Amphibians Flashcards
Approximately ________ species of living amphibians are known
8,100
____________ (Anura)
____________ (Caudata)
____________ (Gymnophiona)
frogs and toads
newts and salamanders
caecilians
cold-blooded vertebrates made up of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (wormlike animals with poorly developed eyes)
amphibians
from a Greek word meaning “double life”
amphibios
-lack of embryonic membranes
anamniotes
amphibian diversity
about ______ species in the philippines
_____ amphibian families in ____ orders (3 worldwide)
__________ largest families
117 species
10 amphibian in 2 orders
ceratobatrachidae
order _________- salamanders, newts
order __________- caecilians
order ___________- frogs and toads
order caudata/urodela
order gymnophiona/apoda
order salientia/anura
a long overlooked new species of fanged frog
Limnonectes cassiopeia
Asian tailed caecilians belong to the family ___________ from the order Gymnophiona
family ichthyophidae
In the Philippines there are only three species of ichthyophids recorded belonging to one genera:
____________
ichthyophis
These caecilians are _________ and are known to follow _________ development.
The mother lays its eggs in burrows near streams or rivers and stays with the eggs until it hatches.
Once it hatches the gilled larva will crawl to the nearby stream or pond. The entire development cycle approximately takes __________ to complete.
oviparous; indirect development
1 whole year
Ichthyophids are characterized by the presence of a distinct primary annuli which is divided or separated by a secondary and tertiary groove.
presence of a distinct primary annuli
_____________ can be observed in the
posterior annuli but not anteriorly
scales
3 species of ichthyophids:
Ichthyophis glandulosus (Abungabung caecilian)
Ichthyophis mindanaoensis
(Todaya caecilian)
Ichthyophis weberi
(Malatgan river caecilian)
Family ________________
Formerly known as Discoglossidae, this family only has one representative species
Family Bombinatoridae
It is a large, heavy-bodied, highly aquatic frog found in the fast-moving waters of mountain streams on the Philippine islands of Busuanga and Palawan
Barbourula busuangensis (Palawan flat headed frog)
Other characterizations of barbourula busuangensis:
dorsoventrally flattened body shape, dorsally placed nostrils and eyes, robust and muscular hind limbs and forelimbs, and webbed digits on the forelimbs as well as the hind limbs.
This frog’s coloration is dark, appearing dark green to black. A very distinct character of members of this family is entirely adherent
tongue along its lower jaw margin
Toads belong to the family _______________. They are characterized by having thick, warty skin and an enlarge glands in the back of its head called _____________
family Bufonidae; paratoid gland
other characteristics shared within the family bufonidae:
They tend to hop short to escape predators rather than long leaps like frogs
presence of the Bidder’s organ, absence of teeth, absence of posterior constrictor muscles, depressor mandibulae originating from squamosal, presence of inguinal fat bodies and highly ossified skull
7 species of family bufonidae:
Ansonia mcgregori (McGregor’s Toad)
Ansonia muelleri (Mueller’s toad)
Ingerophrynus philippinicus (Philippine toad)
Pelophryne albotaeniata (Palawan toadlet)
Pelophryne brevipes (Zamboanga flathead toad)
Pelophryne lighti (Eastern mindanao dwarf toad)
Rhinella marina (Cane toad)
Forest frogs belong to this family
They are generally undergo direct
development, which is a unique
adaptation to survive water scarcity of the young ones
Family Ceratobatrachidae
is the largest family among amphibians having 31 members
Family Ceratobatrachidae
7 species of family ceratobatrachidae:
Platymantis corrugatus (Rough-backed forest frog)
Platymantis diesmosi (Mt. malinao forest frog)
Platymantis dorsalis (Dumeril’s wrinkled ground frog)
Platymantis rabori (Rabor’s forest frog)
Platymantis sierramadrensis
Platymantis spelaeus (Cave wrinkled ground frog)
Platymantis subterrestris (Luzon wrinkled ground frog)
Frogs with forked tongue
belongs to this family.
This family was previously
p l a c e d u n d e r t h e Family
Ranidae, but genetic analysis
showed that this group should
be separated.
The family consists of 18
species in which 19 species in
5 genera are found in the
Philippines
Family Dicroglossidae
6 species of family dicroglossidae:
Alcalus mariae
Fejervarya moodiei (Crab eating frog)
Fejervarya vittegera (Luzon wart frog)
Limnonectes microcephalus (Giant philippine frog)
Limnonectes magnus (Giant philippine frog)
Limnonectes leytensis (Small disked frog)
is a new family of frog in the
Philippines, having only one
member to occur, although in its
native countries, members of the
family are diverse
Family Eleutherodactylidae
The species was introduced,
although in its native countries,
member of this family is known
as an invasive species
Eleutherodactylus planirostis (Greenhouse frog)
Cryptic frogs or litter frogs belong to the ______________. Members of this family are nocturnal and walk instead of jump because of its poor ability to jump
Family megophryidae
Morphological characters that are
exhibited by this family are absence of ___________ in adults, presence of intervertebral cartilages with ossified centers, a paddle like tongue, arciferal pectoral girdle with long bony sternum, sacral diapophyses expanded anterior and posteriorly, absence of palatine but with palatal process in the area
ceratohyals
5 species of family megophryidae:
Megophrys ligayae (Palawan horned frog)
Pelobatrachus stejnegeri
Leptobrachium lumadorum
Leptobrachium mangyanorum
Leptobrachium tagbanorum
- The Family consists of narrow-mouthed frogs.
- Morphological characters of members of this family exhibits fully exposed glottis
in the buccal floor of larva, absence of cornified denticles in larva, nares are not perforated in larva, ventrally divided velum in larva and two to three palatal fold
in adult individuals. - Adult individuals also share similar body plan like presence of stout hind legs, globose bodies which is teardrop shaped and a short snouts.
