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    Osteology and Intraspecific Variation of Leptodactylus podicipinus (Anura: Leptodactylidae), with Comments on the Relationship between Osteology and Reproductive Modes
    Journal of Herpetology (2011)
    María Laura PonssaFrancisco BrusquettiFranco L. Souza
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    Abstract:
    Knowledge of the osteology of species of the Leptodactylus melanonotus group is limited. Nevertheless, osteological characters are useful to diagnose species to, to propose phylogenetic relationships, to understand patterns of morphological evolution, and to predict biological function associated with morphology. Here, we describe the whole osteology of Leptodactylus podicipinus; we have special interest in osteological and morphometric characters whose interpopulational and intersexual differences can be related with fossorial habits. Individuals from the Pantanal, Brazil, were compared with L. podicipinus from northern Argentina and central and southern Paraguay by analyzing morphometric and osteological characters. The quantitative data revealed sexual dimorphism in tarsus length in the specimens from the Pantanal. The observed interpopulation osteological differences could not be associated with burrowing habits. Osteologically, L. podicipinus is intermediate between the members of the Leptodactylus fuscus group, which is more specialized for digging, and the generalized L. melanonotus, Leptodactylus latrans, and Leptodactylus pentadactylus groups.
    Keywords:
    Osteology
    Fossorial
    Sexual dimorphism
    Leptodactylidae
    Topics:
    Amphibian and Reptile Biology
    Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
    Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
    Review for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
    David Cundall
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    Decision letter for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
    Fossorial
    Osteology
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    Decision letter for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
    Fossorial
    Osteology
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    Comparative osteology of the fossorial frogs of the genus Synapturanus (Anura, Microhylidae) with the description of three new species from the Eastern Guiana Shield
    Zoologischer Anzeiger (2021)
    Antoine FouquetKillian LeblancAnne‐Claire FabreMiguel Tréfaut RodriguesMarcelo Menin
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    Decision letter for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
    Osteology
    Fossorial
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    Author response for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
    S. N. DasJonathan BreckoOlivier S. G. PauwelsJuha Merilä
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    Author response for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
    S. N. DasJonathan BreckoOlivier S. G. PauwelsJuha Merilä
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    Review for "Cranial osteology of Hypoptophis (Aparallactinae: Atractaspididae: Caenophidia), with a discussion on the evolution of its fossorial adaptations"
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    Osteology of the Asian narrow‐mouth toad Kaloula borealis (Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae) with comments on its osteological adaptation to fossorial life
    Acta Zoologica (2019)
    Meihua ZhangXiaohong ChenChangyuan YeFei LiangPipeng Li
    Abstract Osteology of vertebrates plays an indispensable role in taxonomy, form‐function evolution and ecological adaptations. The Asian narrow‐mouth toad genus Kaloula is an interesting group that is known for many species having a fossorial life. However, to date, there has been no comprehensive osteological account of Kaloula . Herein, we present the osteology of K. borealis with the help of micro‐CT scanning and double‐staining technologies, which is the first detailed osteological description of the genus. Osteological comparisons with other members of Microhylinae indicate that K. borealis is characterized by the following traits: skull obviously wider than long; suture between frontoparietals narrow; parasphenoid posterior to vomer; premaxilla, maxilla and vomer edentate; clavicles absent; procoracoids small; omosternum and sternum cartilaginous; crista femoris present and large; femur longer than tibiofibula; prehallux including one element. Remarkably, the species possesses a series of osteological specializations that probably are adaptations for the hindlimbs‐first burrowing and a fossorial life, including stout hindlimb, robust crista femoris, tibiofibula shorter than femur, enlarged prehallux, long anterior ramus of the pterygoid and branched bronchial processes of the cricoid. These findings will contribute to the systematics of microhylids and evolutionary interpretations of the osteological adaptation to fossorial life.
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