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Ziermann JM, Fratani J. Fascinating adaptations in amphibians. ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Mauricio B, Mailho-Fontana PL, Sato LA, Barbosa FF, Astray RM, Kupfer A, Brodie ED, Jared C, Antoniazzi MM. Morphology of the Cutaneous Poison and Mucous Glands in Amphibians with Particular Emphasis on Caecilians ( Siphonops annulatus). Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13110779. [PMID: 34822563 PMCID: PMC8617868 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13110779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Caecilians (order Gymnophiona) are apodan, snake-like amphibians, usually with fossorial habits, constituting one of the most unknown groups of terrestrial vertebrates. As in orders Anura (frogs, tree frogs and toads) and Caudata (salamanders and newts), the caecilian skin is rich in mucous glands, responsible for body lubrication, and poison glands, producing varied toxins used in defence against predators and microorganisms. Whereas in anurans and caudatans skin gland morphology has been well studied, caecilian poison glands remain poorly elucidated. Here we characterised the skin gland morphology of the caecilian Siphonops annulatus, emphasising the poison glands in comparison to those of anurans and salamanders. We showed that S. annulatus glands are similar to those of salamanders, consisting of several syncytial compartments full of granules composed of protein material but showing some differentiated apical compartments containing mucus. An unusual structure resembling a mucous gland is frequently observed in lateral/apical position, apparently connected to the main duct. We conclude that the morphology of skin poison glands in caecilians is more similar to salamander glands when compared to anuran glands that show a much-simplified structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Mauricio
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05509-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (P.L.M.-F.); (L.A.S.); (M.M.A.)
| | - Pedro Luiz Mailho-Fontana
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05509-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (P.L.M.-F.); (L.A.S.); (M.M.A.)
| | - Luciana Almeida Sato
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05509-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (P.L.M.-F.); (L.A.S.); (M.M.A.)
| | - Flavia Ferreira Barbosa
- Multipurpose Laboratory, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-000, Brazil; (F.F.B.); (R.M.A.)
| | - Renato Mancini Astray
- Multipurpose Laboratory, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-000, Brazil; (F.F.B.); (R.M.A.)
| | - Alexander Kupfer
- Department of Zoology, State Museum of Natural History, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany;
| | - Edmund D. Brodie
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA;
| | - Carlos Jared
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05509-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (P.L.M.-F.); (L.A.S.); (M.M.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Marta Maria Antoniazzi
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05509-000, Brazil; (B.M.); (P.L.M.-F.); (L.A.S.); (M.M.A.)
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Arun D, Sandhya S, Akbarsha MA, Oommen OV, Divya L. An insight into the skin glands, dermal scales and secretions of the caecilian amphibian Ichthyophis beddomei. Saudi J Biol Sci 2020; 27:2683-2690. [PMID: 32994727 PMCID: PMC7499274 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The caecilian amphibians are richly endowed with cutaneous glands, which produce secretory materials that facilitate survival in the hostile subterranean environment. Although India has a fairly abundant distribution of caecilians, there are only very few studies on their skin and secretion. In this background, the skin of Ichthyophis beddomei from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, was subjected to light and electron microscopic analyses. There are two types of dermal glands, mucous and granular. The mucous gland has a lumen, which is packed with a mucous. The mucous-producing cells are located around the lumen. In the granular gland, a lumen is absent; the bloated secretory cells, filling the gland, are densely packed with granules of different sizes which are elegantly revealed in TEM. There is a lining of myo-epithelial cells in the peripheral regions of the glands. Small flat disk-like dermal scales, dense with squamulae, are embedded in pockets in the dermis, distributed among the cutaneous glands. 1-4 scales of various sizes are present in each scale pocket. Scanning electron microscopic observation of the skin surface revealed numerous glandular openings. The skin gland secretions, exuded through the pores, contain fatty acids, alcohols, steroid, hydrocarbons, terpene, aldehyde and a few unknown compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damodaran Arun
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | | | | | - Oommen V. Oommen
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
| | - Lekha Divya
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
- Corresponding author at: Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.
