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Mailho-Fontana PL, Antoniazzi MM, Coelho GR, Pimenta DC, Fernandes LP, Kupfer A, Brodie ED, Jared C. Milk provisioning in oviparous caecilian amphibians. Science 2024; 383:1092-1095. [PMID: 38452082 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi5379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Among vertebrates, the yolk is commonly the only form of nutritional investment offered by the female to the embryo. Some species, however, have developed parental care behaviors associated with specialized food provisioning essential for offspring survival, such as the production of lipidic-rich parental milk in mammals. Here, we show that females of the egg-laying caecilian amphibian Siphonops annulatus provide similarly lipid-rich milk to altricial hatchlings during parental care. We observed that for 2 months, S. annulatus babies ingested milk released through the maternal vent seemingly in response to tactile and acoustic stimulation by the babies. The milk, composed mainly of lipids and carbohydrates, originates from the maternal oviduct epithelium's hypertrophied glands. Our data suggest lactation in this oviparous nonmammalian species and expand the knowledge of parental care and communication in caecilians.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta M Antoniazzi
- Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Guilherme R Coelho
- Laboratório de Biofísica e Bioquímica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Daniel C Pimenta
- Laboratório de Biofísica e Bioquímica, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Lígia P Fernandes
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento de Alimentos Funcionais, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Alexander Kupfer
- Department of Zoology, State Museum of Natural History, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Carlos Jared
- Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
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2
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Ziermann JM, Fratani J. Fascinating adaptations in amphibians. ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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3
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Reinhard S, Kupfer A. Maternal investment in the viviparous caecilian amphibian Typhlonectes natans (Gymnophiona: Typhlonectidae). ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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4
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Starck JM, Stewart JR, Blackburn DG. Phylogeny and evolutionary history of the amniote egg. J Morphol 2021; 282:1080-1122. [PMID: 33991358 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
We review morphological features of the amniote egg and embryos in a comparative phylogenetic framework, including all major clades of extant vertebrates. We discuss 40 characters that are relevant for an analysis of the evolutionary history of the vertebrate egg. Special attention is given to the morphology of the cellular yolk sac, the eggshell, and extraembryonic membranes. Many features that are typically assigned to amniotes, such as a large yolk sac, delayed egg deposition, and terrestrial reproduction have evolved independently and convergently in numerous clades of vertebrates. We use phylogenetic character mapping and ancestral character state reconstruction as tools to recognize sequence, order, and patterns of morphological evolution and deduce a hypothesis of the evolutionary history of the amniote egg. Besides amnion and chorioallantois, amniotes ancestrally possess copulatory organs (secondarily reduced in most birds), internal fertilization, and delayed deposition of eggs that contain an embryo in the primitive streak or early somite stage. Except for the amnion, chorioallantois, and amniote type of eggshell, these features evolved convergently in almost all major clades of aquatic vertebrates possibly in response to selective factors such as egg predation, hostile environmental conditions for egg development, or to adjust hatching of young to favorable season. A functionally important feature of the amnion membrane is its myogenic contractility that moves the (early) embryo and prevents adhering of the growing embryo to extraembryonic materials. This function of the amnion membrane and the liquid-filled amnion cavity may have evolved under the requirements of delayed deposition of eggs that contain developing embryos. The chorioallantois is a temporary embryonic exchange organ that supports embryonic development. A possible evolutionary scenario is that the amniote egg presents an exaptation that paved the evolutionary pathway for reproduction on land. As shown by numerous examples from anamniotes, reproduction on land has occurred multiple times among vertebrates-the amniote egg presenting one "solution" that enabled the conquest of land for reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Matthias Starck
- Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - James R Stewart
- Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
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5
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Brun C, Exbrayat JM, Raquet M. Localization of Receptors for Sex Steroids and Pituitary Hormones in the Female Genital Duct throughout the Reproductive Cycle of a Viviparous Gymnophiona Amphibian, Typhlonectes compressicauda. Animals (Basel) 2020; 11:ani11010002. [PMID: 33374945 PMCID: PMC7821928 DOI: 10.3390/ani11010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Females of the legless amphibian Cayenne caecilian Typhloneces compressicauda demonstrate a biennial viviparous reproductive cycle, with complex morphological alterations in its oviduct. During the first year, these morphological variations permit the capture of the oocytes at ovulation and the pregnancy in the posterior part transformed into uterus. Pregnancy lasts 6 to 7 months and, at parturition, the female gives birth to 6 to 8 newborns which look like small adults.The second year of the cycle is a sexual rest period, allowing females to replenish their body reserves. The hormonal receptors detected in the different cell types of the oviduct confirm that the cyclical development of the genital tract is dependent on sex and pituitary hormones, with a direct control by the pituitary gland. Abstract Reproduction in vertebrates is controlled by the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis, and both the sex steroid and pituitary hormones play a pivotal role in the regulation of the physiology of the oviduct and events occurring within the oviduct. Their hormonal actions are mediated through interaction with specific receptors. Our aim was to locate α and β estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, gonadotropin and prolactin receptors in the tissues of the oviduct of Typhlonectes compressicauda (Amphibia, Gymnophiona), in order to study the correlation between the morphological changes of the genital tract and the ovarian cycle. Immunohistochemical methods were used. We observed that sex steroids and pituitary hormones were involved in the morpho-functional regulation of oviduct, and that their cellular detection was dependent on the period of the reproductive cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Brun
- Sciences and Humanities Confluence Research Center, UCLy, CEDEX 02, 69288 Lyon, France;
- Correspondence: (C.B.); or (J.-M.E.)
| | - Jean-Marie Exbrayat
- Sciences and Humanities Confluence Research Center, UCLy, CEDEX 02, 69288 Lyon, France;
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris Sciences Lettres, CEDEX 02, 69288 Lyon, France
- Correspondence: (C.B.); or (J.-M.E.)
