Despite renewed interest in the biogeography and evolutionary history of Old World tree frogs (Rhacophoridae), this family still includes enigmatic frogs with ambiguous phylogenetic placement. During fieldwork in four northeastern states of India, we discovered several populations of tree hole breeding frogs with oophagous tadpoles. We used molecular data, consisting of two nuclear and three mi...

Survival, cryoprotection, and the time course for recovery of vital functions were studied in autumn-collected juvenile wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) following freezing at -1.5 degrees C for various periods. Frogs readily tolerated freezing for 3 or 9 d, but only 50% survived a 28-d freezing trial. Generally, the postfreeze return of vital functions (vascular circulation, pulmonary breathing, rig...

Skeletal malformation rates for several frog species were determined in a set of randomly selected wetlands in the north-central USA over three consecutive years. In 1998, 62 sites yielded 389 metamorphic frogs, nine (2.3%) of which had skeletal or eye malformations. A subset of the original sites was surveyed in the following 2 yr. In 1999, 1,085 metamorphic frogs were collected from 36 sites ...

Tree frogs climb smooth surfaces utilising capillary forces arising from an air-fluid interface around their toe pads, whereas torrent frogs are able to climb in wet environments near waterfalls where the integrity of the meniscus is at risk. This study compares the adhesive capabilities of a torrent frog to a tree frog, investigating possible adaptations for adhesion under wet conditions. We c...

Background: Cadmium toxicity has been shown in aquatic animals but the effect on frog’s endocrine glands is not known. We investigated the effects of cadmium on ultimobranchial and parathyroid glands of Indian skipper frog, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis. Methods: Frogs were exposed to cadmium chloride for short and long terms and sacrificed after 24, 48, 72 or 96 h (short-term) and after 5, 10, 1...

Australian desert frogs of the genera Neobatrachus, Cyclorana and Heleioporus experience significant dehydration, and iono- and osmoconcentration, during aestivation in the laboratory and accumulate substantial amounts of urea (100-200 mmol)(l-1). We expected a priori that aestivating frogs probably would not need to accumulate balancing osmolytes but would accumulate trimethylamine oxide (TMAO...

Many aquatic species in the arid southwestern United States are imperiled, persisting primarily in isolated, low-order streams that are increasingly vulnerable to stochastic disturbances. During 2003 and 2004, we surveyed 39 mountain canyons in southeastern Arizona, USA, for lowland leopard frogs (Rana yavapaiensis), a species that has declined in abundance and distribution across its range in ...

Efficacy of inoculative freezing by ice nuclei in a simulated winter environment was studied in the wood frog (Rana sylvatica), a freeze-tolerant species that overwinters on the forest floor beneath organic detritus. Adult frogs were confined to plastic canisters and cooled to -2 degrees C over 24 hr with their ventral skin in contact with substrate (humic soil hydrated to 40, 10, or 5%, or soi...

One hundred and forty adult rice field frogs, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus (Wiegmann, 1834), were collected in Srakaew province, Thailand. For blood parasite examination, thin blood smears were made and routinely stained with Giemsa. The results showed that 70% of the frogs (98/140) were infected with 5 species of blood parasites, including a Trypanosoma rotatorium-like organism, Trypanosoma chatto...

Chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has contributed to worldwide amphibian population declines; however, the pathogenesis of this disease is still somewhat unclear. Previous studies suggest that infection disrupts cutaneous sodium transport, which leads to hyponatremia and cardiac failure. However, infection is also correlated with unexplained effects on appeti...