 1841) and Amietophrynus regularis (Reuss, 1833) from Northern and central Afri...

Alkaloids from single skins of the Argentinian toad Melanophryniscus rubriventris (ANURA, BUFONIDAE): An unexpected variability in alkaloid profiles and a profusion of new structures

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Garraffo, H Martin; Andriamaharavo, Nirina R; Vaira, Marcos; Quiroga, Mar?a F; Heit, Cecilia; Spande, Thomas F

2012-01-01

GC-MS analysis of single-skins of ten Melanophryniscus rubriventris toads (five collections of two toads each) captured during their breeding season in NW Argentina has revealed a total of 127 alkaloids of which 56 had not been previously detected in any frog or toad. Included among these new alkaloids are 23 new diastereomers of previously reported alkaloids. What is particularly distinguishing about the alkaloid profiles of these ten collections is the occurrence of many of the alkaloids, w...

Alkaloids from single skins of the Argentinian toad Melanophryniscus rubriventris (ANURA, BUFONIDAE): An unexpected variability in alkaloid profiles and a profusion of new structures.

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Garraffo, H Martin; Andriamaharavo, Nirina R; Vaira, Marcos; Quiroga, María F; Heit, Cecilia; Spande, Thomas F

2012-12-01

GC-MS analysis of single-skins of ten Melanophryniscus rubriventris toads (five collections of two toads each) captured during their breeding season in NW Argentina has revealed a total of 127 alkaloids of which 56 had not been previously detected in any frog or toad. Included among these new alkaloids are 23 new diastereomers of previously reported alkaloids. What is particularly distinguishing about the alkaloid profiles of these ten collections is the occurrence of many of the alkaloids, whether known or new to us, in only one of the ten skins sampled, despite two skins being obtained from each breeding site of the five populations. Many of the alkaloids are of classes known to have structures with branched-chains (e.g. pumiliotoxins and tricyclic structures) that are considered to derive from dietary mites. A large number of previously reported and new alkaloids are also of unclassified structures. Only a very few 3,5-disubstituted-indolizidine or -pyrrolizidine alkaloids are observed that have a straight-chain carbon skeleton and are likely derived from ant prey. The possible relationship of these collections made during the toad's brief breeding episodes to sequestration of dietary arthropods and individual alkaloid profiles is discussed.

Heavy metal mediated innate immune responses of the Indian green frog, Euphlyctis hexadactylus (Anura: Ranidae): Cellular profiles and associated Th1 skewed cytokine response

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Jayawardena, Uthpala A.; Ratnasooriya, Wanigasekara D.; Wickramasinghe, Deepthi D.; Udagama, Preethi V., E-mail: dappvr@yahoo.com

2016-10-01

Immune cell and cytokine profiles in relation to metal exposure though much studied in mammals has not been adequately investigated in amphibians, due mainly to lack of suitable reagents for cytokine profiling in non-model species. However, interspecies cross reactivity of cytokines permitted us to assay levels of IFNγ, TNFα, IL6 and IL10in a common anuran, the Indian green frog (Euphlyctis hexadactylus), exposed to heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb, at ~ 5 ppm each) under field and laboratory settings in Sri Lanka. Enumeration of immune cells in blood and melanomacrophages in the liver, assay of serum and hepatic cytokines, and Th1/Th2 cytokine polarisation were investigated. Immune cell counts indicated overall immunosuppression with decreasing total WBC and splenocyte counts while neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio increased with metal exposure, indicating metal mediated stress. Serum IL6 levels of metal exposed frogs reported the highest (~ 9360 pg/mL) of all cytokines tested. Significantly elevated IFNγ production (P < 0.05) was evident in heavy metal exposed frogs. Th1/Th2 cytokine ratio in both serum and liver tissue homogenates was Th1 skewed due to significantly higher production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IFNγ in serum and TNFα in the liver (P < 0.01).Metal mediated aggregations of melanomacrophages in the liver were positively and significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with the hepatic expression of TNFα, IL6 and IL10 activity. Overall, Th1 skewed response may well be due to oxidative stress mediated nuclear factor κ-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) which enhances the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Xenobiotic stress has recently imposed an unprecedented level of threat to wildlife, particularly to sensitive species such as amphibians. Therefore, understanding the interactions between physiological stress and related immune responses is fundamental to conserve these environmental sentinels in the face of emerging eco-challenges. - Highlights: • Heavy metal pollution in wetland ecosystem is a serious ecotoxicological issue of global dimension • Immune cells and cytokine profile alternations were detected in heavy metal exposed Euphylictis hexadactylus under field and laboratory conditions • Th1 immune response showed significant positive correlation with neutrophil counts explaining the role of neutrophil function under heavy metal burden. • Heavy metal mediated inflammatory response in the liver elevated TNFα, IL6 and IL10 production, positively correlated with melanomacrophage aggregates • Th1 skewed immune response may be attributed to oxidative stress mediated NFκB activation.

