Anuran heart development and critical developmental periods: A comparative analysis of three neotropical anuran species

Abstract

The heart begins to form early during vertebrate development and is the first functional organ of the embryo. This study aimed to describe and compare the heart development in three Neotropical anuran species, Physalaemus albonotatus, Elachistocleis bicolor, and Scinax nasicus. Different Gosner Stages (GS) of embryos (GS 18-20) and premetamorphic (GS 21-25), prometamorphic (GS 26-41), and metamorphic (GS 42-46) tadpoles were analyzed using stereoscopic microscopy and Scanning Electronic Microscopy. Heart development was similar in the three analyzed species; however, some heterochronic events were identified between P. albonotatus and S. nasicus compared to E. bicolor. In addition, different patterns of melanophores arrangement were observed.

The Taxonomic Status of Physalaemus cuqui Lobo, 1993, with the Description of a New Species of Physalaemus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Argentina and Paraguay

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