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Mailho-Fontana PL, Antoniazzi MM, Alexandre C, Pimenta DC, Sciani JM, Brodie ED, Jared C. Morphological Evidence for an Oral Venom System in Caecilian Amphibians. iScience 2020; 23:101234. [PMID: 32621800 PMCID: PMC7385905 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibians are known for their skin rich in glands containing toxins employed in passive chemical defense against predators, different from, for example, snakes that have active chemical defense, injecting their venom into the prey. Caecilians (Amphibia, Gymnophiona) are snake-shaped animals with fossorial habits, considered one of the least known vertebrate groups. We show here that amphibian caecilians, including species from the basal groups, besides having cutaneous poisonous glands as other amphibians do, possess specific glands at the base of the teeth that produce enzymes commonly found in venoms. Our analysis of the origin of these glands shows that they originate from the same tissue that gives rise to teeth, similar to the venom glands in reptiles. We speculate that caecilians might have independently developed mechanisms of production and injection of toxins early in their evolutionary history. Amphibian caecilians have tooth-related glands in both upper and lower jaws The glands have the same origin of reptile venom glands The secretion contains proteins with enzymatic activities commonly found in venoms Caecilians might have developed the ability to inject oral toxins early in evolution
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cesar Alexandre
- Structural Biology Lab, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Carlos Jared
- Structural Biology Lab, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Arun D, Akbarsha MA, Oommen OV, Divya L. Light and transmission electron microscopic structure of skin glands and dermal scales of a caecilian amphibian Gegeneophis ramaswamii, with a note on antimicrobial property of skin gland secretion. Microsc Res Tech 2019; 82:1267-1276. [PMID: 31002452 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Amphibian skin secretions contain a variety of bioactive compounds that are involved in diverse roles such as communication, homeostasis, defence against predators, pathogens, and so on. Especially, the caecilian amphibians possess numerous cutaneous glands that produce the secretory material, which facilitate survival in their harsh subterranean environment. Inspite of the fact that India has a fairly abundant distribution of caecilian amphibians, there has hardly been any study on their skin and its secretion. Herein, we describe, using light microscopy and electron microscopy, two types of dermal glands, mucous and granular, in Gegeneophis ramaswamii. The mucous glands are filled with mucous materials. The mucous-producing cells are located near the periphery. The granular glands are surrounded by myoepithelial cells. A large number of granules of different sizes are present in the lumen of the granular gland. The granule-producing cells are present near the myoepithelial lining of the gland. There are small flat disk-like dermal scales in pockets in the transverse ridges of the posterior region of the body. Each pocket contains 1-4 scales of various sizes. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) study of the skin surface showed numerous funnel-shaped glandular openings. The antibacterial activity of the skin secretions was revealed in the test against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Aeromonas hydrophila, all gram-negative bacteria. SEM analyses confirm the membrane damage in bacterial cells on exposure to skin secretions of G. ramaswamii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damodaran Arun
- Department of Animal Science, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Mohammad A Akbarsha
- Research coordinator, National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Oommen V Oommen
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
| | - Lekha Divya
- Department of Animal Science, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
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Jared C, Mailho‐Fontana PL, Jared SGS, Kupfer A, Delabie JHC, Wilkinson M, Antoniazzi MM. Life history and reproduction of the neotropical caecilian
Siphonops annulatus
(Amphibia, Gymnophiona, Siphonopidae), with special emphasis on parental care. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Mark Wilkinson
- Department of Life SciencesNatural History Museum London UK
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Damodaran A, Reston Saroja B, Kotharambath R, Mohammad Abdulkader A, Oommen OV, Lekha D. Light and electron microscopic observations on the organization of skin and associated glands of two caecilian amphibians from Western Ghats of India. Micron 2018; 106:59-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Skin gland concentrations adapted to different evolutionary pressures in the head and posterior regions of the caecilian Siphonops annulatus. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3576. [PMID: 29476100 PMCID: PMC5824806 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22005-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibian skin is rich in mucous glands and poison glands, secreting substances important for gas exchange and playing a fundamental role in chemical defense against predators and microorganisms. In the caecilian Siphonops annulatus (Mikan, 1920) we observed a concentration of enlarged mucous glands in the head region. In the posterior region of the body a similar concentration is made up of enlarged poison glands. These accumulations of glands structurally resemble the macroglands previously reported in anurans and salamanders. The skin glands in these regions are each surrounded by collagen walls forming a honeycomb-like structure. The collagen network in the head region firmly attaches to tiny pits in the bones of the skull. The two extremities of the body produce different secretions, containing exclusive molecules. Considering the fossorial lifestyle of caecilians, it seems evident that the secretions of the head and caudal region serve different functions. The anterior macrogland of mucous glands, rich in mucous/lipid secretion, in conjunction with the funnel-shaped head, may act to lubricate the body and penetrate the soil, thus facilitating locomotion underground. The blunt posterior end bearing an internalized macrogland of poison glands in the dermis may act in chemical defense and/or by blocking invasion of tunnels.