Potenciais efeitos das mudanças climáticas futuras sobre a distribuiçãode um anuro da Caatinga Rhinella granulosa (Anura, Bufonidae

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Hauanny Rodrigues Oliveira

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Neste estudo, usamos dois tipos de modelagem de distribuição de espécies (correlativo e mecanístico, com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito das mudanças climáticas sob a distribuição geográfica de Rhinella granulosa (Spix, 1824, espécie inserida principalmente no bioma Caatinga. Avaliamos a predição, levantada por outros autores, de que espécies de anfíbios distribuídos em climas quentes terão suas distribuições espaciais restringidas por aumento da temperatura considerando cenários futuros. Na abordagem correlativa, os resultados mostraram que as distribuições espaciais geradas pelo modelo de distância Euclidiana foram mais conservativas, ou seja, as áreas que apresentaram menor distância do nicho ótimo se restringiram às áreas de distribuição real da espécie (Caatinga e às pequenas regiões que abrangem o bioma Cerrado. A abordagem mecanística apresentou resultados menos conservativos, onde o habitat indicado como adequado para R. granulosa está contido em grande parte da América do Sul, formando uma extensa área contínua. No geral, verificou-se que R. granulosa não sofrerá forte influência climática sobre sua distribuição geográfica no futuro, pelo menos até 2080, provavelmente por apresentar uma fisiologia extremamente tolerante às altas temperaturas e por possuir adaptações para suportar clima quente e seco.

Ecología trófica en larvas de Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae en agroecosistemas y sus posibles implicaciones para la conservación

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Clarisa Bionda

2012-06-01

Full Text Available El crecimiento de la agricultura produce perdida del habitat natural, con consecuencias para la biodiversidad de los anfibios. Se analizo la dieta y condición corporal de larvas de anuros de Rhinella arenarum que habitan agroecosistemas. Los muestreos fueron realizados en dos agroecosistemas y en un tercer sitio, no afectado por cultivos. Las larvas capturadas fueron anestesiadas, fijadas y preservadas en formaldehido, se realizaron medidas corporales y se analizo la dieta de las larvas. Se registro diversidad en la oferta alimenticia proporcionada por los distintos ambientes. La dieta tuvo una predominancia de algas Bacillarophyceae, seguidas por Cyanophyceae. Particularmente, los géneros Navicula, Nitzschia, Hantzschia y Gomphonema (clase Bacillarophyceae, fueron importantes en los agroecosistemas. Los géneros Osillatoria, Euglena y Strombomonas (clases Cyanophyceae y Euglenophyceae, predominaron en la dieta de las larvas de anuros en el sitio menos alterado. Las larvas de los sitios más alterados consumen menor cantidad de alimento y registran una menor condición corporal. La presencia de determinadas algas, indicarían un mayor grado de contaminación en los agroecosistemas. La eutrofización de lagunas podría alterar la disponibilidad de alimento para larvas de anuros que podría tener consecuencias poblacionales negativas. Se sugiere el análisis de dietas larvarias como un potencial bioindicador de salubridad ambiental.

Registro histórico de Gastrotheca ovifera (Anura: Hemiphractidae: evidencias de disminución en selvas nubladas de la Cordillera de la Costa venezolana

