蛙科物种背侧褶组织形态特征

背侧褶是无尾两栖类的重要形态特征,但对于其组织结构和功能缺乏了解。本文运用组织学技术,H.E、AB-PAS和Masson三色三种染色方法对蛙科4属的代表物种滇蛙（Dianrana pleuraden）、阔褶蛙（Sylvirana latouchii）、仙琴蛙（Nidirana daunchina）、沼蛙（Boulengerana guentheri）背侧褶和背部皮肤的显微结构进行了系统的比较研究。结果发现：1）蛙科物种的皮肤腺体单元丰富多样,由黏液腺和颗粒腺组成。其黏液腺均为普通黏液腺,按照其分泌物及分泌细胞形态将黏液腺分为Ⅰ型黏液腺和Ⅱ型黏液腺。Ⅰ型黏液腺在沼蛙和仙琴蛙中缺失,Ⅱ型普遍分布。颗粒腺分Ⅰ型颗粒腺、Ⅱ型颗粒腺及特化颗粒腺,Ⅱ型颗粒腺仅见于仙琴蛙,特化颗粒腺仅见于阔褶蛙和沼蛙的背侧褶;2）滇蛙与仙琴蛙背侧褶基本结构与其背部常规皮肤一致,且两种皮肤结构组成也较为相似,在真皮层下都有一层较厚的脂肪层,滇蛙脂肪层厚度约为真皮层厚度的1.52倍,仙琴蛙脂肪层厚度约为真皮层的1.60倍;阔褶蛙与沼蛙背侧褶基本结构也与其常规皮肤一致,且背侧褶结构组成也较为相似,阔褶蛙及沼蛙真皮层内具有单层排列、集中分布的大型特化颗粒腺,其分泌物为两种颗粒物的混合物。3）蛙科中两种背侧褶结构类型代表了两个进化方向,其功能分别为能量储存和反捕,推测其与环境适应进化相关。     

The genetic asymmetry of the hybrid green frogs Rana esculenta (Amphibia: Ranidae) complex of Ukraine

Research of the alleles of the species-specific genes in the gametal cells of Rana kl. esculenta hybrids proved the existence of three local populations within the territory of Ukraine. Their hybrids reject either the genome of lake frog (Danube lowland), either the previous one or another one genome (basin of Severskiy Donets river), either the genome of pond frog (the residuary territory of the areal). The research of skin transplants rejection of hybrids' parental species has shown that despite the orientation of genome elimination of this population the graft of lake frog always starts identifying and rejecting earlier. That is why the genetic skewness of hybrids becomes apparent at the skin level and corresponds to its manifestations at the organism level.     

Systematics of a widespread Southeast Asian frog,Rana chalconota (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae)

The abundant Sundaland forest frog, Rana chalconota, has long been considered a single widespread species, although some authors have recommended its division into regional subspecies. The discovery of co‐occurring pairs of morphologically distinct populations in three widely separated parts of the range led to a morphological and molecular analysis of populations from all parts of the known range. The results suggest that R. chalconota consists of at least seven species from Thailand through Borneo and Java. Existing names are applied to three of these species, R. chalconota (Schlegel), R. raniceps (Peters) and R. labialis Boulenger. We describe four others as new species and suggest the existence of one or two additional, unnamed species. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155 , 123–147.     

A new species of glossiphoniid leech from Rana pretiosa (Amphibia: Ranidae) in Oregon

A new species of ectoparasitic glossiphoniid leech was found feeding on frogs in the Nature Center Pond and elsewhere in Deschutes County, Oregon. The new species of Placobdella resembles the southern alligator leech, Placobdella multilineata Moore, 1953, notwithstanding their vast geographic separation in North America. The new species is readily distinguished by possessing subdivided annuli, by its papillation and pigmentation patterns as well as by the arrangement of ovarian tissues. There is strong evidence of nocturnality and of the potential for parasitizing humans.     

