The habitat destruction and land-use changes caused the decline of animal composition in many tropical regions. Here, we study diversity herpetofauna lowland areas Sumatera Barat, a midwestern province island, using visual encounter survey method. surveyed included rubber plantations, streams, paddy fields, peat swamps. We observed 338 individuals representing 44 species from 14 families with a...

Partial sequences of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA genes from 19 Asian frog species of the tribe Paini (Ranidae, Dicroglossinae) allowed a first molecular study of the phylogenetic relationships of this tribe. This analysis confirmed that this tribe is a monophyletic group, but suggested relationships did not agree with previous generic classification of this clade based on morphology. Two maj...

Flies in the family Corethrellidae Edwards 1932 (Diptera) are known to be attracted to the mating calls of male frogs. For the first time, the hosts of corethrellids were identified to species by analyzing bloodmeals taken from resting female flies. A portion of the cytochrome b gene was amplified and sequenced from blood-engorged flies using vertebrate-specific primers. The flies were collecte...

Zug, George R. Anuran Locomotion—Structure and Function, 2: Jumping Performance of Semiaquatic, Terrestrial, and Arboreal Frogs. Smithsonian Contribution to Zoology, number 276, 31 pages, 9 figures, 15 tables, 1978.—Frogs evolved as jumping machines. The earliest recognized anuran fossil possessed a foreshortened body and elongated hindlimbs, primary adaptations for jumping. The majority of ext...

the updated checklist of amphibians and reptiles of qom province, central iran is presented. totally 46 species, 35 genera and 17 families of reptiles and amphibians are reported in the area. the most diverse suborder is serpentes with 19 species or 41.3% of the reptile species richness of the region. the most specious families with high diversification are ranked respectively: colubridae with ...

Pesticides are commonly used for health and economic benefits worldwide, but increased use has led to increased contamination of aquatic habitats. To understand potential impacts on nontarget organisms in these habitats, toxicologists generally use short-term (4-d) toxicity tests on model organisms. For most pesticides, few amphibian tests have been conducted, but there is growing concern about...