Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi
The bizarre larvae of Leptobrachella mjobergi are fossorial and live in the gravel beds of small streams. These tadpoles are vermiform in body shape. Here we present details on their skeleton and musculature, particularly of the head. The entire cranium and its associated musculature are reconst...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier GmbH.
2006
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| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/1/Extreme%20tadpoles%20the%20morphology%20%28abstract%29.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848837035774705664 |
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| author | Haas, A. Hertwig, S.T. Das, I. |
| author_facet | Haas, A. Hertwig, S.T. Das, I. |
| author_sort | Haas, A. |
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| description | The bizarre larvae of
Leptobrachella mjobergi
are fossorial and live in the gravel beds of small streams. These
tadpoles are vermiform in body shape. Here we present details on their skeleton and musculature, particularly of the
head. The entire cranium and its associated musculature are reconstructed in three dimensions from serial histological
sections. The hyobranchial apparatus is highly reduced. The head of the
L. mjobergi
larva is more mobile than in other
anuran species. This mobility can largely be ascribed to the exclusion of the notochord from the cranial base and an
articulation of the foramen magnum floor with the atlas of the tadpole. The articulation is unique among anuran
species, but design parallels can be drawn to salamanders and the articulation between atlas and axis in mammals. In
L. mjobergi
, the atlas forms an anterior dens that articulates with the basal plate in an accessory, third occipital
articular face. The muscle arrangements deviate from the patterns found in other tadpoles: For instance, epaxial and
ventral trunk muscles reach far forward onto the skull. The post-cranial skeleton of
L. mjobergi
is considerably longer
than that of other anurans: it comprises a total of 35 vertebrae, including more than 20 post-sacral perichordal centra.
Despite a number of features in cranial and axial morphology of
L. mjobergi
, which appear to be adaptations to its
fossorial mode of life, the species clearly shares other features with its megophryid and pelobatid relatives.
r
2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T06:33:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | unimas-11561 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T06:33:16Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| publisher | Elsevier GmbH. |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | unimas-115612016-04-25T01:36:54Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/ Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi Haas, A. Hertwig, S.T. Das, I. Q Science (General) QL Zoology The bizarre larvae of Leptobrachella mjobergi are fossorial and live in the gravel beds of small streams. These tadpoles are vermiform in body shape. Here we present details on their skeleton and musculature, particularly of the head. The entire cranium and its associated musculature are reconstructed in three dimensions from serial histological sections. The hyobranchial apparatus is highly reduced. The head of the L. mjobergi larva is more mobile than in other anuran species. This mobility can largely be ascribed to the exclusion of the notochord from the cranial base and an articulation of the foramen magnum floor with the atlas of the tadpole. The articulation is unique among anuran species, but design parallels can be drawn to salamanders and the articulation between atlas and axis in mammals. In L. mjobergi , the atlas forms an anterior dens that articulates with the basal plate in an accessory, third occipital articular face. The muscle arrangements deviate from the patterns found in other tadpoles: For instance, epaxial and ventral trunk muscles reach far forward onto the skull. The post-cranial skeleton of L. mjobergi is considerably longer than that of other anurans: it comprises a total of 35 vertebrae, including more than 20 post-sacral perichordal centra. Despite a number of features in cranial and axial morphology of L. mjobergi , which appear to be adaptations to its fossorial mode of life, the species clearly shares other features with its megophryid and pelobatid relatives. r 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved Elsevier GmbH. 2006 Article NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/1/Extreme%20tadpoles%20the%20morphology%20%28abstract%29.pdf Haas, A. and Hertwig, S.T. and Das, I. (2006) Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi. Zoology, 109. pp. 26-42. ISSN 0944-2006 http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0944200605000577/1-s2.0-S0944200605000577-main.pdf?_tid=f2d32922-077c-11e6-8ed8-00000aab0f02&acdnat=1461214571_3b1f81ff35d6df61a12dd7f28c909b19 doi:10.1016/j.zool.2005.09.008 |
| spellingShingle | Q Science (General) QL Zoology Haas, A. Hertwig, S.T. Das, I. Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi |
| title | Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi |
| title_full | Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi |
| title_fullStr | Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi |
| title_short | Extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, Leptobrachella mjobergi |
| title_sort | extreme tadpoles: the morphology of the fossorial megophryid larva, leptobrachella mjobergi |
| topic | Q Science (General) QL Zoology |
| url | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/11561/1/Extreme%20tadpoles%20the%20morphology%20%28abstract%29.pdf |