| | - Michel Raquet
- Sciences and Humanities Confluence Research Center, UCLy, CEDEX 02, 69288 Lyon, France;
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Schulte LM, Ringler E, Rojas B, Stynoski JL. Developments in Amphibian Parental Care Research: History, Present Advances, and Future Perspectives. HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS 2020. [DOI: 10.1655/herpmonographs-d-19-00002.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Schulte
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Eva Ringler
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- University of Jyvaskyla, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jennifer L. Stynoski
- Colorado State University, Department of Biology, 200 W. Lake Street, Fort Collins, CO, 48823 USA
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7
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Meiri S, Feldman A, Schwarz R, Shine R. Viviparity does not affect the numbers and sizes of reptile offspring. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:360-369. [PMID: 31652340 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Viviparity (live-bearing) has independently evolved from oviparity (egg-laying) in more than 100 lineages of squamates (lizards and snakes). We might expect consequent shifts in selective forces to affect per-brood reproductive investment (RI = total mass of offspring relative to maternal mass) and in the way in which that output is partitioned (number vs. size of offspring per brood). Based on the assumption that newly born offspring are heavier than eggs, we predicted that live-bearing must entail either increased RI or a reduction in offspring size and/or fecundity. However, our phylogenetically controlled analysis of data on 1,259 squamate species revealed no significant differences in mean offspring size, clutch size or RI between oviparous and viviparous squamates. We attribute this paradoxical result to (1) strong selection on offspring sizes, unaffected by parity mode, (2) the lack of a larval stage in amniotes, favouring large eggs even in the ancestral oviparous mode and (3) the ability of viviparous females to decrease the mass of uterine embryos by reducing extra-embryonic water stores. Our analysis shows that squamate eggs (when laid) weigh about the same as the hatchlings that emerge from them (despite a many-fold increase in embryo mass during incubation). Most of the egg mass is due to components (such as water stores and the eggshell) not required for oviductal incubation. That repackaging enables live-born offspring to be accommodated within the mother's body without increasing total litter mass. The consequent stasis in reproductive burden during the evolutionary transition from oviparity to viviparity may have facilitated frequent shifts in parity modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Anat Feldman
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Schwarz
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Richard Shine
- Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
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8
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Kieren S, Sparreboom M, Hochkirch A, Veith M. A biogeographic and ecological perspective to the evolution of reproductive behaviour in the family Salamandridae. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2018; 121:98-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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9
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Ockleford C, Adriaanse P, Berny P, Brock T, Duquesne S, Grilli S, Hernandez-Jerez AF, Bennekou SH, Klein M, Kuhl T, Laskowski R, Machera K, Pelkonen O, Pieper S, Stemmer M, Sundh I, Teodorovic I, Tiktak A, Topping CJ, Wolterink G, Aldrich A, Berg C, Ortiz-Santaliestra M, Weir S, Streissl F, Smith RH. Scientific Opinion on the state of the science on pesticide risk assessment for amphibians and reptiles. EFSA J 2018; 16:e05125. [PMID: 32625798 PMCID: PMC7009658 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Following a request from EFSA, the Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues developed an opinion on the science to support the potential development of a risk assessment scheme of plant protection products for amphibians and reptiles. The coverage of the risk to amphibians and reptiles by current risk assessments for other vertebrate groups was investigated. Available test methods and exposure models were reviewed with regard to their applicability to amphibians and reptiles. Proposals were made for specific protection goals aiming to protect important ecosystem services and taking into consideration the regulatory framework and existing protection goals for other vertebrates. Uncertainties, knowledge gaps and research needs were highlighted.
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10
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Inferring the shallow phylogeny of true salamanders (Salamandra) by multiple phylogenomic approaches. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 115:16-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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11
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Sandberger-Loua L, Müller H, Rödel MO. A review of the reproductive biology of the only known matrotrophic viviparous anuran, the West African Nimba toad, Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis. ZOOSYST EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.3897/zse.93.10489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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12
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Roberts RM, Green JA, Schulz LC. The evolution of the placenta. Reproduction 2016; 152:R179-89. [PMID: 27486265 DOI: 10.1530/rep-16-0325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The very apt definition of a placenta is coined by Mossman, namely apposition or fusion of the fetal membranes to the uterine mucosa for physiological exchange. As such, it is a specialized organ whose purpose is to provide continuing support to the developing young. By this definition, placentas have evolved within every vertebrate class other than birds. They have evolved on multiple occasions, often within quite narrow taxonomic groups. As the placenta and the maternal system associate more intimately, such that the conceptus relies extensively on maternal support, the relationship leads to increased conflict that drives adaptive changes on both sides. The story of vertebrate placentation, therefore, is one of convergent evolution at both the macromolecular and molecular levels. In this short review, we first describe the emergence of placental-like structures in nonmammalian vertebrates and then transition to mammals themselves. We close the review by discussing the mechanisms that might have favored diversity and hence evolution of the morphology and physiology of the placentas of eutherian mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Michael Roberts
- C.S. Bond Life Sciences CenterUniversity of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA Division of Animal SciencesUniversity of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Jonathan A Green
- Division of Animal SciencesUniversity of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Laura C Schulz
- Department of ObstetricsGynecology and Women's Health, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA
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13
