DOCSLIB.ORG

Ultrastructure of the Mature Spermatozoa of Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ultrastructure of the Mature Spermatozoa of Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 258:179–192 (2003) Ultrastructure of the Mature Spermatozoa of Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) David M. Scheltinga,1 Mark Wilkinson,2 Barrie G.M. Jamieson,1 and Oommen V. Oommen3 1Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia 2Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK 3Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, 695 581, Trivandrum, India ABSTRACT The spermatozoa of Gymnophiona show the study. However, some caecilian species, such as the following autapomorphies: 1) penetration of the distal cen- aquatic Typhlonectes natans, are often available triole by the axial fiber; 2) presence of an acrosomal base- commercially through the pet trade, and at least plate; 3) presence of an acrosome seat (flattened apical end some terrestrial species are known to be locally of nucleus); and 4) absence of juxta-axonemal fibers. The wide separation of the plasma membrane bounding the abundant, offering improved opportunities for eco- undulating membrane is here also considered to be apo- logical as well as morphological study (e.g., Oommen morphic. Three plesiomorphic spermatozoal characters et al., 2000; Measey et al., 2001). are recognized that are not seen in other Amphibia but The only caecilian spermatozoon that has been occur in basal amniotes: 1) presence of mitochondria with examined ultrastructurally is that of Typhlonectes a delicate array of concentric cristae (concentric cristae of natans (Typhlonectidae) (van der Horst and van der salamander spermatozoa differ in lacking the delicate ar- Merwe, 1991; van der Horst et al., 1991). Until re- ray); 2) presence of peripheral dense fibers associated with cently, light microscope observations had been re- the triplets of the distal centriole; and 3) presence of a simple annulus (a highly modified, elongate annulus is ported for just five other taxa, Ichthyophis glu- present in salamander sperm). The presence of an endo- tinosus (Ichthyophiidae), Uraeotyphlus narayani nuclear canal containing a perforatorium is a plesiomor- (Uraeotyphlidae), Siphonops annulatus (Caecili- phic feature of caecilian spermatozoa that is shared with idae), and Gegeneophis carnosus (Caeciliidae) by Se- urodeles, some basal anurans, sarcopterygian fish, and shachar (1939, 1940, 1943, 1945), and Chthonerpe- some amniotes. Spermatozoal synapomorphies are identi- ton indistinctum (Typhlonectidae) by de Sa and fied for 1) the Uraeotyphlidae and Ichthyophiidae, and 2) Berois (1986). Owing to changes in caecilian taxon- the Caeciliidae and Typhlonectidae, suggesting that the omy and an absence of known voucher specimens, members of each pair of families are more closely related to each other than to other caecilians. Although caecilian the specific, although not the generic, identity of the spermatozoa exhibit the clear amphibian synapomorphy material referred to by Seshachar as I. glutinosus, of the unilateral location of the undulating membrane and G. carnosus, and perhaps also U. narayani must be its axial fiber, they have no apomorphic characters that considered uncertain. Recently, Wake (1994) has suggest a closer relationship to either the Urodela or greatly augmented the number of caecilians (22 gen- Anura. J. Morphol. 258:179–192, 2003. era, 29 species, representing all families) examined © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. for spermatozoal morphology using light micros- copy. Unfortunately, due to the age and fixation of KEY WORDS: Gegeneophis; Ichthyophis; Typhlonectes; some of the samples used by Wake (1994), major Uraeotyphlus; spermatozoa; phylogeny features of spermatozoal morphology, such as the presence or absence of an undulating membrane, were often uncertain. Furthermore, important fea- Caecilians (Gymnophiona) are one of the three tures such as the structure of the acrosome or the orders of extant Amphibia. They are relatively poorly known snake or worm-like limbless amphib- ians. Approximately 160 species, 32 genera, and six families of these distinctive amphibians are cur- Contract grant sponsors: Department of Zoology and Entomology (Research Grant to DMS), Australian Research Council (to BGMJ), rently recognized, although the lower-level taxon- the Natural Environment Research Council; Contract grant number: omy of the group is not stable (Nussbaum and GST/02/832 (to MW). Wilkinson, 1989). Given that the group has a pri- marily tropical distribution and the majority of spe- *Correspondence to: David Scheltinga, Department of Zoology and cies