DOCSLIB.ORG

Main Idea and Details READ the PASSAGE Stop After Each Paragraph and Tell Yourself What It Is Mostly A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Main Idea and Details READ the PASSAGE Stop After Each Paragraph and Tell Yourself What It Is Mostly A Name: WEEK 7 Main Idea and Details DAY 1 READ THE PASSAGE Stop after each paragraph and tell yourself what it is mostly about. Life on Jupiter’s Icy Moon Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is made up of many different kinds of gases. It is so big that 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter! And it has 63 moons. Some of its moons are like small planets, and others are pieces of frozen rock and ice. Studying Jupiter’s moons has helped scientists learn more about the solar system. But the moon that scientists are most interested in is Europa (yur-OH-pa). The conditions on Europa make it the most likely place other than Earth to have life in our solar system. It is covered in a layer of ice, and some scientists believe a liquid ocean lies beneath the icy surface. If this is true, Europa may have simple forms of life in these oceans. The creatures on Europa would probably be too small to see without a microscope. But the idea of anything at all living on Europa is very exciting. Right now, we cannot explore Europa because it is too cold and too far away to send people there. The spacecrafts and robots we have are not sturdy enough to land on the surface. But scientists have big plans. In the future, they hope to send one robot to melt some of the ice on Europa’s surface, and another robot to swim through its oceans. The information that these robots gather could change what we think about life beyond Earth. SKILL PRACTICE Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer. 1. What is the passage mostly about? 3. What is the main idea of the last paragraph? A Jupiter’s many moons A Exploring Europa is very difficult. B life on Europa B People are better than robots. C scientists’ search for new life C Scientists want to discover new life. D the problem with exploring outer space D Life can only be discovered by machines. 2. Europa is best described as . 4. Which of these explains why scientists think A warm and full of life life could exist on Europa? B cold and uninteresting A The creatures would be too small to see without a microscope. C icy and mysterious B Europa is one of Jupiter’s 63 moons. D cool and dry C Europa has a layer of ice that may have liquid below it. D Jupiter is the solar system’s largest planet. STRATEGY PRACTICE As you were reading, which paragraph was easiest to understand? Why? © Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3454 • Daily Reading Comprehension 47 3454.indb 47 10/19/10 8:01 AM Name: WEEK 7 Main Idea and Details DAY 2 READ THE PASSAGE Think about the main idea of the passage. Picture the important details in your mind. A Frog with . Claws? Animals have many ways of defending themselves. Some use poison or bad smells. Others hide or use camouflage to keep from being seen. But one animal with a really weird defense is the hairy frog. This tiny frog lives in Central Africa and has hair-like strands on the lower part of its body. But the strangest part about this frog is its claws! When the hairy frog is threatened, it will break the biggest of the three toe bones in each of its feet. The broken bone then juts out of the skin as a type of “claw.” It looks like a small thorn on the bottom of the frog’s foot. But this claw isn’t the same as the claw on a cat or dog. It is made of bone instead of keratin (KARE-uh-tin), the material that animal claws and your fingernails are made of. Also, the hairy frog can’t pull its claws back into the skin like most animals can. Instead, the skin and bone slowly heal. The hairy frog isn’t the only amphibian to use its bones as a weapon. The ribbed newt can cause its sharp ribs to poke out through its skin. To make things worse, the ribs are covered in poison! So, hungry fish or birds looking for a quick snack get a painful poke in the mouth instead. Who knew such tiny creatures could be so dangerous? SKILL PRACTICE Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer. 1. What is the passage mostly about? 3. How does the hairy frog produce its claws? A the ribbed newt A It breaks its ribs through its skin. B the hairy frog B It grows claws like a cat or dog. C animals with claws C It has camouflage that looks like claws. D animals with broken bones D It breaks its toe bones through its skin. 2. What is the last paragraph mostly about? 4. Which detail supports the main idea of A an animal similar to the hairy frog the passage? B natural enemies of the hairy frog A Some animals use bad smells to protect themselves. C how bones protect animals B Some animals use poison to protect D why hairy frogs are better than themselves. ribbed newts C Some animals use their bones to protect themselves. D Some animals hide to protect themselves. STRATEGY PRACTICE On a separate piece of paper, sketch the foot of a hairy frog as you visualized it from the passage. 48 Daily Reading Comprehension • EMC 3454 • © Evan-Moor Corp. 3454.indb 48 10/19/10 8:01 AM Name: WEEK 13 Main Idea and Details DAY 1 READ THE PASSAGE Make sure you understand the facts about fungi (FUN-geye or FUN-jeye). Fascinating Fungi Do you like pizza with fungus on it? You do if you eat mushrooms on your pizza. Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and so are molds. They are living things that grow best where conditions are damp and warm. Unlike plants, fungi do not make their own food. Fungi take what they need from whatever they are growing on. Fungi are not particular about where they feed. A peach that’s getting soft is a perfect place for mold to grow. Mold will settle on the peach and attach itself with fine threads. These spread rapidly and form black, white, pink, or green fuzz. A moist shower curtain may not sound as tasty as a peach, but to mold it’s just as nutritious! And in the woods, fungi flourish. They are everywhere and help dead plants and animals break down and rot. There is no one shape or color of fungi. Many fungi have names based on the types of mushrooms they produce. Small yellow buttons of fungi are called fairy cups. Shiny globs of slimy fungi are known as witches’ butter. Red mushrooms trimmed with tiny fibers are called eyelashes. But no matter what they are called, all fungi are fascinating! SKILL PRACTICE Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer. 1. What is the main idea of the passage? 3. Why might a soft peach have green fuzz? A People eat fungi on pizza and other foods. A A soft peach is wet and cold. B Fungi grow in warm and damp places. B Mold is living on the peach. C Fungi are interesting living things that C The peach is making some mold. eat almost anything. D The peach is a living thing. D Fungi help things in the forest rot. 4. Based on the passage, which one is true 2. Based on the passage, which one is true about mushrooms? about fungi? A Mushrooms are types of mold. A All fungi are good toppings for food. B All mushrooms are brown or tan. B Fungi grow mostly in areas where C Mushrooms help break down dead trees. it snows. D Like plants, mushrooms use the sun C Some shiny fungi are used as butter. to make their food. D Fungi grow on both living and nonliving things. STRATEGY PRACTICE In your own words, write three facts about fungi. © Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3454 • Daily Reading Comprehension 83 3454.indb 83 10/19/10 8:01 AM Name: WEEK 13 Main Idea and Details DAY 2 READ THE PASSAGE Stop often to make sure you understand the main idea and important details. Red Cow and Purple Whale Imagine a zebra with horizontal stripes and plaid legs. Picture a red cow with a large square body and bright green legs. Think about a giraffe that looks like a huge, fat, yellow pencil. These animals actually exist. They’re just some of the figures on a fantastic carousel, or merry-go-round, in a park in Harlem, New York. The ride is called Totally Kid Carousel because the animals were designed by kids. An artist named Milo Mottola was hired to make the merry-go-round. He invited children to the park. Dressed in armor made of foam rubber, he explained that carousels go back to the time of knights. He gave drawing lessons to the kids and told them to let their imaginations loose. Milo had a tough time choosing the winning drawings. Once he did, he made the animal figures look exactly as they had been drawn. “I wanted the merry-go-round to be as magical as the children who ride it,” said Mottola. Each original drawing hangs in a frame over its animal figure on the carousel, and the kids’ signatures are carved into the wooden floor.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Goliath Frogs Build Nests for Spawning – the Reason for Their Gigantism? Marvin Schäfera, Sedrick Junior Tsekanéb, F
    JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY 2019, VOL. 53, NOS. 21–22, 1263–1276 https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2019.1642528 Goliath frogs build nests for spawning – the reason for their gigantism? Marvin Schäfera, Sedrick Junior Tsekanéb, F. Arnaud M. Tchassemb, Sanja Drakulića,b,c, Marina Kamenib, Nono L. Gonwouob and Mark-Oliver Rödel a,b,c aMuseum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany; bFaculty of Science, Laboratory of Zoology, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon; cFrogs & Friends, Berlin, Germany ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY In contrast to its popularity, astonishingly few facts have become Received 16 April 2019 known about the biology of the Goliath Frog, Conraua goliath.We Accepted 7 July 2019 herein report the so far unknown construction of nests as spawning KEYWORDS sites by this species. On the Mpoula River, Littoral District, West Amphibia; Anura; Cameroon; Cameroon we identified 19 nests along a 400 m section. Nests Conraua goliath; Conrauidae; could be classified into three types. Type 1 constitutes rock pools parental care that were cleared by the frogs from detritus and leaf-litter; type 2 constitutes existing washouts at the riverbanks that were cleared from leaf-litter and/or expanded, and type 3 were depressions dug by the frogs into gravel riverbanks. The cleaning and digging activ- ities of the frogs included removal of small to larger items, ranging from sand and leaves to larger stones. In all nest types eggs and tadpoles of C. goliath were detected. All nest types were used for egg deposition several times, and could comprise up to three distinct cohorts of tadpoles.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Islands Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use
    Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and its Islands Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 6 IUCN - The World Conservation Union IUCN Species Survival Commission Role of the SSC The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is IUCN's primary source of the 4. To provide advice, information, and expertise to the Secretariat of the scientific and technical information required for the maintenance of biologi- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna cal diversity through the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species and Flora (CITES) and other international agreements affecting conser- of fauna and flora, whilst recommending and promoting measures for their vation of species or biological diversity. conservation, and for the management of other species of conservation con- cern. Its objective is to mobilize action to prevent the extinction of species, 5. To carry out specific tasks on behalf of the Union, including: sub-species and discrete populations of fauna and flora, thereby not only maintaining biological diversity but improving the status of endangered and • coordination of a programme of activities for the conservation of bio- vulnerable species. logical diversity within the framework of the IUCN Conservation Programme. Objectives of the SSC • promotion of the maintenance of biological diversity by monitoring 1. To participate in the further development, promotion and implementation the status of species and populations of conservation concern. of the World Conservation Strategy; to advise on the development of IUCN's Conservation Programme; to support the implementation of the • development and review of conservation action plans and priorities Programme' and to assist in the development, screening, and monitoring for species and their populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Plasticity of Lung Development in the Amphibian, Xenopus Laevis
    1324 Research Article Plasticity of lung development in the amphibian, Xenopus laevis Christopher S. Rose* and Brandon James James Madison University, Department of Biology, Biosciences 2028, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA *Author for correspondence ([email protected]) Biology Open 2, 1324–1335 doi: 10.1242/bio.20133772 Received 26th November 2012 Accepted 26th September 2013 Summary Contrary to previous studies, we found that Xenopus laevis role of mechanical forces in lung development. Lung tadpoles raised in normoxic water without access to air can recovery in AR frogs was unpredictable and did not routinely complete metamorphosis with lungs that are either correlate with behavioral changes. Its low frequency of severely stunted and uninflated or absent altogether. This is occurrence could be attributed to developmental, physical the first demonstration that lung development in a tetrapod and behavioral changes, the effects of which increase with can be inhibited by environmental factors and that a tetrapod size and age. Plasticity of lung inflation at tadpole stages and that relies significantly on lung respiration under unstressed loss of plasticity at postmetamorphic stages offer new insights conditions can be raised to forego this function without into the role of developmental plasticity in amphibian lung adverse effects. This study compared lung development in loss and life history evolution. untreated, air-deprived (AD) and air-restored (AR) tadpoles and frogs using whole mounts, histology, BrdU labeling of ß 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. This cell division and antibody staining of smooth muscle actin. is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of We also examined the relationship of swimming and the Creative Commons Attribution License (http:// breathing behaviors to lung recovery in AR animals.
    [Show full text]
  • 3Systematics and Diversity of Extant Amphibians
    Systematics and Diversity of 3 Extant Amphibians he three extant lissamphibian lineages (hereafter amples of classic systematics papers. We present widely referred to by the more common term amphibians) used common names of groups in addition to scientifi c Tare descendants of a common ancestor that lived names, noting also that herpetologists colloquially refer during (or soon after) the Late Carboniferous. Since the to most clades by their scientifi c name (e.g., ranids, am- three lineages diverged, each has evolved unique fea- bystomatids, typhlonectids). tures that defi ne the group; however, salamanders, frogs, A total of 7,303 species of amphibians are recognized and caecelians also share many traits that are evidence and new species—primarily tropical frogs and salaman- of their common ancestry. Two of the most defi nitive of ders—continue to be described. Frogs are far more di- these traits are: verse than salamanders and caecelians combined; more than 6,400 (~88%) of extant amphibian species are frogs, 1. Nearly all amphibians have complex life histories. almost 25% of which have been described in the past Most species undergo metamorphosis from an 15 years. Salamanders comprise more than 660 species, aquatic larva to a terrestrial adult, and even spe- and there are 200 species of caecilians. Amphibian diver- cies that lay terrestrial eggs require moist nest sity is not evenly distributed within families. For example, sites to prevent desiccation. Thus, regardless of more than 65% of extant salamanders are in the family the habitat of the adult, all species of amphibians Plethodontidae, and more than 50% of all frogs are in just are fundamentally tied to water.