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Ostrovsky AN, Lidgard S, Gordon DP, Schwaha T, Genikhovich G, Ereskovsky AV. Matrotrophy and placentation in invertebrates: a new paradigm. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 91:673-711. [PMID: 25925633 PMCID: PMC5098176 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Matrotrophy, the continuous extra-vitelline supply of nutrients from the parent to the progeny during gestation, is one of the masterpieces of nature, contributing to offspring fitness and often correlated with evolutionary diversification. The most elaborate form of matrotrophy-placentotrophy-is well known for its broad occurrence among vertebrates, but the comparative distribution and structural diversity of matrotrophic expression among invertebrates is wanting. In the first comprehensive analysis of matrotrophy across the animal kingdom, we report that regardless of the degree of expression, it is established or inferred in at least 21 of 34 animal phyla, significantly exceeding previous accounts and changing the old paradigm that these phenomena are infrequent among invertebrates. In 10 phyla, matrotrophy is represented by only one or a few species, whereas in 11 it is either not uncommon or widespread and even pervasive. Among invertebrate phyla, Platyhelminthes, Arthropoda and Bryozoa dominate, with 162, 83 and 53 partly or wholly matrotrophic families, respectively. In comparison, Chordata has more than 220 families that include or consist entirely of matrotrophic species. We analysed the distribution of reproductive patterns among and within invertebrate phyla using recently published molecular phylogenies: matrotrophy has seemingly evolved at least 140 times in all major superclades: Parazoa and Eumetazoa, Radiata and Bilateria, Protostomia and Deuterostomia, Lophotrochozoa and Ecdysozoa. In Cycliophora and some Digenea, it may have evolved twice in the same life cycle. The provisioning of developing young is associated with almost all known types of incubation chambers, with matrotrophic viviparity more widespread (20 phyla) than brooding (10 phyla). In nine phyla, both matrotrophic incubation types are present. Matrotrophy is expressed in five nutritive modes, of which histotrophy and placentotrophy are most prevalent. Oophagy, embryophagy and histophagy are rarer, plausibly evolving through heterochronous development of the embryonic mouthparts and digestive system. During gestation, matrotrophic modes can shift, intergrade, and be performed simultaneously. Invertebrate matrotrophic adaptations are less complex structurally than in chordates, but they are more diverse, being formed either by a parent, embryo, or both. In a broad and still preliminary sense, there are indications of trends or grades of evolutionarily increasing complexity of nutritive structures: formation of (i) local zones of enhanced nutritional transport (placental analogues), including specialized parent-offspring cell complexes and various appendages increasing the entire secreting and absorbing surfaces as well as the contact surface between embryo and parent, (ii) compartmentalization of the common incubatory space into more compact and 'isolated' chambers with presumably more effective nutritional relationships, and (iii) internal secretory ('milk') glands. Some placental analogues in onychophorans and arthropods mimic the simplest placental variants in vertebrates, comprising striking examples of convergent evolution acting at all levels-positional, structural and physiological.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N Ostrovsky
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaja nab. 7/9, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, Geozentrum, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Scott Lidgard
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60605, U.S.A
| | - Dennis P Gordon
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901, Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Thomas Schwaha
- Department of Integrative Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Department for Molecular Evolution and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander V Ereskovsky
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaja nab. 7/9, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Station marine d'Endoume, Chemin de la Batterie des Lions, 13007, Marseille, France
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14
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Multiple paternity in a viviparous toad with internal fertilisation. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:51. [PMID: 27262290 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1377-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Anurans are renowned for a high diversity of reproductive modes, but less than 1 % of species exhibit internal fertilisation followed by viviparity. In the live-bearing West African Nimba toad (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis), females produce yolk-poor eggs and internally nourish their young after fertilisation. Birth of fully developed juveniles takes place after 9 months. In the present study, we used genetic markers (eight microsatellite loci) to assign the paternity of litters of 12 females comprising on average 9.7 juveniles. In 9 out of 12 families (75 %), a single sire was sufficient; in three families (25 %), more than one sire was necessary to explain the observed genotypes in each family. These findings are backed up with field observations of male resource defence (underground cavities in which mating takes place) as well as coercive mating attempts, suggesting that the observed moderate level of multiple paternity in a species without distinct sperm storage organs is governed by a balance of female mate choice and male reproductive strategies.
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15
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Kupfer A, Maxwell E, Reinhard S, Kuehnel S. The evolution of parental investment in caecilian amphibians: a comparative approach. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kupfer
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart; Rosenstein 1 Stuttgart 70191 Germany
- Institut für Biochemie und Biologie; Allgemeine Zoologie und Evolutionsgenomik; Universität Potsdam; Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25 Haus 26 Potsdam 14476 Germany
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum; Friedrich Schiller-Universität Jena; Erbertstrasse 1 Jena 07743 Germany
| | - Erin Maxwell
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart; Rosenstein 1 Stuttgart 70191 Germany
| | - Sandy Reinhard
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum; Friedrich Schiller-Universität Jena; Erbertstrasse 1 Jena 07743 Germany
- Naturhistorisches Museum; Thüringer Landesmuseum Heidecksburg; Schlossbezirk 1 Rudolstadt 07407 Germany
| | - Susanne Kuehnel
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum; Friedrich Schiller-Universität Jena; Erbertstrasse 1 Jena 07743 Germany
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16
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Fernández-Badillo L, Manríquez-Morán NL, Castillo-Cerón JM, Goyenechea I. Análisis herpetofaunístico de la zona árida del estado de Hidalgo. REV MEX BIODIVERS 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rmb.2016.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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17