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Ostrovsky AN, Lidgard S, Gordon DP, Schwaha T, Genikhovich G, Ereskovsky AV. Matrotrophy and placentation in invertebrates: a new paradigm. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 91:673-711. [PMID: 25925633 PMCID: PMC5098176 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Matrotrophy, the continuous extra-vitelline supply of nutrients from the parent to the progeny during gestation, is one of the masterpieces of nature, contributing to offspring fitness and often correlated with evolutionary diversification. The most elaborate form of matrotrophy-placentotrophy-is well known for its broad occurrence among vertebrates, but the comparative distribution and structural diversity of matrotrophic expression among invertebrates is wanting. In the first comprehensive analysis of matrotrophy across the animal kingdom, we report that regardless of the degree of expression, it is established or inferred in at least 21 of 34 animal phyla, significantly exceeding previous accounts and changing the old paradigm that these phenomena are infrequent among invertebrates. In 10 phyla, matrotrophy is represented by only one or a few species, whereas in 11 it is either not uncommon or widespread and even pervasive. Among invertebrate phyla, Platyhelminthes, Arthropoda and Bryozoa dominate, with 162, 83 and 53 partly or wholly matrotrophic families, respectively. In comparison, Chordata has more than 220 families that include or consist entirely of matrotrophic species. We analysed the distribution of reproductive patterns among and within invertebrate phyla using recently published molecular phylogenies: matrotrophy has seemingly evolved at least 140 times in all major superclades: Parazoa and Eumetazoa, Radiata and Bilateria, Protostomia and Deuterostomia, Lophotrochozoa and Ecdysozoa. In Cycliophora and some Digenea, it may have evolved twice in the same life cycle. The provisioning of developing young is associated with almost all known types of incubation chambers, with matrotrophic viviparity more widespread (20 phyla) than brooding (10 phyla). In nine phyla, both matrotrophic incubation types are present. Matrotrophy is expressed in five nutritive modes, of which histotrophy and placentotrophy are most prevalent. Oophagy, embryophagy and histophagy are rarer, plausibly evolving through heterochronous development of the embryonic mouthparts and digestive system. During gestation, matrotrophic modes can shift, intergrade, and be performed simultaneously. Invertebrate matrotrophic adaptations are less complex structurally than in chordates, but they are more diverse, being formed either by a parent, embryo, or both. In a broad and still preliminary sense, there are indications of trends or grades of evolutionarily increasing complexity of nutritive structures: formation of (i) local zones of enhanced nutritional transport (placental analogues), including specialized parent-offspring cell complexes and various appendages increasing the entire secreting and absorbing surfaces as well as the contact surface between embryo and parent, (ii) compartmentalization of the common incubatory space into more compact and 'isolated' chambers with presumably more effective nutritional relationships, and (iii) internal secretory ('milk') glands. Some placental analogues in onychophorans and arthropods mimic the simplest placental variants in vertebrates, comprising striking examples of convergent evolution acting at all levels-positional, structural and physiological.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N Ostrovsky
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaja nab. 7/9, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, Geozentrum, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Scott Lidgard
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60605, U.S.A
| | - Dennis P Gordon
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901, Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Thomas Schwaha
- Department of Integrative Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Grigory Genikhovich
- Department for Molecular Evolution and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander V Ereskovsky
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaja nab. 7/9, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Station marine d'Endoume, Chemin de la Batterie des Lions, 13007, Marseille, France
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Raquet MA, Measey GJ, Exbrayat JM. Annual variation of ovarian structures of Boulengerula taitana (Loveridge 1935), a Kenyan caecilian. AFR J HERPETOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1103787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. A. Raquet
