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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Comparative Postembryonic Skeletal Ontogeny In Two Sister Lineages Of Old World Tree Frogs (Rhacophoridae: Taruga, Polypedates), Gayani Senevirathne, Ryan R. Kerney, Madhava Meegaskumbura
Comparative Postembryonic Skeletal Ontogeny In Two Sister Lineages Of Old World Tree Frogs (Rhacophoridae: Taruga, Polypedates), Gayani Senevirathne, Ryan R. Kerney, Madhava Meegaskumbura
Biology Faculty Publications
Rhacophoridae, a family of morphologically cryptic frogs, with many genetically distinct evolutionary lineages, is understudied with respect to skeletal morphology, life history traits and skeletal ontogeny. Here we analyze two species each from two sister lineages, Taruga and Polypedates, and compare their postembryonic skeletal ontogeny, larval chondrocrania and adult osteology in the context of a well-resolved phylogeny. We further compare these ontogenetic traits with the direct-developing Pseudophilautus silus. For each species, we differentially stained a nearly complete developmental series of tadpoles from early postembryonic stages through metamorphosis to determine the intraspecific and interspecific differences of cranial and postcranial …
From Clinging To Digging: The Postembryonic Skeletal Ontogeny Of The Indian Purple Frog, Nasikabatrachus Sahyadrensis (Anura: Nasikabatrachidae), Gayani Senevirathne, Ashish Thomas, Ryan R. Kerney, James Hanken, S. D. Biju, Madhava Meegaskumbura
From Clinging To Digging: The Postembryonic Skeletal Ontogeny Of The Indian Purple Frog, Nasikabatrachus Sahyadrensis (Anura: Nasikabatrachidae), Gayani Senevirathne, Ashish Thomas, Ryan R. Kerney, James Hanken, S. D. Biju, Madhava Meegaskumbura
Biology Faculty Publications
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 …