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Medina D, Garner TWJ, Carrascal LM, Bosch J. Delayed metamorphosis of amphibian larvae facilitates Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis transmission and persistence. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2015; 117:85-92. [PMID: 26648101 DOI: 10.3354/dao02934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Highly virulent pathogens that cause host population declines confront the risk of fade-out, but if pathogen transmission dynamics are age-structured, pathogens can persist. Among other features of amphibian biology, variable larval developmental rates generate age-structured larval populations, which in theory can facilitate pathogen persistence. We investigated this possibility empirically in a population of Salamandra salamandra in Spain affected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) at breeding sites that lacked alternative amphibian hosts. None of the adults presented infection by Bd. However, for the larvae, while environmental heterogeneity was the most important predictor of infection, the effect on infection dynamics was mediated by transmission from overwintered larvae to new larval recruits, which occurred only in permanent larval habitats. We suggest that interannual Bd maintenance in a host population that experiences mass mortality associated with infection can occur without an environmental reservoir or direct involvement of an alternative host in our study system. However the 2 aquatic habitat types that support intraspecific reservoirs, permanent streams and ponds, are not ideal habitats for long-term Bd maintenance, either due to poor transmission probability or low host survival, respectively. While intraspecific pathogen maintenance due to larval plasticity might be possible at our study sites, this transmission pattern is not without significant risk to the pathogen. The availability of alternative hosts nearby does indicate that permanent Bd fade-out is unlikely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Medina
- Department of Biological Sciences, Derring Hall 2119, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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18
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Vences M, Sanchez E, Hauswaldt JS, Eikelmann D, Rodríguez A, Carranza S, Donaire D, Gehara M, Helfer V, Lötters S, Werner P, Schulz S, Steinfartz S. Nuclear and mitochondrial multilocus phylogeny and survey of alkaloid content in true salamanders of the genus Salamandra (Salamandridae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2014; 73:208-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2013] [Revised: 12/27/2013] [Accepted: 12/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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19
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Blackburn DG. Evolution of vertebrate viviparity and specializations for fetal nutrition: A quantitative and qualitative analysis. J Morphol 2014; 276:961-90. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Revised: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Blackburn
- Department of Biology and; Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut 06106
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20
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Charney ND, Castorino JJ, Dobro MJ, Steely SL. Embryo development inside female salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum-laterale) prior to egg laying. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91919. [PMID: 24651275 PMCID: PMC3961271 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The length of embryo retention prior to oviposition is a critical evolutionary trait. In all oviparous salamanders, which include the vast majority of species in the order, fertilization is thought to occur at the time of egg laying. Embryos then enter the first cleavage stage several hours after being deposited. This pattern holds for previously studied individuals in the Ambystoma jeffersonianum-laterale complex. Here, we document an instance in which a female Ambystoma jeffersonianum-laterale was carrying embryos internally that had already reached stage 10 of development. Development likely began several days prior to the start of migration to the breeding pond. This is the first such record for any egg-laying salamander, and suggests a degree of plasticity in the timing of fertilization and development not previously recognized. Further work is needed to ascertain the prevalence, mechanics, and evolutionary significance of this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah D. Charney
- School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - John J. Castorino
- School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Megan J. Dobro
- School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sarah L. Steely
- School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Wake MH. Fetal adaptations for viviparity in amphibians. J Morphol 2014; 276:941-60. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Revised: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marvalee H. Wake
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; University of California; Berkeley California 94720-3140
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22
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Bassar RD, Auer SK, Reznick DN. Why do placentas evolve? A test of the life-history facilitation hypothesis in two clades in the genusPoeciliopsisrepresenting two independent origins of placentas. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ronald D. Bassar
- Department of Biology; University of California; Riverside California 92521 USA
| | - Sonya K. Auer
- Department of Biology; University of California; Riverside California 92521 USA
| | - David N. Reznick
- Department of Biology; University of California; Riverside California 92521 USA
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Gomes AD, Moreira RG, Navas CA, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C. Review of the Reproductive Biology of Caecilians (Amphibia, Gymnophiona). SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.2994/057.007.0301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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24
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Van Dyke JU, Beaupre SJ. Stable isotope tracer reveals that viviparous snakes transport amino acids to offspring during gestation. J Exp Biol 2012; 215:760-5. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.058644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Viviparity and placentation have evolved from oviparity over 100 times in squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes). The independent origins of placentation have resulted in a variety of placental morphologies in different taxa, ranging from simple apposition of fetal and maternal tissues to endotheliochorial implantation that is homoplasious with mammalian placentation. Because the eggs of oviparous squamates transport gases and water from the environment and calcium from the eggshell, the placentae of viviparous squamates are thought to have initially evolved to accomplish these functions from within the maternal oviduct. Species with complex placentae have also been shown to rely substantially, or even primarily, on placental transport of organic nutrients for embryonic nutrition. However, it is unclear whether species with only simple placentae are also capable of transporting organic nutrients to offspring. Among viviparous squamates, all of the snakes that have been studied thus far have been shown to have simple placentae. However, most studies of snake placentation are limited to a single lineage, the North American Natricinae. We tested the abilities of four species of viviparous snakes – Agkistrodon contortrix (Viperidae), Boa constrictor (Boidae), Nerodia sipedon (Colubridae: Natricinae) and Thamnophis sirtalis (Colubridae: Natricinae) – to transport diet-derived amino acids to offspring during gestation. We fed [15N]leucine to pregnant snakes, and compared offspring 15N content with that of unlabeled controls. Labeled females allocated significantly more 15N to offspring than did controls, but 15N allocation did not differ among species. Our results indicate that viviparous snakes are capable of transporting diet-derived amino acids to their offspring during gestation, possibly via placentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James U. Van Dyke
- 601 SCEN, Department of Biological Sciences, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Steven J. Beaupre
- 601 SCEN, Department of Biological Sciences, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