are fossorial, it is perhaps not surprising that Entomology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 4072. knowledge of many aspects of caecilian biology lag E-mail: [email protected] behind that of frogs (Anura) and salamanders (Urodela). The single biggest obstacle to advances in caecilian biology has been the paucity of material for DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10139 © 2003 WILEY-LISS, INC. 180 D.M SCHELTINGA ET AL. occurrence of axial and/or juxta-axonemal fibers rinsed in 0.1 M PB, postfixed for 80 min in similarly buffered 1% were not determinable by the techniques employed osmium tetroxide, rinsed in buffer, dehydrated through an as- cending ethanol series (20–100%), and infiltrated and embedded by Wake (1994). in Spurr’s epoxy resin (Spurr, 1969). The present account is the first ultrastructural Sections were cut with diamond knives on an LKB 2128 UM IV description of mature spermatozoa of representa- microtome. Thin sections, 50–80 nm thick, were collected on tives of the caecilian families Ichthyophiidae (Ich- carbon stabilized, colloidin-coated, 200 ␮m mesh copper grids, thyophis beddomei and I. tricolor), Uraeotyphlidae stained for 30 sec in Reynolds’ lead citrate (Reynolds, 1963), rinsed in distilled water, then placed in 6% aqueous uranyl ace- (three forms, probably distinct species, of Uraeo- tate for 4 min, rinsed in distilled water, and stained for a further typhlus), and Caeciliidae (Gegeneophis rama- 2 min in lead citrate before final rinsing (Daddow, 1986). Electron swamii). The spermatozoa of Typhlonectes natans micrographs were taken on a Hitachi 300 electron microscope at (Typhlonectidae) is reexamined in order to obtain 75 kV. Light microscopic observations and photographs of sper- matozoa, from glutaraldehyde-fixed tissue squashes, were made more detail of its structure. Description of sperma- using an Olympus BH2 microscope with Nomarski interference tozoal ultrastructure in four of the six currently contrast and an attached OM-2 camera. recognized caecilian families allows a preliminary discussion of caecilian interrelationships based on spermatozoal characters. RESULTS Spermatozoa of Ichthyophis and MATERIALS AND METHODS Uraeotyphlus Caecilians used in this study were collected from synanthropic Examination of the spermatozoa of all three spe- cultivated habitats in the Western Ghats regions of Kerala, cies of Uraeotyphlus, and the two species of Ichthyo- Southern India, with the exception of a single specimen of the South American Typhlonectes natans (Fischer, 1880 “1879”) phis, revealed no difference in ultrastructure within which was obtained commercially and is believed to have come a genus; however, differences in dimensions (Table from Colombia. Voucher specimens of all Indian caecilians are 1) of the spermatozoa were detected between species deposited in the collection of the Department of Zoology, Univer- and give some support to the proposition that at sity of Kerala, as follows. least Uraeotyphlus A and B are distinct species. Due Gegeneophis ramaswamii Taylor, 1964: MW 79 collected at Bonaccord, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (08°40Ј46.3ЉN, to the small number of mature spermatozoa present 77°10Ј08.6ЉE, 593m asl) on 14 October 1999; MW 180-182 col- in the testis material of Uraeotyphlus C, no mea- lected either at Bonaccord or Thekkada, Thiruvananthapuram, surements were obtained for this species. Kerala (08°37Ј43.1ЉN, 76°57Ј38.1ЉE, 60m asl) in either 1998 or The general structure of the spermatozoa of Ich- 1999. Ichthyophis beddomei Peters, 1880 “1879”: MW 283, collected thyophis tricolor, I. beddomei, and Uraeotyphlus at Thalapuzha, Wayanad, Kerala (11°49Ј59.4ЉN, 75°57Ј53.6ЉE, species A, B, and C is sufficiently similar to be de- 700m asl) on 21 October 1999. Ichthyophis beddomei is a poorly scribed together, while noting the few observed dif- circumscribed species. The type specimen may be lost (Taylor, ferences between the two genera. The spermatozoa 1968) and it is unclear that all reports of this species actually are filiform and under light microscopy the acrosome pertain to the taxon described by Peters (1879). The type locality, the Nilghiris Hills, is ϳ60 km from Thalapuzha and of similar and nucleus appear as distinct structures, with a altitude. MW 283 fits the current but probably poorly refined rounded acrosome tip (Fig. 1A,E). Distinction can be concepts of this species (Taylor, 1968; Pillai and Ravichandran, made between the differing midpieces of the two 1999) reasonably well. However, the assignment of MW 283 to I. genera at the light microscope level. The midpiece of beddomei is with the caveat that it might be affected by any future revision of I. beddomei. Ichthyophis tricolor Annandale, Ichthyophis appears homogeneous, whereas that of 1909: MW 127, collected at Kollamom, Thiruvananthapuram, Uraeotyphlus has spherical mitochondria which re- Kerala (08°32Ј21.8ЉN, 77°06Ј37.9ЉE, 139m asl) on 14 October semble a cluster of grapes (racemose arrangement). 1999; MW 183-4, collected at Thekkada, Thiruvananthapuram,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Western Ghats & Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot