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Javier Valera-Leal

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Gastrotheca ovifera es una rana marsupial que habita en el dosel arbóreo de bosques nublados y ribereños del Tramo Occidental y Ramal Litoral de La Cordillera de la Costa venezolana (CCV entre 820-2 000m de altitud. De acuerdo con la Lista Roja de la UCN se encuentra En Peligro (EN y su evaluación fue realizada de acuerdo a apreciaciones anecdóticas, por lo que su situación de amenaza no ha sido comprobada por muestreos sistemáticos. Con el objetivo de estudiar el estado de las poblaciones de la especie en el Parque Nacional Henri Pittier (PNHP en el Ramal Litoral de la CCV, realizamos una revisión histórica en museos nacionales y extranjeros y encontramos que la especie fue registrada en 1996 por última vez en el PNHP. Acumulamos 646 horas/persona de muestreo sistemático en localidades históricas y adicionales de la especie en el parque durante los años 2006 y 2007 y no obtuvimos registro de la especie. Adicionalmente, realizamos asociaciones entre datos promedios de precipitación anual y el registro histórico de la especie durante el periodo 1941-1997 (r s=- 0.054, p=0.820, n=19. Discutimos sobre su estado de conservación con base a la distribución, fluctuación y cambios poblacionales de la especie

Helminth parasite communities of two Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 (Anura: Leiuperidae populations under different conditions of habitat integrity in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Brazil

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A. Aguiar

Full Text Available Abstract Adults of Physalaemus cuvieri were collected and necropsied between November 2009 and January 2010. This was carried out in order to report and compare the helminth fauna associated with two populations of this anuran species from the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest under different conditions of habitat integrity. The hosts from the disturbed area were parasitized with five helminth taxa: Cosmocerca parva, Aplectana sp., Physaloptera sp., Rhabdias sp., Oswaldocruzia subauricularis (Nematoda and Polystoma cuvieri (Monogenea while those from the preserved area had four helminth taxa: C. parva, Aplectana sp., Physaloptera sp., Rhabdias sp., and Acanthocephalus saopaulensis (Acanthocephala. Prevalence, mean intensity of infection, mean abundance, mean richness, importance index and dominance frequency of helminth component communities were similar in both areas. The helminth community associated with anurans from the disturbed area had higher diversity than that from the preserved area. This study is the first to report on the acanthocephalan parasites of Ph. cuvieri, and the similarity between helminth fauna composition of two host populations under different selective pressures.

INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN ACOUSTIC TRAITS AND BODY SIZE, AND NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS FOR PSEUDOPALUDICOLA GIARETTAI CARVALHO, 2012 (ANURA, LEPTODACTYLIDAE, LEIUPERINAE: IMPLICATIONS FOR ITS CONGENERIC DIAGNOSIS

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THIAGO RIBEIRO DE CARVALHO

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we provide an updated diagnosis for Pseudopaludicola giarettai based on the morphometric and acoustic variation observed with the assessment of new populations, plus an expansion of its distribution range. Our results support that all acoustic variation observed might be attributed to intraspecific variation. The variation in body size and dorsal stripe patterns observed for Pseudopaludicola giarettai reinforces that the distinctive whistling advertisement call pattern is the most reliable evidence line to diagnose it from its congeners, whereas morphological (robust body, glandular dorsum and morphometric (body size features vary considerably within and among populations so that they should no longer be employed as diagnostic features of Pseudopaludicola giarettai.

A new species of Phrynopus (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae from upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru

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Edgar Lehr

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We describe a new species of Phrynopus from the upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands (puna of the Pui Pui Protected Forest and its close surroundings (Región Junín, central Peru and compare it morphologically and genetically with other species of Phrynopus. Phrynopus inti sp. n. is known from four localities outside and two localities inside the Pui Pui Protected Forest between 3350 and 3890 m a.s.l. Studied specimens of the new species are characterized by a snout-vent length of 27.2–35.2 mm in males (n = 6, and 40.4 mm in a single female, by having the skin on dorsum and flanks smooth with scattered tubercles, venter smooth, by lacking a tympanum, and males without vocal slits and nuptial pads. In life, the dorsum is pale grayish brown with or without dark brown blotches, or dorsum blackish brown with small yellow flecks, throat, chest and venter are pale grayish brown with salmon mottling, groin is pale grayish brown with salmon colored flecks, and the iris is golden orange with fine dark brown reticulations. The new species is morphologically most similar to Phrynopus kauneorum and P. juninensis. For the latter we describe the coloration in life for a specimen obtained at the type locality. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences inferred that the new species is most closely related to Phrynopus kauneorum, P. miroslawae, P. tautzorum, and an undescribed species distributed at high elevation in Región Pasco, central Peru.

A new species of Phrynopus (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru.

