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Chondrocranial And Oral Morphology Of Pipoid Frogs, Charles Christopher Swart

Master's Theses

The Pipoidea are a diverse group of frogs. Their diversity is demonstrated in their morphology, ecology, and behavior. One pipoid species, Xenopus laevis, has been used as a model system of developmental, physiological, and molecular studies of vertebrates. My work has focused on the developmental morphology of the chondrocranium and oral morphology of four pipoid taxa: Hymenochirus boettgeri, Rhinophrynus dorsalis, Pipa carvalhoi, and Xenopus laevis. Previous studies have suggested that the Anura may be diphyletic based on the unique characteristics of the chondrocanial morphology of pipoids. The chondrocranial and internal oral morphology of the pipoids indicates that as a group …