    Ecosystem Profile WESTERN GHATS & SRI LANKA BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT WESTERN GHATS REGION FINAL VERSION MAY 2007 Prepared by: Kamal S. Bawa, Arundhati Das and Jagdish Krishnaswamy (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment - ATREE) K. Ullas Karanth, N. Samba Kumar and Madhu Rao (Wildlife Conservation Society) in collaboration with: Praveen Bhargav, Wildlife First K.N. Ganeshaiah, University of Agricultural Sciences Srinivas V., Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning incorporating contributions from: Narayani Barve, ATREE Sham Davande, ATREE Balanchandra Hegde, Sahyadri Wildlife and Forest Conservation Trust N.M. Ishwar, Wildlife Institute of India Zafar-ul Islam, Indian Bird Conservation Network Niren Jain, Kudremukh Wildlife Foundation Jayant Kulkarni, Envirosearch S. Lele, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment & Development M.D. Madhusudan, Nature Conservation Foundation Nandita Mahadev, University of Agricultural Sciences Kiran M.C., ATREE Prachi Mehta, Envirosearch Divya Mudappa, Nature Conservation Foundation Seema Purshothaman, ATREE Roopali Raghavan, ATREE T. R. Shankar Raman, Nature Conservation Foundation Sharmishta Sarkar, ATREE Mohammed Irfan Ullah, ATREE and with the technical support of: Conservation International-Center for Applied Biodiversity Science Assisted by the following experts and contributors: Rauf Ali Gladwin Joseph Uma Shaanker Rene Borges R. Kannan B. Siddharthan Jake Brunner Ajith Kumar C.S. Silori ii Milind Bunyan M.S.R. Murthy Mewa Singh Ravi Chellam Venkat Narayana H. Sudarshan B.A. Daniel T.S. Nayar R. Sukumar Ranjit Daniels Rohan Pethiyagoda R. Vasudeva Soubadra Devy Narendra Prasad K. Vasudevan P. Dharma Rajan M.K. Prasad Muthu Velautham P.S. Easa Asad Rahmani Arun Venkatraman Madhav Gadgil S.N. Rai Siddharth Yadav T. Ganesh Pratim Roy Santosh George P.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from Myanmar
    Zootaxa 3785 (1): 045–058 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3785.1.4 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7EF35A95-5C75-4D16-8EE4-F84934A80C2A A new species of striped Ichthyophis Fitzinger, 1826 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from Myanmar MARK WILKINSON1,5, BRONWEN PRESSWELL1,2, EMMA SHERRATT1,3, ANNA PAPADOPOULOU1,4 & DAVID J. GOWER1 1Department of Zoology!, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK 2Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin New Zealand 3Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cam- bridge, MA 02138, USA 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 41809, USA 5Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ! Currently the Department of Life Sciences Abstract A new species of striped ichthyophiid caecilian, Ichthyophis multicolor sp. nov., is described on the basis of morpholog- ical and molecular data from a sample of 14 specimens from Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. The new species resembles superficially the Indian I. tricolor Annandale, 1909 in having both a pale lateral stripe and an adjacent dark ventrolateral stripe contrasting with a paler venter. It differs from I. tricolor in having many more annuli, and in many details of cranial osteology, and molecular data indicate that it is more closely related to other Southeast Asian Ichthyophis than to those of South Asia. The caecilian fauna of Myanmar is exceptionally poorly known but is likely to include chikilids as well as multiple species of Ichthyophis.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Report