- Université de Lyon, UMRS 449, Laboratoire de Biologie générale, UCLy, Reproduction et développement comparé, EPHE, 25 rue du Plat, F-69288 Lyon cedex, France
| | - G. J. Measey
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - J. M. Exbrayat
- Université de Lyon, UMRS 449, Laboratoire de Biologie générale, UCLy, Reproduction et développement comparé, EPHE, 25 rue du Plat, F-69288 Lyon cedex, France
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Budzik KA, Żuwała K, Kupfer A, Gower DJ, Wilkinson M. Diverse anatomy of the tongue and taste organs in five species of caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). ZOOL ANZ 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2015.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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12
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Lauriano ER, Żuwała K, Kuciel M, Budzik KA, Capillo G, Alesci A, Pergolizzi S, Dugo G, Zaccone G. Confocal immunohistochemistry of the dermal glands and evolutionary considerations in the caecilian,Typhlonectes natans(Amphibia: Gymnophiona). ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Rita Lauriano
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Territorial, Food and Health Security (S.A.S.T.A.S.); University of Messina; Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31 Messina I-98166 Italy
| | - Krystyna Żuwała
- Department of Comparative Anatomy; Institute of Zoology; Jagiellonian University; Gronostajowa 9 Krakow 30-387 Poland
| | - Michał Kuciel
- Poison Information Centre; Jagiellonian University Medical College; Śniadeckich 10 Krakow 31-531 Poland
| | - Karolina A. Budzik
- Department of Comparative Anatomy; Institute of Zoology; Jagiellonian University; Gronostajowa 9 Krakow 30-387 Poland
| | - Gioele Capillo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Territorial, Food and Health Security (S.A.S.T.A.S.); University of Messina; Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31 Messina I-98166 Italy
| | - Alessio Alesci
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Territorial, Food and Health Security (S.A.S.T.A.S.); University of Messina; Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31 Messina I-98166 Italy
| | - Simona Pergolizzi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Territorial, Food and Health Security (S.A.S.T.A.S.); University of Messina; Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31 Messina I-98166 Italy
| | - Giacomo Dugo
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Territorial, Food and Health Security (S.A.S.T.A.S.); University of Messina; Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31 Messina I-98166 Italy
| | - Giacomo Zaccone
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Territorial, Food and Health Security (S.A.S.T.A.S.); University of Messina; Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31 Messina I-98166 Italy
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San Mauro D, Gower DJ, Müller H, Loader SP, Zardoya R, Nussbaum RA, Wilkinson M. Life-history evolution and mitogenomic phylogeny of caecilian amphibians. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2014; 73:177-89. [PMID: 24480323 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2013] [Revised: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We analyze mitochondrial genomes to reconstruct a robust phylogenetic framework for caecilian amphibians and use this to investigate life-history evolution within the group. Our study comprises 45 caecilian mitochondrial genomes (19 of them newly reported), representing all families and 27 of 32 currently recognized genera, including some for which molecular data had never been reported. Support for all relationships in the inferred phylogenetic tree is high to maximal, and topology tests reject all investigated alternatives, indicating an exceptionally robust molecular phylogenetic framework of caecilian evolution consistent with current morphology-based supraspecific classification. We used the mitogenomic phylogenetic framework to infer ancestral character states and to assess correlation among three life-history traits (free-living larvae, viviparity, specialized pre-adult or vernal teeth), each of which occurs only in some caecilian species. Our results provide evidence that an ancestor of the Seychelles caecilians abandoned direct development and re-evolved a free-living larval stage. This study yields insights into the concurrent evolution of direct development and of vernal teeth in an ancestor of Teresomata that likely gave rise to skin-feeding (maternal dermatophagy) behavior and subsequently enabled evolution of viviparity, with skin feeding possibly a homologous precursor of oviduct feeding in viviparous caecilians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego San Mauro
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom.