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Graham SP, Earley RL, Guyer C, Mendonça MT. Innate immune performance and steroid hormone profiles of pregnant versus nonpregnant cottonmouth snakes (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 174:348-53. [PMID: 21986088 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2011] [Revised: 09/22/2011] [Accepted: 09/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Squamates (lizards and snakes) have independently evolved viviparity over 100 times, and exhibit a wide range of maternal investment in developing embryos from the extremes of lecithotrophic oviparity to matrotrophic viviparity. This group therefore provides excellent comparative opportunities for studying endocrine and immune involvement during pregnancy, and their possible interactions. We studied the cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), since they exhibit limited placentation (e.g., ovoviviparity), allowing comparison with squamate species hypothesized to require considerable maternal immune modulation due to the presence of a more extensive placental connection. Furthermore, the cottonmouth's biennial reproductive cycle provides an opportunity for simultaneously comparing pregnant and non-pregnant females in the wild. We document significantly elevated concentrations of progesterone (P4) and significantly lower concentrations of estradiol (E2) in pregnant females relative to non-pregnant females. Pregnant females had lower plasma bacteria lysis capacity relative to non-pregnant females. This functional measure of innate immunity is a proxy for complement performance, and we also determined significant correlations between P4 and decreased complement performance in pregnant females. These findings are consistent with studies that have determined P4's role in complement modulation during pregnancy in mammals, and thus this study joins a growing number of studies that have demonstrated convergent and/or conserved physiological mechanisms regulating viviparous reproduction in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean P Graham
- Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
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Pires MN, Bassar RD, McBride KE, Regus JU, Garland T, Reznick DN. Why do placentas evolve? An evaluation of the life-history facilitation hypothesis in the fish genus Poeciliopsis. Funct Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01842.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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27
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Kleinteich T, Haas A. The hyal and ventral branchial muscles in caecilian and salamander larvae: Homologies and evolution. J Morphol 2011; 272:598-613. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2010] [Revised: 10/31/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Wake DB, Wake MH, Specht CD. Homoplasy: From Detecting Pattern to Determining Process and Mechanism of Evolution. Science 2011; 331:1032-5. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1188545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 291] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Kleinteich T. Ontogenetic differences in the feeding biomechanics of oviparous and viviparous caecilians (Lissamphibia: Gymnophiona). ZOOLOGY 2010; 113:283-94. [PMID: 20952171 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2010.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2010] [Revised: 04/24/2010] [Accepted: 05/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Caecilians have a unique dual jaw-closing system in that jaw closure is driven by the ancestral jaw-closing muscles (mm. levatores mandibulae) plus a secondarily recruited hyobranchial muscle (m. interhyoideus posterior). There is a variety of feeding habits (suction feeding, skin feeding, intrauterine scraping, and biting) during ontogeny that relate to reproductive modes in different caecilian species. This study examines the cranial biomechanics of caecilians in the suction-feeding larva of Ichthyophis cf. kohtaoensis, in the embryo and juvenile of the skin-feeding Boulengerula taitana, and in a newborn of the intrauterine feeder Typhlonectes natans. A lever arm model was applied to calculate effective mechanical advantages of jaw-closing muscles over gape angles and to predict total bite force in developing caecilians. In I. cf. kohtaoensis, Notable differences were found in the larval jaw-closing system compared to that of the adult. The suction-feeding larva of I. cf. kohtaoensis has comparatively large mm. levatores mandibulae that insert with an acute muscle fiber angle to the lower jaw and a m. interhyoideus posterior that has its optimal leverage at small gape angles. Conversely, the skin-feeding juvenile of B. taitana and the neonate T. natans are very similar in the feeding parameters considered herein compared to adult caecilians. Some ontogenetic variation in the feeding system of B. taitana before the onset of feeding was present. This study contributes to our understanding of the functional demands that feeding habits put on the development of cranial structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kleinteich
- Biozentrum Grindel, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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30
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Pérez OD, Lai NB, Buckley D, del Pino EM, Wake MH. The morphology of prehatching embryos ofCaecilia orientalis(Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae). J Morphol 2009; 270:1492-502. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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31
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Beyo RS, Divya L, Oommen OV, Akbarsha MA. Accumulation of yolk in a caecilian (Gegeneophis ramaswamii) oocyte: a light and transmission electron microscopic study. J Morphol 2008; 269:1412-24. [PMID: 18777571 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
There is a paucity of information on the female reproductive biology of the caecilian amphibians when compared with the other vertebrate groups. Hence, the accumulation of nutrient reserves in the form of yolk and formation of yolk platelets were studied in Gegeneophis ramaswamii, adopting light microscopic histological and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Previtellogenic as well as vitellogenic follicles were observed in appropriate preparations. On the basis of the source and the routes of entry, we identified four types of yolk precursor materials, precursors 1 to 4. The earliest material appearing in the oocyte consists of abundant lipid vesicles during the previtellogenic phase, i.e., much before the follicular epithelium is fully established. This is a contribution from the oocyte mitochondria, which we identified as yolk precursor material 1, and it is autosynthetic. Once the follicle cell-oocyte interface is fully established, there is an accumulation of the principal component of the heterosynthetic yolk by sequestration from the blood through the intercellular spaces between follicle cells in a pinocytic process. This we identified as yolk precursor material 2. There was also an indication of a lipidic yolk material synthesis in the follicle cells sequestered from maternal blood through the follicle cells in an endocytic process in which the macrovilli of follicle cells and the microvilli of the oocyte play a role. This we identified as yolk precursor material 3. Contribution to the yolk of peptidic, glycosidic, and/or lipidic material synthesized in the vitellogenic oocyte was also indicated. This we identified as yolk precursor material 4. The sequential development of intercellular associations and indications of synthesis/sequestration of the yolk have been traced. Thus, we report the mechanistic details of synthesis/sequestration of the yolk materials in a caecilian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reston S Beyo
- Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India