    Assessing the distribution and conservation status of Variable Bush Frog (Raorchestes chalazodes Gunther, 1876) in the Konni Bio-reserve – Shenduruni Wildlife Sanctury (Konni Forest Division, Achankovil Forest Divison , Thenmala Forest Divison and Shenduruni Wildlife Division) of Western Ghats, India Final report (2014-2015) David V Raju Manoj P Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences Kottayam, Kerala Summary Amphibians and their tadpoles are significant in the maintenance of ecosystems, playing a crucial role as secondary consumers in the food chain, nutritional cycle, and pest control. Over the past two decades, amphibian research has gained global attention due to the drastic decline in their populations due to various natural and anthropogenic causes. Several new taxa have been discovered during this period, including in the Western Ghats and Northeast regions of Indian subcontinent. In this backdrop, the detailed account on the population and conservation status of Raorchestes chalazodes, a Rhacophorid frog which was rediscovered after a time span of 136 years was studied in detail. Forests of Konni bio reserve - Shenduruni wildlife sanctuary were selected as the study area and recorded the population and breeding behavior of the critically endangered frog. Introduction India, which is one of the top biodiversity hotspots of the world, harbors a significant percentage of global biodiversity. Its diverse habitats and climatic conditions are vital for sustaining this rich diversity. India also ranks high in harboring rich amphibian diversity. The country, ironically also holds second place in Asia, in having the most number of threatened amphibian species with close to 25% facing possible extinction (IUCN, 2009). The most recent IUCN assessments have highlighted amphibians as among the most threatened vertebrates globally, with nearly one third (30%) of the world’s species being threatened (Hof et al., 2011).
    [Show full text]
  • Biogeographic Analysis Reveals Ancient Continental Vicariance and Recent Oceanic Dispersal in Amphibians ∗ R
    Syst. Biol. 63(5):779–797, 2014 © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected] DOI:10.1093/sysbio/syu042 Advance Access publication June 19, 2014 Biogeographic Analysis Reveals Ancient Continental Vicariance and Recent Oceanic Dispersal in Amphibians ∗ R. ALEXANDER PYRON Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA; ∗ Correspondence to be sent to: Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA; E-mail: [email protected]. Received 13 February 2014; reviews returned 17 April 2014; accepted 13 June 2014 Downloaded from Associate Editor: Adrian Paterson Abstract.—Amphibia comprises over 7000 extant species distributed in almost every ecosystem on every continent except Antarctica. Most species also show high specificity for particular habitats, biomes, or climatic niches, seemingly rendering long-distance dispersal unlikely. Indeed, many lineages still seem to show the signature of their Pangaean origin, approximately 300 Ma later. To date, no study has attempted a large-scale historical-biogeographic analysis of the group to understand the distribution of extant lineages. Here, I use an updated chronogram containing 3309 species (~45% of http://sysbio.oxfordjournals.org/ extant diversity) to reconstruct their movement between 12 global ecoregions. I find that Pangaean origin and subsequent Laurasian and Gondwanan fragmentation explain a large proportion of patterns in the distribution of extant species. However, dispersal during the Cenozoic, likely across land bridges or short distances across oceans, has also exerted a strong influence.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from Myanmar
    Zootaxa 3785 (1): 045–058 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3785.1.4 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7EF35A95-5C75-4D16-8EE4-F84934A80C2A A new species of striped Ichthyophis Fitzinger, 1826 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from Myanmar MARK WILKINSON1,5, BRONWEN PRESSWELL1,2, EMMA SHERRATT1,3, ANNA PAPADOPOULOU1,4 & DAVID J. GOWER1 1Department of Zoology!, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK 2Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin New Zealand 3Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cam- bridge, MA 02138, USA 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 41809, USA 5Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ! Currently the Department of Life Sciences Abstract A new species of striped ichthyophiid caecilian, Ichthyophis multicolor sp. nov., is described on the basis of morpholog- ical and molecular data from a sample of 14 specimens from Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. The new species resembles superficially the Indian I. tricolor Annandale, 1909 in having both a pale lateral stripe and an adjacent dark ventrolateral stripe contrasting with a paler venter. It differs from I. tricolor in having many more annuli, and in many details of cranial osteology, and molecular data indicate that it is more closely related to other Southeast Asian Ichthyophis than to those of South Asia. The caecilian fauna of Myanmar is exceptionally poorly known but is likely to include chikilids as well as multiple species of Ichthyophis.