| | - David J Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Hendrik Müller
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erbertstrasse 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Simon P Loader
- University of Basel, Biogeography Research Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Basel 4056, Switzerland
| | - Rafael Zardoya
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ronald A Nussbaum
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079, United States
| | - Mark Wilkinson
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
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Gomes AD, Navas CA, Jared C, Antoniazzi MM, Ceballos NR, Moreira RG. Metabolic and endocrine changes during the reproductive cycle of dermatophagic caecilians in captivity. ZOOLOGY 2013; 116:277-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2013] [Revised: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Gomes AD, Moreira RG, Navas CA, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C. Review of the Reproductive Biology of Caecilians (Amphibia, Gymnophiona). SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.2994/057.007.0301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Savitzky AH, Mori A, Hutchinson DA, Saporito RA, Burghardt GM, Lillywhite HB, Meinwald J. Sequestered defensive toxins in tetrapod vertebrates: principles, patterns, and prospects for future studies. CHEMOECOLOGY 2012; 22:141-158. [PMID: 22904605 PMCID: PMC3418492 DOI: 10.1007/s00049-012-0112-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chemical defenses are widespread among animals, and the compounds involved may be either synthesized from nontoxic precursors or sequestered from an environmental source. Defensive sequestration has been studied extensively among invertebrates, but relatively few examples have been documented among vertebrates. Nonetheless, the number of described cases of defensive sequestration in tetrapod vertebrates has increased recently and includes diverse lineages of amphibians and reptiles (including birds). The best-known examples involve poison frogs, but other examples include natricine snakes that sequester toxins from amphibians and two genera of insectivorous birds. Commonalities among these diverse taxa include the combination of consuming toxic prey and exhibiting some form of passive defense, such as aposematism, mimicry, or presumptive death-feigning. Some species exhibit passive sequestration, in which dietary toxins simply require an extended period of time to clear from the tissues, whereas other taxa exhibit morphological or physiological specializations that enhance the uptake, storage, and/or delivery of exogenous toxins. It remains uncertain whether any sequestered toxins of tetrapods bioaccumulate across multiple trophic levels, but multitrophic accumulation seems especially likely in cases involving consumption of phytophagous or mycophagous invertebrates and perhaps consumption of poison frogs by snakes. We predict that additional examples of defensive toxin sequestration in amphibians and reptiles will be revealed by collaborations between field biologists and natural product chemists. Candidates for future investigation include specialized predators on mites, social insects, slugs, and toxic amphibians. Comprehensive studies of the ecological, evolutionary, behavioral, and regulatory aspects of sequestration will require teams of ecologists, systematists, ethologists, physiologists, molecular biologists, and chemists. The widespread occurrence of sequestered defenses has important implications for the ecology, evolution, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan H. Savitzky
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan UT, 84322-5305 USA
| | - Akira Mori
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan
| | - Deborah A. Hutchinson
- Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University, P.O. Box 261954, Conway, SC 29528 USA
| | - Ralph A. Saporito
- Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, 44118 USA
| | - Gordon M. Burghardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900 USA
| | | | - Jerrold Meinwald
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, 14853-1301 USA
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Wollenberg KC, Measey CJ. Why colour in subterranean vertebrates? Exploring the evolution of colour patterns in caecilian amphibians. J Evol Biol 2011; 22:1046-56. [PMID: 21462404 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01717.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The proximate functions of animal skin colour are difficult to assign as they can result from natural selection, sexual selection or neutral evolution under genetic drift. Most often colour patterns are thought to signal visual stimuli; so,their presence in subterranean taxa is perplexing. We evaluate the adaptive nature of colour patterns in nearly a third of all known species of caecilians, an order of amphibians most of which live in tropical soils and leaf litter. We found that certain colour pattern elements in caecilians can be explained based on characteristics concerning above-ground movement. Our study implies that certain caecilian colour patterns have convergently evolved under selection and we hypothesize their function most likely to be a synergy of aposematism and crypsis, related to periods when individuals move overground. In a wider context, our results suggest that very little exposure to daylight is required to evolve and maintain a varied array of colour patterns in animal skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- K C Wollenberg
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Spielmannstrasse 8, Braunschweig, Germany.