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GOWER DJ, GIRI V, DHARNE MS, SHOUCHE YS. Frequency of independent origins of viviparity among caecilians (Gymnophiona): evidence from the first ‘live-bearing’ Asian amphibian. J Evol Biol 2008; 21:1220-6. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01577.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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EMERSON SHARONB. A macroevolutionary study of historical contingency in the fanged frogs of Southeast Asia. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2001.tb01352.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Laurin M. FINS INTO LIMBS: EVOLUTION, DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION B K. Hall . 2007. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. ISBN: 978-0226313375. 344 $ 45.00 (softcover). COPEIA 2007. [DOI: 10.1643/0045-8511(2007)7[1050:fileda]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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36
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Beyo RS, Divya L, Smita M, Oommen OV, Akbarsha MA. Stages in follicle cell/oocyte interface during vitellogenesis in caecilians Ichthyophis tricolor and Gegeneophis ramaswamii: a transmission electron-microscopic study. Cell Tissue Res 2007; 331:519-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-007-0523-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2007] [Accepted: 09/20/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Velo-Antón G, García-París M, Galán P, Cordero Rivera A. The evolution of viviparity in holocene islands: ecological adaptation versus phylogenetic descent along the transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2007.00420.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Jantra S, Bigliardi E, Brizzi R, Ietta F, Bechi N, Paulesu L. Interleukin 1 in Oviductal Tissues of Viviparous, Oviparous, and Ovuliparous Species of Amphibians1. Biol Reprod 2007; 76:1009-15. [PMID: 17314310 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.107.060095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In previous reports, we have shown that interleukin 1 (IL1), a cytokine associated with implantation in mice, is also expressed in reproductive tissues of viviparous squamate reptiles and cartilaginous fishes. In the present study, we investigated the expression of IL1B and its functional membrane receptor type I (IL1R1) in amphibians, a class of vertebrates that is characterized by different reproductive modes, including internal and external fertilization. In particular, we investigated the oviductal tissues of the aplacental viviparous Salamandra lanzai, the oviparous Triturus carnifex, and the ovuliparous Bufo bufo. In immunohistochemistry with anti-human IL1B and IL1R1 polyclonal antibodies we found that in S. lanzai, most cells in the uterine mucosa were immunoreactive for IL1B and IL1R1. In T. carnifex, IL1B and IL1R1 were present in ciliated luminal cells, and there was evidence of IL1B in glandular cells. In B. bufo, the expression of IL1B and IL1R1 was limited to the apical cytoplasm of the ciliated oviductal cells. Western blot analysis showed that a putative mature form of IL1B, similar to that seen in mammals, was present in the oviductal tissues of S. lanzai, whereas different forms, which probably correspond to an inactive pro-IL1B protein, were found in T. carnifex and B. bufo. A band that corresponded to the predicted 80-kDa human IL1R1 was found in S. lanzai and T. carnifex. Although the present study shows that IL1B and IL1R1 expression occurs in all reproductive modes, the differential expression patterns noted between ovuliparity and oviparity and viviparity may reflect the different roles of IL1 in the various reproductive modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Jantra
- Department of Physiology, Division of Immunoendocrinology and Reproductive Physiology and Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Buckley D, Alcobendas M, García-París M, Wake MH. Heterochrony, cannibalism, and the evolution of viviparity in Salamandra salamandra. Evol Dev 2007; 9:105-15. [PMID: 17227370 DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-142x.2006.00141.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The way in which novelties that lead to macroevolutionary events originate is a major question in evolutionary biology, and one that can be addressed using the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) as a model system. It is exceptional among amphibians in displaying intraspecific diversity of reproductive strategies. In S. salamandra, two distinct modes of reproduction co-occur: the common mode, ovoviviparity (females giving birth to many small larvae), and a phylogenetically derived reproductive strategy, viviparity (females producing only a few large, fully metamorphosed juveniles, which are nourished maternally). We examine the relationship between heterochronic modifications of the ontogeny and the evolution of the new reproductive mode in the fire salamander. The in vitro development of embryos of ovoviviparous and viviparous salamanders from fertilization to metamorphosis is compared, highlighting the key events that distinguish the two modes of reproduction. We identify the heterochronic events that, together with the intrauterine cannibalistic behavior, characterize the derived viviparous reproductive strategy. The ways in which evolutionary novelties can arise by modification of developmental programs can be studied in S. salamandra. Moreover, the variation in reproductive modes and the associated variation of sequences of development occur in neighboring, conspecific populations. Thus, S. salamandra is a unique biological system in which evolutionary developmental research questions can be addressed at the level of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Buckley
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
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Davit-Béal T, Chisaka H, Delgado S, Sire JY. Amphibian teeth: current knowledge, unanswered questions, and some directions for future research. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2007; 82:49-81. [PMID: 17313524 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2006.00003.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Elucidation of the mechanisms controlling early development and organogenesis is currently progressing in several model species and a new field of research, evolutionary developmental biology, which integrates developmental and comparative approaches, has emerged. Although the expression pattern of many genes during tooth development in mammals is known, data on other lineages are virtually non-existent. Comparison of tooth development, and particularly of gene expression (and function) during tooth morphogenesis and differentiation, in representative species of various vertebrate lineages is a prerequisite to understand what makes one tooth different from another. Amphibians appear to be good candidates for such research for several reasons: tooth structure is similar to that in mammals, teeth are renewed continuously during life (=polyphyodonty), some species are easy to breed in the laboratory, and a large amount of morphological data are already available on diverse aspects of tooth biology in various species. The aim of this review is to evaluate current knowledge on amphibian teeth, principally concerning tooth development and replacement (including resorption), and changes in morphology and structure during ontogeny and metamorphosis. Throughout this review we highlight important questions which remain to be answered and that could be addressed using comparative morphological studies and molecular techniques. We illustrate several aspects of amphibian tooth biology using data obtained for the caudate Pleurodeles waltl. This salamander has been used extensively in experimental embryology research during the past century and appears to be one of the most favourable amphibian species to use as a model in studies of tooth development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiphaine Davit-Béal