A new species of Amolops from Thailand (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae)

We describe a new species of torrent-dwelling ranid frog of the genus Amolops from western to peninsular Thailand. Amolops panhai, new species, differs from its congeners by the combination of: small body, males 31-34 mm, females 48-58 mm in snout-vent length; head narrower than long; tympanum distinct; vomerine teeth in short, oblique patches; first finger subequal to second; disc of first finger smaller than that of second, with circummarginal groove; no wide fringe of skin on third finger; toes fully webbed; outer metatarsal tubercle present; supratympanic fold present; dorsolateral fold indistinct; axillary gland present; horny spines on back, side of head and body, and chest absent; large tubercles on side of anus absent; glandular fold on ventral surface of tarsus absent; nuptial pad and paired gular pouches present in male; white band along the upper jaw extending to shoulder absent; larval dental formula 7(4-7)/3(1). This new species is the second anuran discovered which has a disjunct distribution around the Isthmus of Kra.     

On the trophic spectrum of Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae) in western Iran

Using the stomach flushing technique, a total of 188 specimens of the Marsh Frog, Pelophylax ridibundus, were flushed, of which 129 had at least one food item in the stomach. The diet consisted of Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Chordata with Arthropoda being the most abundant group. Both diet volume and number of food items per stomach were significantly larger in April than in August. The proportion of frequency of occurrence (FOi%) of food categories did not show a constant food item in flushed materials. Pelophylax ridibundus prefers Diptera, Coleoptera, Amphipoda and Hymenoptera over other food categories. The Index of Relative Importance (IRI) for food categories differs between sexes and seasons. Differences were found in the food volume and the number of food items between seasons, but not between sexes. Prey volume is positively correlated with frog size.     

Distinct specific status of the Korean brown frog, Rana amurensis coreana (Amphibia: Ranidae)

We used morphological and genetic data to assess the taxonomic status of Rana amurensis coreana and R. a. amurensis. Morphological comparisons revealed these two subspecies to be different from each other in size of body, nature of tubercles on dorsal stripe, degree of development in toe webbing, and condition of lateral spots of trunk. They were also different in sequence of mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, with genetic distance as large as those observed among different species of brown frogs. Therefore, Korean populations previously considered a subspecies of R. amurensis should be regarded as a distinct species (=R. coreana).     

蛙科精子形态结构研究进展

本文对已有的蛙科精子形态结构的研究进行总结,归纳了蛙科精子形态结构及量度的特征和类型,以及蛙科精子结构与其它两栖类精子结构的异同,探讨蛙科精子形态结构研究中存在和亟待解决的问题。     

Mitochondrial evidence on the phylogenetic position of caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)

The complete nucleotide sequence (17,005 bp) of the mitochondrial genome of the caecilian Typhlonectes natans (Gymnophiona, Amphibia) was determined. This molecule is characterized by two distinctive genomic features: there are seven large 109-bp tandem repeats in the control region, and the sequence for the putative origin of replication of the L strand can potentially fold into two alternative secondary structures (one including part of the tRNA(Cys)). The new sequence data were used to assess the phylogenetic position of caecilians and to gain insights into the origin of living amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians). Phylogenetic analyses of two data sets-one combining protein-coding genes and the other combining tRNA genes-strongly supported a caecilian + frog clade and, hence, monophyly of modern amphibians. These two data sets could not further resolve relationships among the coelacanth, lungfishes, and tetrapods, but strongly supported diapsid affinities of turtles. Phylogenetic relationships among a larger set of species of frogs, salamanders, and caecilians were estimated with a mitochondrial rRNA data set. Maximum parsimony analysis of this latter data set also recovered monophyly of living amphibians and favored a frog + salamander (Batrachia) relationship. However, bootstrap support was only moderate at these nodes. This is likely due to an extensive among-site rate heterogeneity in the rRNA data set and the narrow window of time in which the three main groups of living amphibians were originated.     

Climatic oscillations triggered post-Messinian speciation of Western Palearctic brown frogs (Amphibia,Ranidae)

Oscillating glacial cycles over the past 2.4 million years are proposed to have had a major impact on the diversity of contemporary species communities. We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to infer phylogenetic relationships within Western Palearctic brown frogs and to test the influence of Pliocene and Pleistocene climatic changes on their evolution. We sequenced 1976bp of the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and cytochrome b and of the nuclear rhodopsin gene for all current species and subspecies. Based on an established allozyme clock for Western Palearctic water frogs and substitution rate constancy among water frogs and brown frogs, we calibrated a molecular clock for 1425bp of the 16S and rhodopsin genes. We applied this clock to date speciation events among brown frogs. Western Palearctic brown frogs underwent a basal post-Messinian radiation about 4 million years ago (mya) into five major clades: three monotypic lineages (Rana dalmatina, Rana latastei, Rana graeca), an Anatolian lineage, and a lineage comprising Rana italica, Rana arvalis, and all Iberian taxa. Polytypic lineages radiated further in concordance with the onset of climatic oscillations ca. 3.2, 2.0, and 1.0-0.6 mya, respectively. The dated fossil record corroborates our paleobiogeographic scenario. We conclude that drastic climatic changes followed by successive temperature oscillations "trapped" most brown frog species in their southern European glacial refugia with enough time to speciate. Substantial dispersal was only possible during extensive interglacial periods of a constant subtropical climate.     