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18
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Kuehnel S, Herzen J, Kleinteich T, Beckmann F, Kupfer A. The female cloaca of an oviparous caecilian amphibian (Gymnophiona): functional and seasonal aspects. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-6395.2010.00499.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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19
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Porteus C, Hedrick MS, Hicks JW, Wang T, Milsom WK. Time domains of the hypoxic ventilatory response in ectothermic vertebrates. J Comp Physiol B 2011; 181:311-33. [PMID: 21312038 PMCID: PMC3058336 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-011-0554-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2010] [Revised: 01/11/2011] [Accepted: 01/19/2011] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Over a decade has passed since Powell et al. (Respir Physiol 112:123-134, 1998) described and defined the time domains of the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) in adult mammals. These time domains, however, have yet to receive much attention in other vertebrate groups. The initial, acute HVR of fish, amphibians and reptiles serves to minimize the imbalance between oxygen supply and demand. If the hypoxia is sustained, a suite of secondary adjustments occur giving rise to a more long-term balance (acclimatization) that allows the behaviors of normal life. These secondary responses can change over time as a function of the nature of the stimulus (the pattern and intensity of the hypoxic exposure). To add to the complexity of this process, hypoxia can also lead to metabolic suppression (the hypoxic metabolic response) and the magnitude of this is also time dependent. Unlike the original review of Powell et al. (Respir Physiol 112:123-134, 1998) that only considered the HVR in adult animals, we also consider relevant developmental time points where information is available. Finally, in amphibians and reptiles with incompletely divided hearts the magnitude of the ventilatory response will be modulated by hypoxia-induced changes in intra-cardiac shunting that also improve the match between O(2) supply and demand, and these too change in a time-dependent fashion. While the current literature on this topic is reviewed here, it is noted that this area has received little attention. We attempt to redefine time domains in a more 'holistic' fashion that better accommodates research on ectotherms. If we are to distinguish between the genetic, developmental and environmental influences underlying the various ventilatory responses to hypoxia, however, we must design future experiments with time domains in mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosima Porteus
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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20
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Wilkinson M, Kupfer A, Marques-Porto R, Jeffkins H, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C. One hundred million years of skin feeding? Extended parental care in a Neotropical caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). Biol Lett 2008; 4:358-61. [PMID: 18547909 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal dermatophagy, the eating of maternal skin by offspring, is an unusual form of parental investment involving co-evolved specializations of both maternal skin and offspring dentition, which has been recently discovered in an African caecilian amphibian. Here we report the discovery of this form of parental care in a second, distantly related Neotropical species Siphonops annulatus, where it is characterized by the same syndrome of maternal and offspring specializations. The detailed similarities of skin feeding in different caecilian species provide strong evidence of its homology, implying its presence in the last common ancestor of these species. Biogeographic considerations, the separation of Africa and South American land masses and inferred timescales of amphibian diversification all suggest that skin feeding is an ancient form of parental care in caecilians, which has probably persisted in multiple lineages for more than 100 Myr. These inferences support the hypotheses that (i) maternal dermatophagy is widespread in oviparous direct-developing caecilians, and (ii) that viviparous caecilians that feed on the hypertrophied maternal oviduct evolved from skin-feeding ancestors. In addition to skin-feeding, young S. annulatus were observed to congregate around, and imbibe liquid exuded from, the maternal cloacal opening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Wilkinson
- Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.