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Lehr, Edgar; von May, Rudolf; Moravec, Jiří; Cusi, Juan Carlos

2017-01-01

We describe a new species of Phrynopus from the upper montane forests and high Andean grasslands (puna) of the Pui Pui Protected Forest and its close surroundings (Región Junín, central Peru) and compare it morphologically and genetically with other species of Phrynopus . Phrynopus inti sp. n. is known from four localities outside and two localities inside the Pui Pui Protected Forest between 3350 and 3890 m a.s.l. Studied specimens of the new species are characterized by a snout-vent length of 27.2-35.2 mm in males (n = 6), and 40.4 mm in a single female, by having the skin on dorsum and flanks smooth with scattered tubercles, venter smooth, by lacking a tympanum, and males without vocal slits and nuptial pads. In life, the dorsum is pale grayish brown with or without dark brown blotches, or dorsum blackish brown with small yellow flecks, throat, chest and venter are pale grayish brown with salmon mottling, groin is pale grayish brown with salmon colored flecks, and the iris is golden orange with fine dark brown reticulations. The new species is morphologically most similar to Phrynopus kauneorum and P. juninensis . For the latter we describe the coloration in life for a specimen obtained at the type locality. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences inferred that the new species is most closely related to Phrynopus kauneorum , P. miroslawae , P. tautzorum , and an undescribed species distributed at high elevation in Región Pasco, central Peru.

[Conseqquences of dorso-ventral and anterior-posterior reversion of early neurula lateral mesoblast on development of urogenital system in common toad, Bufo bufo. (Amphibia anura)].

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Hakim, J; Gipouloux, J D

1975-10-27

At early neurula stage of the toad, cranio-caudal and dorso-ventral reversal of lateral mesoblast is performed. The genito-urinary system is therefore missing after this intervention. The three following factors of the formation of this system anlage are anlyzed: lateral mesoderm competence, stimulative activites of dorso-caudal endoblast on the one hand, of chordo-mesoderm on the other hand.

Alimentación de dos especies de anfibios (Anura: Hylidae en la estación de bajas temperaturas y su relación con la acumulación de energía en Santa Fe, Argentina Feeding of two amphibian species (Anura: Hylidae during the low temperatures season and its relationship with energy storage in Santa Fe, Argentina

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Carolina Elizabet Antoniazzi

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Existe escasa información sobre la alimentación de las especies de anfibios activas durante la estación fría o las estrategias de utilización de reservas lipídicas como fuente de energía durante el periodo de bajas temperaturas. Por lo tanto, se analizaron las estrategias de obtención y acumulación energética durante la estación de bajas temperaturas en un anfibio que se reproduce principalmente en otoño-invierno, Hypsiboas pulchellus (Hp, y uno que lo hace en primavera-verano, Dendropsophus nanus (Dn. Para ello se analizó la alimentación de ambas especies y se utilizó el peso de los cuerpos grasos (CG como indicador del desarrollo de las reservas energéticas. Si bien se encontró una elevada similitud en la dieta entre las especies, esto no implicó la ausencia de diferencias en las estrategias de obtención energética entre ellas. El bajo índice de vacuidad gastrointestinal de Hp, acompañado de CG poco desarrollados, permite señalar que, para sostener la elevada demanda energética de la actividad reproductiva concentrada en el otoño-invierno, esta especie continúa alimentándose aún en temperaturas bajas. Por otro lado, el índice de vacuidad de Dn fue mayor al de Hp, mientras que sus CG se encontraron bien desarrollados, por lo que esta especie utilizaría en mayor medida sus reservas lipídicas como fuente de energía para transitar el período de bajas temperaturas y llegar en buenas condiciones a la temporada reproductiva en la próxima primavera-verano.In environments with thermal and pluvial seasonality such as those of the Middle Paraná River floodplain (Province of Santa Fe, Argentina, most amphibian species reproduce during the warm season and drastically diminish their activity during winter. Even though, a few species remain active during the cold season, such as Hypsiboas pulchellus that has its reproductive peak during the autumn-winter period (and the consequent energy demand. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the feeding and development of fat bodies during the low temperature season for H. pulchellus and Dendropsophus nanus. We analyzed entire gastrointestinal tract contents of both species (H. pulchellus=110 specimens; D. nanus=114 specimens and applied an index (IRI% that combines prey abundance, volume and frequency to describe frogs diets; we used fat bodies weights as indicators of stored energy reserves. We compared diet between species with a niche overlap index (Ojk: 0-1 and used null models to ascribe statistical significance to evaluate overlap; and we analyzed variation in empty guts proportions through months and between species. Also, using ANCOVAs we explored differences in fat bodies, number and volume of prey consumed along months, between species and sexes. The most important preys in H. pulchellus diet during the cold season were Araneae (IRI%=34.96, Chironomidae (IRI%=33.08, Tipulidae (IRI%=11.44 and Gryllidae (IRI%=7.31; while for D. nanus, Chironomidae (IRI%=48.14, Tipulidae (IRI%=18.41, Psychodidae (IRI%=7.44 and Araneae (IRI%=7.34. Diet overlap between species was elevated (Ojk=0.78 and higher than expected by chance (mean simulated indices: Ojk=0.04; p[observed≥expected]<0.01; p[observed≤expected]=1. In H. pulchellus there was a monthly variation in number of prey per gut, while in D. nanus there was a difference in fat bodies development between sexes. Fat bodies development, number of prey per gut and preys volume also varied between species. Despite diet similarity between H. pulchellus and D. nanus, each species showed a different strategy to accumulate energy and support their activity during the cold season. The low rate of gastrointestinal emptiness in H. pulchellus (<10% in any analyzed month together with the poor development of their fat bodies, allows us to point out that, to sustain the breeding elevated energy demands, this species continues with a high feeding rate even at the low temperatures of cold season. On the other hand, the rate of gastrointestinal emptiness of D. nanus was higher than that of H. pulchellus (May=17.24%, July=22.22% and August=35.71%, while their fat bodies were well developed. Thus, D. nanus would depend more on their stored reserves to sustain the energy demands of being active during the low temperatures season and hence would reach the reproductive season in spring-summer in good body condition.