    [Show full text]
  • Sertoli Cells in the Testis of Caecilians, Ichthyophis Tricolor and Uraeotyphlus Cf. Narayani (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): Light and Electron Microscopic Perspective
    JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 258:317–326 (2003) Sertoli Cells in the Testis of Caecilians, Ichthyophis tricolor and Uraeotyphlus cf. narayani (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): Light and Electron Microscopic Perspective Mathew Smita,1 Oommen V. Oommen,1* Jancy M. George,2 and M.A. Akbarsha2 1Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581, Kerala, India 2Departmnt of Animal Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Thiruchirappalli 620 024, Tamilnadu, India ABSTRACT The caecilians have evolved a unique pat- that surround the cyst/follicle (Fraile et al., 1990; tern of cystic spermatogenesis in which cysts representing Saez et al., 1990; Grier, 1993; Koulish et al., 2002). different stages in spermatogenesis coexist in a testis lob- The follicle cells are known as Sertoli cells when ule. We examined unsettled issues relating to the organi- spermatids form a bundle. Their apical tips become zation of the caecilian testis lobules, including the occur- embedded in the crypts formed by invaginations of rence of a fatty matrix, the possibility of both peripheral and central Sertoli cells, the origin of Sertoli cells from the follicle cell membrane and point towards its follicular cells, and the disengagement of older Sertoli nucleus. This arrangement resembles the Sertoli cells to become loose central Sertoli cells. We subjected the cell / germ cell association in amniotes (Lofts, 1974; testis of Ichthyophis tricolor (Ichthyophiidae) and Uraeo- Bergmann et al., 1982). In anamniotes, with the typhlus cf. narayani (Uraeotyphliidae) from the Western progression of spermatogenesis, isogenic spermato- Ghats of Kerala, India, to light and transmission electron zoa are produced and released by rupture of the cyst microscopic studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Gekkotan Lizard Taxonomy
    3% 5% 2% 4% 3% 5% H 2% 4% A M A D R Y 3% 5% A GEKKOTAN LIZARD TAXONOMY 2% 4% D ARNOLD G. KLUGE V O 3% 5% L 2% 4% 26 NO.1 3% 5% 2% 4% 3% 5% 2% 4% J A 3% 5% N 2% 4% U A R Y 3% 5% 2 2% 4% 0 0 1 VOL. 26 NO. 1 JANUARY, 2001 3% 5% 2% 4% INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTRIBUTORS Hamadryad publishes original papers dealing with, but not necessarily restricted to, the herpetology of Asia. Re- views of books and major papers are also published. Manuscripts should be only in English and submitted in triplicate (one original and two copies, along with three cop- ies of all tables and figures), printed or typewritten on one side of the paper. Manuscripts can also be submitted as email file attachments. Papers previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere should not be submitted. Final submissions of accepted papers on disks (IBM-compatible only) are desirable. For general style, contributors are requested to examine the current issue of Hamadryad. Authors with access to publication funds are requested to pay US$ 5 or equivalent per printed page of their papers to help defray production costs. Reprints cost Rs. 2.00 or 10 US cents per page inclusive of postage charges, and should be ordered at the time the paper is accepted. Major papers exceeding four pages (double spaced typescript) should contain the following headings: Title, name and address of author (but not titles and affiliations), Abstract, Key Words (five to 10 words), Introduction, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Literature Cited (only the references cited in the paper).
