Limnonectes larvaepartus
| Limnonectes larvaepartus | ||||||||||||
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Limnonectes larvaepartus - male (left) and female (right) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Limnonectes larvaepartus | ||||||||||||
| Iskandar , Evans & McGuire , 2014 |
Limnonectes larvaepartus is a species of frog in the Dicroglossidae family . It is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and the only frog so far discovered in which the eggs develop up to the tadpole stage in the fallopian tube. Living larvae are born and released directly into stagnant or slowly flowing waters, where they can continue their development into frogs.
description
The examined males of the species reached an average length of 37.4 millimeters from the tip of the snout to the cloaca , while the length of the females averaged 40.2 millimeters. Limnonectes larvaepartus is one of the smaller frog species on Sulawesi. The webbed toes are well developed.
coloring
The back coloration of the species is very variable, typically brownish-gray, sometimes also dark brown on the sides or reddish brown in the basic color. Around 23 percent of individuals have a wide, dark stripe that runs across the middle of their backs. The belly is yellowish or cream-colored. A light bar runs below the eye from the snout to the ear, and the snout is also often much lighter in color than the back. The upper half of the tympanum is often black and only the lower half of the same color as the surrounding skin. The upper half of the iris is golden orange.
Way of life
Limnonectes larvaepartus lives in the forests of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi . The frog tends to stay away from fast-flowing and deep waters that are partially colonized by other Limnonectes species. He lives in the litter layer with fallen leaves or grassy areas.
Mating behavior
The male frogs call from the shores of shallow waters or small ponds, in which there are usually some tadpoles of the species. Scientists believe that suitable watering sites are visited several times by the same males and females during the breeding season.
Reproduction
The reproduction of Limnonectes larvaepartus is unique to frogs and is not yet fully understood. In most other frog species, the eggs are fertilized by the males while they are laid by the females. So there is an external fertilization. In the case of Limnonectes larvaepartus , however, internal fertilization must take place so that the larvae can develop from the eggs in the womb. However, no anatomical adaptations of the males or the females have been found that would support this type of insemination.
Around 100 larvae can develop in the two fallopian tubes at the same time, the fallopian tubes are very thin-walled and translucent and can be up to one centimeter in diameter. The tadpoles are very tightly packed in it and feed on the yolk stores of their egg. When the yolk is used up, they are born and continue to develop in the water. At birth they have fully developed oar tails and can feed themselves with the help of their mouth discs and teeth.
In Limnonectes larvaepartus , no further development of the larvae into small frogs in the womb was observed, as in Eleutherodactylus jasperi from Puerto Rico or the African toad species of the genera Nectophrynoides and Nimbaphrynoides . So this species is the only one that gives birth to tadpoles that are well-developed for life in the open water.
Systematics and taxonomy
Although around 15 different species have been observed for the genus Limnonectes on Sulawesi alone, only three other species have been validly described besides Limnonectes ovovivipar . Iskandar and Tjan had already described a frog of the genus Limnonectes larvaepartus in 1996 , in which the eggs developed in the womb and which they called Limnonectes ovoviviparous , as an indication of ovoviviparity . However, this species has not been adequately described and the name is now considered a nomen nudum according to the rules of the ICZN . The species name larvaepartus indicates that the young are born in the larval stage of this species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Djoko T. Iskandar, Ben J. Evans & Jimmy A. McGuire: A novel reproductive mode in frogs: a new species of fanged frog with internal fertilization and birth of tadpoles. PLoS One, 9, 12, e115884, pp. 1–14, December 2014 doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0115884
- ↑ a b c Mirza D. Kusrini, Jodi JL Rowley, Luna R. Khairunnisa, Glenn M. Shea & Ronald I. Altig: The reproductive biology and larvae of the first tadpole-bearing frog, Limnonectes larvaepartus. PLoS One, 10, 1, pp. 1–9, e116154, 2015 doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0116154
- ↑ Djoko T. Iskandar & KN Tjan: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Sulawesi: with notes on the distribution and chromosomal number of frogs. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Eastern Indonesian-Australian Vertebrates, pp. 39-46, Manado 1996
literature
- DT Iskandar, BJ Evans & JA McGuire: A novel reproductive mode in frogs: a new species of fanged frog with internal fertilization and birth of tadpoles. PLoS One, 9, 12, pp. 1–14, e115884, 2014 doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0115884 (first description)
- Mirza D. Kusrini, Jodi JL Rowley, Luna R. Khairunnisa, Glenn M. Shea & Ronald I. Altig: The reproductive biology and larvae of the first tadpole-bearing frog, Limnonectes larvaepartus. PLoS One, 10, 1, pp. 1–9, e116154, 2015 doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0116154
Web links
- Darrel R. Frost: Limnonectes larvaepartus , Amphibian Species of the World, Version 6.0, American Museum of Natural History, New York 1998-2015, accessed May 22, 2015
- Limnonectes larvaepartus , Amphibiaweb, Berkeley 2000–2015, accessed May 22, 2015