Seasonal trophic activity of the aquatic morphotype of Atelognathus patagonicus (Anura, Neobatrachia and prey availability in the littoral benthos of a permanent pond in Argentinean Patagonia

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María Elena Cuello

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The diet of the aquatic morphotype of Atelognathus patagonicus was studied in frogs collected from the Laguna Verde pond (Laguna Blanca National Park, Neuquén, Argentina. The content of 35 gastrointestinal tracts of post-metamorphic specimens from November 2003 to April 2006 was related to the composition of the benthos in their microhabitat. Number, size, occurrence and relative importance of preys, diversity of the diet, trophic niche breadth and electivitywere estimated for each season of the year. The diet consisted of aquatic arthropods. The composition of both the benthos and the food (number and occurrence of organisms in the diet were dominated by the amphipod Hyalella sp. The relative importance (IRI of Hyalella sp. in the diet was over 99% in summer and autumn, and 100% in winter and spring. Diptera and Copepoda in summer, and Dytiscidae and Ostracoda in autumn, had seasonal IRI values ≤ 0.2%. Trophic niche breadth was very low in summer and autumn, and null (= 0 in winter and spring. The mean number of preys per individual was highest in spring (19 preys/frog and lowest in winter (4 preys/frog. Frogs continued with their trophic activity in winter, even when the surface of the pond was frozen. There is a correspondence between the frogs’ main food item and its presence in the benthos.

Environmental parameters affecting the structure of leaf-litter frog (Amphibia: Anura communities in tropical forests: a case study from an Atlantic Rainforest area in southeastern Brazil

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Carla C. Siqueira

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Despite a recent increase of information on leaf litter frog communities from Atlantic rainforests, few studies have analyzed the relationship between environmental parameters and community structure of these animals. We analyzed the effects of some environmental factors on a leaf litter frog community at an Atlantic Rainforest area in southeastern Brazil. Data collection lasted ten consecutive days in January 2010, at elevations ranging between 300 and 520 m above sea level. We established 50 quadrats of 5 x 5 m on the forest floor, totaling 1,250 m² of sampled area, and recorded the mean leaf-litter depth and the number of trees within the plot, as well as altitude. We found 307 individuals belonging to ten frog species within the plots. The overall density of leaf-litter frogs estimated from the plots was 24.6 ind/100m², with Euparkerella brasiliensis (Parker, 1926, Ischnocnema guentheri (Steindachner, 1864, Ischnocnema parva (Girard, 1853 and Haddadus binotatus (Spix, 1824 presenting the highest estimated densities. Among the environmental variables analyzed, only altitude influenced the parameters of anuran community. Our results indicate that the study area has a very high density of forest floor leaf litter frogs at altitudes of 300-500 m. Future estimates of litter frog density might benefit from taking the local altitudinal variation into consideration. Neglecting such variation might result in underestimated/overestimated values if they are extrapolated to the whole area.