    [Show full text]
  • Spermiogenesis in Caecilians Ichthyophis Tricolor and Uraeotyphlus Cf
    JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 262:484–499 (2004) Spermiogenesis in Caecilians Ichthyophis tricolor and Uraeotyphlus cf. narayani (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): Analysis by Light and Transmission Electron Microscopy Mathew Smita,1 Jancy M. George,2 R. Girija,2 M.A. Akbarsha,2 and Oommen V. Oommen1* 1Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, 695 581, Kerala, India 2Department of Animal Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India ABSTRACT Spermiogenesis, known as spermateleosis times availability in fair abundance of a few species in lower vertebrates, is the transformation of the round of caecilians has been reported, which has kindled spermatid into a highly specialized spermatozoon with a interest about their ecology, behavior, and reproduc- species-specific structure. Spermateleosis and sperm mor- tive biology (Oommen et al., 2000). phology of two species of caecilians, Ichthyophis tricolor and Uraeotyphlus cf. narayani, from the Western Ghats of The most outstanding contributions on male re- Kerala, India, were studied using light and transmission productive biology of caecilians have come from Se- electron microscopy. Spermateleosis is described in early, shachar (1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942a,b, mid-, and late phases. During the early phase, the sper- 1943a,b, 1945, 1948; Seshachar and Srinath, 1946), matid nucleus does not elongate, but the acrosome vesicle Wake (1968, 1970a,b, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1994, 1995), is Golgi-derived and its material is produced as a homo- Exbrayat (1986a,b, 2000), and Exbrayat and Dan- geneous substance rather than as discrete granules. In sard (1992, 1993, 1994). Light microscopic observa- development of the acrosome, the centrioles shift in posi- tions on caecilian spermatozoon have been reported tion to the lower half of the cell.
    [Show full text]
  • Endemic Animals of India
    ENDEMIC ANIMALS OF INDIA Edited by K. VENKATARAMAN A. CHATTOPADHYAY K.A. SUBRAMANIAN ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Prani Vigyan Bhawan, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053 Phone: +91 3324006893, +91 3324986820 website: www.zsLgov.in CITATION Venkataraman, K., Chattopadhyay, A. and Subramanian, K.A. (Editors). 2013. Endemic Animals of India (Vertebrates): 1-235+26 Plates. (Published by the Director, Zoological Survey ofIndia, Kolkata) Published: May, 2013 ISBN 978-81-8171-334-6 Printing of Publication supported by NBA © Government ofIndia, 2013 Published at the Publication Division by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, M -Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700053. Printed at Hooghly Printing Co., Ltd., Kolkata-700 071. ~~ "!I~~~~~ NATIONA BIODIVERSITY AUTHORITY ~.1it. ifl(itCfiW I .3lUfl IDr. (P. fJJa{a~rlt/a Chairman FOREWORD Each passing day makes us feel that we live in a world with diminished ecological diversity and disappearing life forms. We have been extracting energy, materials and organisms from nature and altering landscapes at a rate that cannot be a sustainable one. Our nature is an essential partnership; an 'essential', because each living species has its space and role', and performs an activity vital to the whole; a 'partnership', because the biological species or the living components of nature can only thrive together, because together they create a dynamic equilibrium. Nature is further a dynamic entity that never remains the same- that changes, that adjusts, that evolves; 'equilibrium', that is in spirit, balanced and harmonious. Nature, in fact, promotes evolution, radiation and diversity. The current biodiversity is an inherited vital resource to us, which needs to be carefully conserved for our future generations as it holds the key to the progress in agriculture, aquaculture, clothing, food, medicine and numerous other fields.