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21
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Cytochemistry and morphology of granulocytes of the caecilian Siphonops annulatus (Amphibia, Gymnophiona). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s00580-008-0725-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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22
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Malonza PK, Measey GJ. Life history of an African caecilian:Boulengerula taitanusLoveridge 1935 (Amphibia Gymnophiona Caeciilidae). TROPICAL ZOOLOGY 2005. [DOI: 10.1080/03946975.2005.10531214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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23
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Navas CA, Antoniazzi MM, Carvalho JE, Chaui-Berlink JG, James RS, Jared C, Kohlsdorf T, Pai-Silva MD, Wilson RS. Morphological and physiological specialization for digging in amphisbaenians, an ancient lineage of fossorial vertebrates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 207:2433-41. [PMID: 15184515 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Amphisbaenians are legless reptiles that differ significantly from other vertebrate lineages. Most species dig underground galleries of similar diameter to that of the animal. We studied the muscle physiology and morphological attributes of digging effort in the Brazilian amphisbaenid Leposternon microcephalum (Squamata; Amphisbaenia), which burrows by compressing soil against the upper wall of the tunnel by means of upward strokes of the head. The individuals tested (<72 g) exerted forces on the soil of up to 24 N. These forces were possible because the fibres of the longissimus dorsi, the main muscle associated with burrowing, are highly pennated, thus increasing effective muscle cross-sectional area. The muscle is characterized by a metabolic transition along its length: proximal, medial and distal fibres are fast contracting and moderately oxidative, but fibres closer to the head are richer in citrate synthase and more aerobic in nature. Distal fibres, then, might be active mainly at the final step of the compression stroke, which requires more power. For animals greater than a given diameter, the work required to compress soil increases exponentially with body diameter. Leposternon microcephalum, and probably some other highly specialized amphisbaenids, are most likely constrained to small diameters and can increase muscle mass and effective muscle cross-sectional area by increasing body length, not body diameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Navas
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão Travessa 14 No. 321, CEP 05508-900, SP, Brazil.
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24
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George JM, Smita M, Oommen OV, Akbarsha MA. Histology and ultrastructure of male mullerian gland of Uraeotyphlus narayani (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). J Morphol 2004; 260:33-56. [PMID: 15052595 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
This study reports the anatomy, histology, and ultrastructure of the male Mullerian gland of the caecilian Uraeotyphlus narayani, based on dissections, light microscopic histological and histochemical preparations, and transmission electron microscopic observations. The posterior end of the Mullerian duct and the urinogenital duct of this caecilian join to form a common duct before opening into the cloaca. The boundary of the entire gland has a pleuroperitoneum, followed by smooth muscle fibers and connective tissue. The Mullerian gland is composed of numerous individual tubular glands separated from each other by connective tissue. Each gland has a duct, which joins the central Mullerian duct. The ducts of the tubular glands are also surrounded by abundant connective tissue. The tubular glands differ between the column and the base in regard to the outer boundary and the epithelial organization. The basement membrane of the column is so thick that amoeboid cells may not penetrate it, whereas that around the base of the gland is thin and appears to allow migration of amoeboid cells into and out of the basal aspect of the gland. The epithelium of the column has nonciliated secretory cells with basal nuclei and ciliated nonsecretory cells with apical nuclei. In the epithelium of the base there are secretory cells, ciliated cells, and amoeboid cells. The epithelium of ducts of the tubular glands is formed of ciliated dark cells and microvillated light cells. The epithelium of the central duct is formed of ciliated dark cells also possessing microvilli, ciliated light cells also possessing microvilli, and microvillated light cells that lack cilia. It is regressed during March to June when the testis lobes are in a state of quiescence. The Mullerian gland is active in secretion during July to February when the testis is active in spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jancy M George
- Department of Animal Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620 024, India
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Gomes FR, Bevier CR, Navas CA. Environmental and Physiological Factors Influence Antipredator Behavior in Scinax hiemalis (Anura: Hylidae). COPEIA 2002. [DOI: 10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0994:eapfia]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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