Diversidad trófica de dos especies sintópicas del género Leptodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae del sudeste de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina

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Cuevas, María Fernanda

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Se estudió la diversidad trófica de Leptodactylus gracilis y Leptodactylus latinasus del sudeste de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina, con la finalidad de describir la composición de la dieta y determinar sus preferencias alimentarias según sexo y tamaño, y comparar la diversidad trófica entre las dos especies sintópicas que comparten el mismo tiempo y espacio. Los muestreos fueron quincenales, desde abril de 1998 hasta junio de 2000. Se determinó que estas especies se alimentaron principalmente de isópodos, arañas y hormigas, siendo los isópodos los que aportaron aproximadamente, la mitad del volumen ingerido. El Índice de Morisita- Horn y la Prueba de Chi-Cuadrado Test de Independencia, mostraron que no existen diferencias significativas entre la selección trófica dentro y entre las especies. Se puede concluir que existe entre estas dos especies un extremado solapamiento trófico tanto entre ellas como entre sexos y tamaños de la misma especie. We studied the trophic diversity of Leptodactylus gracilis and Leptodactylus latinasus from the southeast of Córdoba, Argentina. With the purpose of describing their composition, determining their preference according to sex and size, and comparing the trophic diversity between these two syntopic species that share the same space and time. Biweekly samplings were carried out from April 1998 to June 2000. We determined that these species fed mainly on isopods, spiders and ants (Formicidae, with the Isopoda representing almost 50% of the total volume ingested. The Index of Morisita-Horn and the Chi-Square Test of Independence showed that no significant differences exist in trophic selection either within or between the species. It is possible to conclude that there is considerable trophic overlapping between the two species as well as between sexes and sizes of the same species.

Advertisement call and morphological variation of the poorly known and endemic Bokermannohyla juiju Faivovich, Lugli, Lourenço and Haddad, 2009 (Anura: Hylidae) from Central Bahia, Brazil.

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Taucce, Pedro P G; Pinheiro, Paulo D P; Leite, Felipe S F; Garcia, Paulo C A

2015-02-02

Bokermannohyla juiju is a member of the B. martinsi species group and it was described based on one male specimen. In order to enhance the knowledge about the species, we describe its advertisement call and morphological variation, including for the first time data on females. We also provide additional comments about its natural history, geographic distribution, and conservation. The advertisement call of B. juiju consists of a single note, non-pulsed, harmonic structured call emitted several times in a row. Four out of five males were found calling in bromeliads. The female, as it is common in many Bokermannohyla species, presents some morphological features not shared with the males, like a non-hypertrophied forearm and less developed prepollex. 

Abundancia relativa y uso de microhábitat de la rana Geobatrachus walkeri (Anura: Strabomantidae en dos hábitats en Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

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Vera Martínez Baños

2011-06-01

Full Text Available La rana Geobatrachus walkeri pertenece a un género monotípico y endémico del área de San Lorenzo, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. La especie habita en el bosque secundario natural y en una plantación de pino (dominada por Pinus patula. Para comparar la abundancia relativa y el uso del microhábitat en estos dos hábitat y durante los períodos de máxima y mínima precipitación, se distribuyeron aleatoriamente 30 cuadrantes en cada bosque sobre los que se registraron el número de individuos y los microhábitats ocupados. Además se reconocieron otros aspectos de la historia natural mediante muestreo por encuentros casuales (VES, se incluye en los dos hábitats áreas no muestreadas por los cuadrantes. La mayor abundancia de ranas se obtuvo en la plantación de pino y durante la época de lluvias. El microhábitat más usado fue la hojarasca de pino. Geobatrachus walkeri es una especie exitosa en las plantaciones de pino, asociada permanentemente a su hojarasca en donde parece desarrollar todo su ciclo de vida. Las claras modificaciones derivadas de la introducción de las plantaciones de pino en el suelo y el agua, parecen no haber afectado la supervivencia y mantenimiento exitoso de esta especie categorizada como en peligro de extinción.