    [Show full text]
  • Frog Leg Newsletter of the Amphibian Network of South Asia and Amphibian Specialist Group - South Asia ISSN: 2230-7060 No.16 | May 2011
    frog leg Newsletter of the Amphibian Network of South Asia and Amphibian Specialist Group - South Asia ISSN: 2230-7060 No.16 | May 2011 Contents Checklist of Amphibians: Agumbe Rainforest Research Station -- Chetana Babburjung Purushotham & Benjamin Tapley, Pp. 2–14. Checklist of amphibians of Western Ghats -- K.P. Dinesh & C. Radhakrishnan, Pp. 15–20. A new record of Ichthyophis kodaguensis -- Sanjay Molur & Payal Molur, Pp. 21–23. Observation of Himalayan Newt Tylototriton verrucosus in Namdapaha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India -- Janmejay Sethy & N.P.S. Chauhan, Pp. 24–26 www.zoosprint.org/Newsletters/frogleg.htm Date of publication: 30 May 2011 frog leg is registered under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, which allows unrestricted use of articles in any medium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication. OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOAD 1 frog leg | #16 | May 2011 Checklist of Amphibians: Agumbe Rainforest monitor amphibians in the long Research Station term. Chetana Babburjung Purushotham 1 & Benjamin Tapley 2 Agumbe Rainforest Research Station 1 Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Suralihalla, Agumbe, The Agumbe Rainforest Thirthahalli Taluk, Shivamogga District, Karnataka, India Research Station (75.0887100E 2 Bushy Ruff Cottages, Alkham RD, Temple Ewell, Dover, Kent, CT16 13.5181400N) is located in the 3EE England, Agumbe Reserve forest at an Email: 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected] elevation of 650m. Agumbe has the second highest annual World wide, amphibian (Molur 2008). The forests of rainfall in India with 7000mm populations are declining the Western Ghats are under per annum and temperatures (Alford & Richards 1999), and threat.
    [Show full text]
  • Ultrastructural Observations of Previtellogenic Ovarian Follicles of the Caecilians Ichthyophis Tricolor and Gegeneophis Ramaswamii
    JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 268:329–342 (2007) Ultrastructural Observations of Previtellogenic Ovarian Follicles of the Caecilians Ichthyophis tricolor and Gegeneophis ramaswamii Reston S. Beyo,1 Parameswaran Sreejith,1 Lekha Divya,1 Oommen V. Oommen,1* and Mohammad A. Akbarsha2 1Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695581, India 2Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, India ABSTRACT The ultrastructural organization of the these stages in the anurans as previtellogenesis, previtellogenic follicles of the caecilians Ichthyophis tri- vitellogenesis, and postvitellogenesis and sug- color and Gegeneophis ramaswamii, of the Western gested that such a classification can serve as a Ghats of India, were observed. Both species follow a sim- framework for more studies in anuran oogenesis to ilar seasonal reproductive pattern. The ovaries contain compare this process in different species. Dumont primordial follicles throughout the year with previtello- genic, vitellogenic, or postvitellogenic follicles, depending (1972) divided oogenesis in Xenopus leavis into six upon the reproductive status. The just-recruited primor- stages, and each stage of oocyte development was dial follicle includes an oocyte surrounded by a single correlated with histological, ultrastructural, physi- layer of follicle and thecal cells. The differentiation of ological, and biochemical characteristics. According the theca into externa and interna layers, the follicle to Uribe (2003), follicular maturation in Ambys- cells into dark and light variants, and the appearance of toma mexicanum, a urodele, can be divided into primordial yolk platelets and mitochondrial clouds in six stages-previtellogenic Stages 1 and 2, vitello- the ooplasm mark the transition of the primordial fol- genic Stages 3–5, and preovulatory oocyte, Stage licle into a previtellogenic follicle.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Book (PDF)
    Altas of Endemic Amphibians of Western Ghats KA. SUBRAMANIANI, KP. DINESH2 AND C. RADHAKRISHNAN3 1 Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata. 2 Southern Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Santhome High Road, Chennai. 3 Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Jaffer Khan Colony, Calicut. Edited by the Director, Zoological Survey ofIndia, Kolkata ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA KOLKATA Citation Subramanian, K.A., Dinesh, K.P., Radhakrishnan, C., 2013. Atlas of Endemic Amphibians of Western Ghats: 1-246, (Published by the Director, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata) Published: September, 2013 ISBN 978-81-8171-349-0 © Govt. of India, 2013 All Rights Reserved • No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. • This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, re-sold hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher's consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. • The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page. Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. Price India ~ 2600.00 Foreign $ 130.00; £ 100.00 Published at the Publication Division by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata-700 053 and printed at Calcutta Repro Graphics, Kolkata-700 006. Preface Amphibians comprising of frogs, toads and caecilians are important vertebrates of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
    [Show full text]