- UMR 7138-Systématique, Adaptation, Evolution, Université Pierre & Marie Curie-Paris 6 Case 7077, 7 Quai St-Bernard, Paris 75005, France
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Abstract
Extant amphibians comprise three lineages-- salamanders (Urodela or Caudata), frogs and toads (Anura), and caecilians (Gymnophiona, Apoda, or Caecilia)--which contain more than 6,000 species. Fewer than a dozen species of amphibians are commonly maintained in laboratory colonies, and the husbandry requirements for the vast majority of amphibians are poorly known. For these species, a review of basic characteristics of amphibian biology supplemented by inferences drawn from the morphological and physiological characteristics of the species in question provides a basis for decisions about housing and feeding. Amphibians are ectotherms, and their skin is permeable to water, ions, and respiratory gases. Most species are secretive and, in many cases, nocturnal. The essential characteristics of their environment include appropriate levels of humidity, temperature, and lighting as well as retreat sites. Terrestrial and arboreal species require moist substrates, water dishes, and high relative humidity. Because temperature requirements for most species are poorly known, it is advisable to use a temperature mosaic that will allow an animal to find an appropriate temperature within its cage. Photoperiod may affect physiology and behavior (especially reproduction and hibernation), and although the importance of ultraviolet light for calcium metabolism by amphibians is not yet known, ecological observations suggest that it might be important for some species of frogs. Some amphibians are territorial, and some use olfactory cues to mark their territory and to recognize other individuals of their species. All amphibians are carnivorous as adults, and the feeding response of many species is elicited by the movement of prey. Diets should include a mixture of prey species, and it may be advisable to load prey with vitamins and minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Harvey Pough
- Department of Biological Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.
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Kerney R, Meegaskumbura M, Manamendra-Arachchi K, Hanken J. Cranial ontogeny inPhilautus silus (Anura: Ranidae: Rhacophorinae) reveals few similarities with other direct-developing anurans. J Morphol 2007; 268:715-25. [PMID: 17538972 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Direct development has evolved in rhacophorine frogs independently from other anuran lineages, thereby offering an opportunity to assess features associated with this derived life history. Using a developmental series of the direct-developing Philautus silus (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae) from Sri Lanka, we examine features of cranial morphology that are part of a suite of adaptations that facilitate feeding in free-living tadpoles, but have been changed or lost in other direct-developing lineages. Larval-specific upper jaw cartilages, which are absent from many non-rhacophorine direct-developing species (such as Eleutherodactylus coqui), develop in embryos of P. silus. Similarly, lower jaw cartilages initially assume a larval morphology, which is subsequently remodeled into the adult jaw configuration before hatching. However, the cartilaginous jaw suspension and hyobranchial skeleton never assume a typical larval morphology. The palatoquadrate, which suspends the lower jaw, lacks the posterior connections to the braincase found in many metamorphosing species. Unlike in metamorphosing species, bone formation in P. silus begins before hatching. However, the sequence of bone formation resembles that of metamorphosing anurans more than that of other direct developers. In particular, P. silus does not exhibit precocious ossification of the lower jaw, which is characteristic of some frogs and caecilians that lack a free-living tadpole. These data reveal some similarities between Philautus and other direct-developing anurans. However, the departure of Philautus embryos from the generalized tadpole skeletal morphology is less pronounced than that observed in other direct-developing taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Kerney
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
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Kleinteich T, Haas A. Cranial musculature in the larva of the caecilian,Ichthyophis kohtaoensis (Lissamphibia: Gymnophiona). J Morphol 2006; 268:74-88. [PMID: 17154285 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Within the Gymnophiona (caecilians) oviparous species with biphasic life-cycles possess a free living semi-aquatic larval stage that feeds in aquatic habitats. The larvae pass through a metamorphosis to a purely terrestrial adult stage. It is likely that the cranial morphology of caecilian larvae has specializations for aquatic feeding. However, little is known about the cranial morphology, and the cranial musculature is especially neglected in the literature. This study provides a detailed description of the jaw and hyobranchial musculature in larval stages of a caecilian. We studied late embryonic and early larval specimens of Ichthyophis kohtaoensis. Furthermore, we compared and homologized the cranial muscles found in larval I. kohtaoensis with the muscles described for adult caecilians. Most cranial muscles of larval I. kohtaoensis are also present in the adult, except for the m. levator mandibulae externus and the m. subarcualis obliquus II. Our results were compared with the data available for larval frogs and salamanders in order to hypothesize the cranial musculature in the larva of the most recent common ancestor of the Lissamphibia. Larval caecilians, frog tadpoles, and salamander larvae share many characters in their cranial musculature, which, consequently, can be assigned to the lissamphibian ground pattern. However, the m. pterygoideus and the m. levator quadrati are unique to the Gymnophiona.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kleinteich
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena, Erbertstrasse 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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Hall BK. TRIBUTE: In Goethe's Wake: Marvalee Wake's conceptual contributions to the development and evolution of a science of morphology. ZOOLOGY 2005; 108:269-75. [PMID: 16351975 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2005.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2005] [Revised: 09/16/2005] [Accepted: 09/23/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
De-crying the typological approach in much of the teaching of morphology, from the outset of her career Marvalee Wake advocated a synthetic, mechanistic and pluralistic developmental and evolutionary morphology. In this short essay, I do not evaluate Wake's contributions to our knowledge of the morphology of caecilians, nor her contributions to viviparity, both of which are seminal and substantive, nor do I examine her role as mentor, supervisor and collaborator, but assess her broader conceptual contributions to the development and evolution of morphology as a science. One of the earliest morphologists to take on board the concept of constraint, she viewed constraint explicitly in relation to adaptation and diversity. Her approach to morphology as a science was hierarchical - measure form and function in a phylogenetic context; seek explanations at developmental, functional, ecological, evolutionary levels of the biological hierarchy; integrate those explanations to the other levels. The explanatory power of morphology thus practised allows morphology to inform evolutionary biology and evolutionary theory, and paves the way for the integrative biology Wake has long championed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Hall
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4J1.