DISTRIBUIÇÃO ESPAÇO-TEMPORAL DA RÃ INVASORA, Lithobates catesbeianus (ANURA, RANIDAE (SHAW, 1802 EM DOIS REMANESCENTES FLORESTAIS DA MATA ATLÂNTICA NO SUL DO BRASIL

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Jackson Fábio Preuss

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A rã-touro (Lithobates catesbeianus é a mais notória espécie de anuro invasora. Foi introduzida no Brasil visando à criação comercial. Escapes acidentais e solturas têm favorecido a ocorrência desta espécie em ambientes naturais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a avaliar a distribuição temporal e espacial da rã-touro, Lithobates catesbeianus em ambientes naturais. Entre novembro de 2014 e outubro de 2015 realizamos coletas noturnas em seis ambientes aquáticos de dois remanescentes florestais de Mata Atlântica, localizados no oeste do estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Durante esse período registramos o número de indivíduos em atividade, para a descrição física do habitat foi registrado o tipo de ambiente aquático, e para descrição do habitat registrou-se os parâmetros físicos da água/ambiente (temperatura da água, pH, temperatura do ar, pluviosidade e umidade relativa do ar. Foram registrados um total de 126 indivíduos, sendo 105 adultos e 21 juvenis. A rã touro foi registrada em atividade durante todo o período de estudo, utilizando corpos d’água lênticos e permanentes (lagoas, charcos e riachos. A espécie foi encontrada em todos os meses amostrados, sendo mais frequente no período de maiores temperaturas (dezembro; N= 31. A abundância foi relacionada significativamente à temperatura média da água (R2 = 0,62; p = 0,0013; N = 98. Entretanto, independente dos parâmetros físicos/ambientais investigados, esta espécie pode ser encontrada em todos os habitats investigados. No presente estudo, Lithobates catesbeianus apresentou alto grau de tolerância em ambientes naturais o qual evidencia-se como um fator negativo a biodiversidade local. Palavras-chave: rã-touro, ambientes naturais, fator negativo.

A new population record and conservation assessment of the Santa Marta Poison Arrow Frog Colostethus ruthveni Kaplan, 1997 (Anura: Dendrobatidae from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

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J.F.G. Maya

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Colombia possesses important amphibian species richness that is threatened by several factors. Here we report a new population of the Santa Marta Poison Arrow Frog Colostethus ruthveni, an endangered endemic species from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. During intensive surveys across Námaku Reserve, 22 C. ruthveni individuals (mean abundance 0.28 plus or minus 0.09 ind/km were observed along creeks between 737 and 923m above sea level near downtown Minca. This record represents a new locality for the species, increasing the number of known sites and expanding its extent of occurrence. We suggest the reassessment of the conservation status of the species from EN B1ab(iii to VU B1ab(iii, due to this and other recent findings. Currently, the species is present in three protected areas; this new record represents another reserve area where the species is distributed, ensuring the habitat and reducing some of its most important threats such as habitat loss and degradation from agricultural activities, logging, pollution and infrastructure development. This finding represents new critical information for the species and defines the need to understand the real status of its populations for future conservation strategies in the region.

Nuevos registros para la herpetofauna del departamento de Lima, descripción del renacuajo de Telmatobius rimac Schmidt, 1954 (Anura: Ceratophrydae y una clave de los anfibios

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César Aguilar

2013-04-01

Full Text Available En el presente trabajo la larva de Telmatobius rimac es descrita y ocho nuevos registros de anfibios y reptiles para el departamento de Lima son dados a conocer. Los nuevos registros de anfibios para Lima son Gastrotheca peruana y Pleurodema marmorata. Los nuevos registros de reptiles son las lagartijas Phyllodactylus gerrhopygus y Ameiva edracantha, y las serpientes Leptotyphlops tricolor, Philodryas tachymenoides, Sibynomorphus vagus y Tantilla capistrata. Con este estudio la herpetofauna presente en el departamento de Lima queda compuesta de 7 anfibios y 33 reptiles. Se proporciona una clave de identificación para los anfibios y una lista actualizada de la herpetofauna del departamento de Lima.

Inclusión de Physalaemus riograndensis Milstead, 1960 en la batracofauna de Misiones, Argentina, y otros aportes para el conocimiento de su distribución (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae

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Chebez, Juan C.

1995-01-01

Full Text Available Physalaemus riograndensis Milstead, 1960. Rep. ARGENTINA, PROV.DE MISIONES, Dpto. Candelaria, Campo San Juan, 27° 25' S, 55° 40' W. 1 ejemplar. MACN número 34.646. Colector: E. Krauczuck.

A new species of poison-dart frog (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from Manu province, Amazon region of southeastern Peru, with notes on its natural history, bioacoustics, phylogenetics, and recommended conservation status.