- Reproductive biology of members of this family are varied.
- Some exhibit direct development and indirect development where some larva does not have mouth parts
Family Microhylidae
6 species of family microhylidae:
Kaloula picta (Slender-digit chorus frog)
Kaloula pulchra (Malaysian narrowmouth toad)
Kaloula rigida (Luzon narrow mouthed frog)
Kalophrynus sinensis (Philippine sticky frog)
Kaloula balaeta (Smooth-fingered narrow mouthed frog)
Kaloula conjuncta (Philippine narrow mouth toad)
is the most widespread and one of the largest family of anurans which consist of true frogs.
* They are usually medium to large in size, have smooth skin, and long legs with webbing between
the toes.
* Other members of this family exhibit dorsolateral
folds or ridges.
* There are no distinct characters that distinguish the
family ____________ from other families which proves that this family is paraphyletic
Family Ranidae
6 species of family ranidae:
Sanguirana tipanon (Brown and Alcala’s Sierra Madre’s frog)
Staurois natator (Mindanao splash frog)
Staurois nubilus
Lithobates catesbeianus (American bullfrog)
Pulcharana grandocula
Pulcharana mangyanum
This family is closely related to the Family Ranidae but is
differentiated by its webbed fingers and toes, large digital
pads or disks on the tips of the fingers and being arboreal.
* Another characteristic of members of ____________ is
large eyes with horizontal pupils.
* exhibit flashy coloration as a defense mechanism against
predators.
* Various reproductive strategies are adapted by rhacophorids.
* Examples of these strategies are usage of foam nest for egg laying, direct development and ____________ breeding which means that tadpoles are laid in tree holes
Family Rhacophoridae; phytothelm
6 species of rhacophoridae:
Polypedates leucomystax (White-lipped tree frog)
Polypedates macrotis (Brown striped tree frog)
Rhacophorus bimaculatus (Mindanao-flying frog)
Philautus surdus (Common forest tree frog)
Philautus surrufus (Molted tree frog)
Philautus worcesteri (Smooth skinned tree frog)
10 amphibian family: IBBCDEMMRR
Family ichthyophidae
Family bombinatoridae
Family bufonidae
Family ceratobatrachidae
Family dicroglossidae
Family eleutherodactylidae
Family megophryidae
Family microhylidae
Family ranidae
Family rhacophoridae
External fertilization occurs; the male releases sperm on the eggs as
they exit from the female’s cloaca. The male grasps the female so that his cloaca is positioned just above
the female’s cloaca
amplexus
identifying tadpole larva:
types of tadpoles
skin pigmentation
no. of upper and lower rows of labial teeth
presence of horny beak
structure of mouth and gut
key for larva incomplete
need to describe larva of other ph amphi
provides parents with more control over development of offspring
viviparous/viviparity
2 hypothesis of viviparous
cold-climate hypothesis
maternal-manipulation
caecillian reproduction:
§ Internal fertilization
§ Male organ; phalloduem
§ Development occurs in
the oviduct
frogs that undergo direct development:
Barbourula busuangensis
Platymantis dorsalis
difference between direct and indirect development
A direct development is a type of development in which a young is directly born as a small version of an adult and it develops into a mature individual without undergoing metamorphosis. Whereas, in indirect development, larva is hatched from the egg. Larva then metamorphosed to an adult.
these frogs share the forest floor but isolated by calls
sympatric forest frogs
on mount maquiling, 3 species of forest frogs of the genus Platymantis share the forest floor:
all belong to the dorsalis group and all breed in same lowland forest but are reproductively isolated since males have diff advertisement calls to attract females
Platymantis mimulus
Platymantis corrugatus
Platymantis dorsalis
microhabitats used by philippine amphibians
tree canopy and epiphytes
vegetation by river
forest floor
leaf axils and tree holes
stream bed/pools
river rocks/boulders
marsh or ponds
issues on identification
coloration after preservation lost (document)
observing intercalary cartilage, supernumery, subarticular and metacarpal tubercles on toes (difficult)
identifying juveniles and larva (incomplete key)
dilated pads or penultimate digits (estimating size)
need to collect vouchers and proper fixing (rare frogs)
Distinguishing characters refer to the physical features that can be used to identify and differentiate different species. In this case, the characters listed include:
Webs on toes: The presence or absence of webbing between toes, and the extent of webbing, can be a distinguishing feature.
Supratympanic crest or fold: This refers to a ridge or fold located above the tympanum (ear drum).
Cranial crest: A ridge or crest on the head.
Dorsolateral fold: A fold running along the sides of the body.
V-shaped or W-shaped dorsal ridges: Ridges on the back that may have a V or W shape.
Dermal projections or tubercles: Small bumps or growths on the skin.
Size and shape of pads or dilated disks: These features can be found on the tips of the digits.
Shape of subtending phalanx: The shape of the bone underlying the finger or toe tip.
Number of subarticular tubercles: These are small bumps located under the toes.
Intercalary cartilage: A piece of cartilage located between two bones.
Bio-indicators of habitat health are species that can be used to assess the quality of an environment. In this case, the following characteristics are mentioned:
Restricted-range island endemics: These are species that are found only in a limited geographic area, such as islands. Their presence or absence can be an indicator of habitat health.
Forest dependent and limited microhabitats: Species that rely on forests and have specific habitat requirements can be sensitive to changes in their environment.
Tolerant & intolerant to disturbance & pollution: Some species can tolerate disturbances or pollution, while others are more sensitive. The presence or absence of these species can provide information about the health of the habitat.