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Stewart JR, Thompson MB. Evolutionary transformations of the fetal membranes of viviparous reptiles: a case study of two lineages. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY 2003; 299:13-32. [PMID: 12950032 DOI: 10.1002/jez.a.10288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The reptilian placenta is a composite structure formed by a functional interaction between extraembryonic membranes and the maternal uterus. Study of placental structure of squamate reptiles over the past century has established that each of the multiple independent origins of placentation, which characterize the reproductive diversity of squamates, has resulted from the evolutionary transformation of these homologous structures. Because each evolutionary transformation is an independent novel relationship between maternal and embryonic tissues, the resulting placentae are not homologous, even though the individual components may be. The evolution of reptilian placentation should reveal much about evolutionary patterns and mechanisms because similar structural-functional systems have been transformed along parallel trajectories on multiple occasions. We compared extraembryonic membrane and placental development and pattern of embryonic nutrition in thamnophiine snakes and Pseudemoia lizards in the context of recent hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships. Two primary types of placentation, chorioallantoic and yolk sac, evolved in each lineage. Smooth, highly vascular regions of chorioallantoic placentation are indistinguishable homoplasies that evolved in parallel, likely to facilitate respiratory exchange. The yolk sac placenta of each lineage is specialized for histotrophic nutrient transfer, yet composition of these structures differs because of variation in the ancestral snakes and lizards. In addition, the omphalopleure that contributes to yolk sac placentation persists to later embryonic stages compared to oviparous outgroups, but the two lineages have evolved different structures that prevent replacement of the omphalopleure by the allantois. Each lineage has also evolved unique structural specializations of the chorioallantoic placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Stewart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Box 70703, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614-1710, USA.
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García-París M, Alcobendas M, Buckley D, Wake DB. DISPERSAL OF VIVIPARITY ACROSS CONTACT ZONES IN IBERIAN POPULATIONS OF FIRE SALAMANDERS (SALAMANDRA) INFERRED FROM DISCORDANCE OF GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS. Evolution 2003. [DOI: 10.1554/0014-3820(2003)057[0129:dovacz]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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García-París M, Alcobendas M, Buckley D, Wake DB. Dispersal of viviparity across contact zones in Iberian populations of fire salamanders (Salamandra) inferred from discordance of genetic and morphological traits. Evolution 2003; 57:129-43. [PMID: 12643573 DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb00221.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
We used partial sequences of the cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene, obtained from 76 individuals representing 45 populations of Iberian Salamandra salamandra plus 15 sequences of additional species of Salamandra and related genera, to investigate contact zones. These zones, identified by earlier allozymic and morphological analyses, are between populations of viviparous (S. s. bernardezi and S. s. fastuosa) and ovoviviparous (S. s. gallaica and S. s. terrestris) salamanders. The distribution of mtDNA and nuclear markers is mostly concordant at one contact zone (between S. s. gallaica and S. s. bernardezi), but at another (between S. s. fastuosa and S. s. terrestris) the markers are offset by about 250 km. The observed geographic variation fits a model of mtDNA capture. Among the potential mechanisms responsible for such discordance we favor a combination of range shifts due to climatic fluctuations and biased genetic admixture across moving contact zones. We apply our findings to the issue of possible homoplasy in the evolution of viviparity and conclude that viviparity likely arose only once within S. salamandra.
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Affiliation(s)
- M García-París
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
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Luiselli L, Andreone F, Capizzi D, Anibaldi C. Body size, population structure and fecundity traits of a Salamandra atra atra (Amphibia, Urodela, Salamandridae) population from the northeastern Italian Alps. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2001. [DOI: 10.1080/11250000109356396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Dünker N, Wake MH, Olson WM. Embryonic and larval development in the caecilian Ichthyophis kohtaoensis (Amphibia, gymnophiona): a staging table. J Morphol 2000; 243:3-34. [PMID: 10629095 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4687(200001)243:1<3::aid-jmor2>3.0.co;2-d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the developmental biology of caecilians-tropical, elongate, limbless, mostly fossorial amphibians that are members of the Order Gymnophiona. Ichthyophis kohtaoensis (Family Ichthyophiidae; southeast Asia) is an oviparous species in which maternal care of the clutch is provided. The clutch is laid in a burrow on land, and the embryos develop in their egg membranes, curved around a large yolk mass. Larvae are aquatic and exhibit characteristic features that are not present in the terrestrial adults. Because accurate descriptions of ontogenies and the establishment of standardized stages of embryonic and larval development are useful for both experimental and comparative embryology, a staging table for I.kohtaoensis was developed based on external morphological features. Development from the end of neurulation to metamorphosis was divided into 20 stages. Principal diagnostic features include development of the lateral line organs, formation of three pairs of external gills, development of the eyes, changes in yolk structure, changes in the structure of the cloacal aperture and growth of the tail, including the formation and regression of the tail fin. This study provides a comparison with descriptions of embryonic stages of I.glutinosus and Hypogeophis rostratus and with a recent staging table for the aquatic, viviparous caecilian Typhlonectes compressicauda, the only other caecilians for which reasonably complete ontogenetic information exists in the literature. Comparisons with established staging tables for selected frogs and salamanders are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Dünker
- Department of Zoology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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