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Serrano-Rojas, Shirley J; Whitworth, Andrew; Villacampa, Jaime; May, Rudolf VON; Gutiérrez, Roberto C; Padial, José M; Chaparro, Juan C

2017-01-16

We describe and name a new species of poison-dart frog from the Amazonian slopes of the Andes in Manu Province, Madre de Dios Department, Peru; specifically within the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and the buffer zone of Manu National Park. Ameerega shihuemoy sp. nov. is supported by a unique combination of characters: black dorsum with cream to light orange dorsolateral lines, blue belly reticulated with black, and the lack of axillary, thigh and calf flash marks. Within Ameerega, it shares the general appearance of A. altamazonica, A. boliviana, A. hahneli, A. ignipedis, A. petersi, A. picta, A. pongoensis, A. pulchripecta, A. simulans, A. smaragdina, and A. yungicola; each possessing a granular black to brown dorsum, a light labial bar, a conspicuous dorsolateral line running from the snout to the groin, and a metallic blue belly and underside of arms and hind limbs. From most of these species it can be distinguished by lacking flash marks on the axillae, thighs, and calves (absent in only A. boliviana and A. smaragdina, most A. petersi, and some A. pongoensis), by having bright cream to orange dorsolateral stripes (white, intense yellow, or green in all other species, with the exception of A. picta), and by its blue belly reticulated with black (bluish white and black in A. boliviana, green and blue with black marbling in A. petersi, and green and blue lacking black marbling in A. smaragdina). Its mating call also shows clear differences to morphologically similar species, with a lower note repetition rate, longer space between calls, and higher fundamental and dominant frequencies. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S mitochondrial rRNA fragment also support the distinctiveness of the new species and suggest that A. shihuemoy is most closely related to Ameerega macero, A. altamazonica, A. rubriventris, and two undescribed species (Ameerega sp. from Porto Walter, Acre, Brazil, and Ameerega sp. from Ivochote, Cusco, Peru). Genetically, the new species is most similar to the sympatric A. macero, from which it clearly differs in characteristics of its advertisement call and coloration. The new species is found near rocky streams during the dry season and near temporary water bodies during the rainy season. Tadpoles are found in lentic water along streams, or in shallow, slow-moving streams. Given its small geographic range, we recommend that A. shihuemoy should be considered 'Near threatened' (NT) according to IUCN Red List criteria.

Nomenclatural notes on living and fossil amphibians

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Martín, C.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available A review of extinct and living amphibians known from fossils (Allocaudata, Anura and Caudata has revealed several cases that require nomenclatural changes in order to stabilize the taxonomy of the group. Nomenclatural changes include homonym replacements, corrections of spelling variants and authorships, name availabilities, and in particular, the proposal of new combinations. These changes will allow the incorporation of some palaeontological taxa to the current evolutionary models of relationship of modern forms based on molecular phylogenies. Rana cadurcorum for Rana plicata Filhol, 1877, Rana auscitana for Rana pygmaea Lartet, 1851, and Rana sendoa for Rana robusta Brunner, 1956. Anchylorana Taylor, 1942 is considered a new synonym of Lithobates Fitzinger, 1843. New combinations proposed are: Anaxyrus defensor for Bufo defensor Meylan, 2005; Anaxyrus hibbardi for Bufo hibbardi Taylor, 1937; Anaxyrus pliocompactilis for Bufo pliocompactilis Wilson, 1968; Anaxyrus repentinus for Bufo repentinus Tihen, 1962; Anaxyrus rexroadensis for Bufo rexroadensis Tihen, 1962; Anaxyrus spongifrons for Bufo spongifrons Tihen, 1962; Anaxyrus suspectus for Bufo suspectus Tihen, 1962; Anaxyrus tiheni for Bufo tiheni Auffenberg, 1957; Anaxyrus valentinensis for Bufo valentinensis Estes et Tihen, 1964; Ichthyosaura wintershofi for Triturus wintershofi Lunau, 1950; Incilius praevius for Bufo praevius Tihen, 1951; Lithobates bucella for Rana bucella Holman, 1965; Lithobates dubitus for Anchylorana dubita Taylor, 1942; Lithobates fayeae for Rana fayeae Taylor, 1942; Lithobates miocenicus for Rana miocenica Holman, 1965; Lithobates moorei for Anchylorana moorei Taylor, 1942; Lithobates parvissimus for Rana parvissima