Resurrection of Staurois parvus from S. tuberilinguis from Borneo (Amphibia, Ranidae)

Two forms of Staurois that are differentiated by body size occur parapatrically in the Crocker Range, Sabah, Borneo. Analyses of a total of 1,499 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA genes revealed that the two forms could be completely split genetically. The two forms could be also clearly differentiated morphologically, not only by snout-vent length but also by the relative sizes of snout, eye, and finger disk. Comparisons of the two forms with all known species of the genus revealed the large and small forms to be S. tuberilinguis and S. parvus, respectively. The latter species has long been synonymized with the former, but we here consider them to represent different species.     

Polystoma luohetong n. sp. (Monogenea: Polystomatidae) from Rana chaochiaoensis Liu (Amphibia: Ranidae) in China

Systematic Parasitology - Polystoma chaochiaoensis from the urinary bladder of the chaochiao frog Rana chaochiaoensis Liu was briefly described in a symposium abstract and presented at the Third...     

Phylogeography and conservation genetics of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris; Amphibia, Ranidae)

The Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) has a widespread distribution in western Canada and the western US, although the southern reach of its range is highly fragmented into several isolated populations. Threats from various factors have raised concerns regarding the long-term survival of many small, isolated populations. Here, we report a study designed to determine the phylogeographic and conservation genetic parameters of R. luteiventris in the western US. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences were examined for phylogeographic structuring using phylogenetic reconstruction methods, coupled with networking and nested clade analyses. These methods permitted a distinction to be made between historic and demographic forces acting to generate geographical patterning of genetic variation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four geographically correlated monophyletic clades. Three of these clades correspond to well-defined, nonoverlapping geographical locations in the fragmented portion of the range. The other is comprised of all samples collected from the contiguous range and includes one isolate from northern Wyoming. Networking and nested clade analyses confirmed these results and revealed that historical processes, such as range expansion and vicariance, rather than recurrent gene flow are likely responsible for observed patterns of genetic variation. A measure of genetic variation (theta = 4N(e)mu) revealed that R. luteiventris populations in Utah have a relatively low amount of genetic variation compared with populations in the continuous portion of the range.     

A taxonomic study of the Rana narina complex, with description of three new species (Amphibia: Ranidae)

A morphometric and electrophoretic survey was conducted to examine taxonomic relationships among eight population samples of the Rana narina complex from the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan and Taiwan. Five discrete morphotypes are differentiated, and these showed considerable genetic differentiation from each other. From the available information, each of the five morphotypes is judged to represent a species, and three are described as new. Rana utsunomiyaorum sp. nov. and R. supranarina sp. nov. are sympatric in Ishigakijima and Iriomotejima islands of the Yaeyama Group, and differ from the other members by having a shorter hindlimb. Rana utsunomiyaorum is the smallest in the complex, while R. supranarina is the largest. Rana amamiensis sp. nov . occurs on Amamioshima and Tokunoshima islands of the Amami Group and, like R. narina from Okinawajima of the Okinawa Group, has a long hindlimb; it differs from the latter species by having a larger body and relatively small tympanum. These two species differ from R. swinhoana from Taiwan by having a narrower disk on the third finger. A key to known species of the complex is given. Further, syslematics of the R. narina complex within Rana , body size in the two sympatric species, and sexual dimorphism found in this complex are discussed.     

Polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci identified in the common frog (Rana temporaria,Amphibia, Ranidae)

We developed seven microsatellite loci in the common frog, Rana temporaria. There were between 2 and 27 alleles per locus and the expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.28 to 0.96 in a sample of frogs collected in the French Alps. Adding these seven markers to the 15 previously available microsatellite loci for this species should facilitate studies of genetic structure of Rana temporaria populations at a fine geographical scale.