    [Show full text]
  • A Method to Distinguish Intensively Farmed from Wild Frogs
    Received: 23 March 2016 | Revised: 30 January 2017 | Accepted: 6 February 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2878 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Stable isotope analyses—A method to distinguish intensively farmed from wild frogs Carolin Dittrich | Ulrich Struck | Mark-Oliver Rödel Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Abstract Germany Consumption of frog legs is increasing worldwide, with potentially dramatic effects for Correspondence ecosystems. More and more functioning frog farms are reported to exist. However, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Museum für Naturkunde, due to the lack of reliable methods to distinguish farmed from wild- caught individuals, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany. the origin of frogs in the international trade is often uncertain. Here, we present a new Email: [email protected] methodological approach to this problem. We investigated the isotopic composition of Funding information legally traded frog legs from suppliers in Vietnam and Indonesia. Muscle and bone tis- 15 13 18 Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; MfN sue samples were examined for δ N, δ C, and δ O stable isotope compositions, to Innovation fund; Leibniz Association′s Open Access Publishing Fund elucidate the conditions under which the frogs grew up. We used DNA barcoding (16S rRNA) to verify species identities. We identified three traded species (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, Fejervarya cancrivora and Limnonectes macrodon); species identities were 15 18 partly deviating from package labeling. Isotopic values of δ N and δ O showed sig- 15 nificant differences between species and country of origin. Based on low δ N compo- sition and generally little variation in stable isotope values, our results imply that frogs from Vietnam were indeed farmed.
    [Show full text]
  • A Survey of Amphibians and Reptiles in the Foothills of Mount Kupe, Cameroon
    Official journal website: Amphibian & Reptile Conservation amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 10(2) [Special Section]: 37–67 (e131). A survey of amphibians and reptiles in the foothills of Mount Kupe, Cameroon 1,2Daniel M. Portik, 3,4Gregory F.M. Jongsma, 3Marcel T. Kouete, 3Lauren A. Scheinberg, 3Brian Freiermuth, 5,6Walter P. Tapondjou, and 3,4David C. Blackburn 1Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, California 94720, USA 2Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, 501 S. Nedderman Drive, Box 19498, Arlington, Texas 76019-0498, USA 3California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118, USA 4Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA 5Laboratory of Zoology, Faculty of Science. University of Yaoundé, PO Box 812 Yaoundé, Cameroon, AFRICA 6Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1450 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA Abstract.—We performed surveys at several lower elevation sites surrounding Mt. Kupe, a mountain at the southern edge of the Cameroonian Highlands. This work resulted in the sampling of 48 species, including 38 amphibian and 10 reptile species. By combining our data with prior survey results from higher elevation zones, we produce a checklist of 108 species for the greater Mt. Kupe region including 72 frog species, 21 lizard species, and 15 species of snakes. Our work adds 30 species of frogs at lower elevations, many of which are associated with breeding in pools or ponds that are absent from the slopes of Mt. Kupe. We provide taxonomic accounts, including museum specimen data and associated molecular data, for all species encountered.
    [Show full text]
  • TRAFFIC BULLETIN 22(3) March 2010 (PDF, 2.5
    TRAFFIC 3 BULLETIN TRADE IN WILD MEAT IN CENTRAL AFRICA WEST AFRICA’S MARKET FOR FROG MEAT IVORY IN ETHIOPIA MARCH 2010 VOL. 22 NO. 3 22 NO. VOL. MARCH 2010 The journal of the TRAFFIC network disseminates information on the trade in wild animal and plant resources The TRAFFIC Bulletin is a publication of TRAFFIC, the wild life TRAFFIC trade monitoring net work, which works to ensure that trade in B U L L E T I N wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conser- vation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN. VOL. 22 NO. 3 MARCH 2010 The TRAFFIC Bulletin publishes information and original papers on the subject of trade in wild animals and plants, and strives to be a source of accurate and objective information. The TRAFFIC Bulletin is available free of charge. CONTENTS Quotation of information appearing in the news sections is welcomed without permission, but citation news editorial • technology to age ivory • must be given. Reprod uction of all other material new UK legislation • Saving Plants appearing in the TRAFFIC Bulletin requires written that Save Lives and Livelihoods permission from the publisher. • Alerce • biodiversity indicators • 93 • bushmeat monitoring system • MANAGING EDITOR Steven Broad lemurs hunted for bushmeat • • trade in Clouded Monitors EDITOR AND COMPILER Kim Lochen SUBSCRIPTIONS Susan Vivian (E-mail: [email protected]) feature Application of food balance The designations of geographical entities in this sheets to assess the scale of publication, and the presentation of the material, do the bushmeat trade not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever in Central Africa on the part of TRAFFIC or its supporting 105 organizations con cern ing the legal status of any S.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibians and Conservation Breeding Programmes: Do All Threatened Amphibians Belong on the Ark?
    Biodivers Conserv DOI 10.1007/s10531-015-0966-9 REVIEW PAPER Amphibians and conservation breeding programmes: do all threatened amphibians belong on the ark? 1 2 Benjamin Tapley • Kay S. Bradfield • 1 3 Christopher Michaels • Mike Bungard Received: 24 March 2015 / Revised: 8 July 2015 / Accepted: 16 July 2015 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015 Abstract Amphibians are facing an extinction crisis, and conservation breeding pro- grammes are a tool used to prevent imminent species extinctions. Compared to mammals and birds, amphibians are considered ideal candidates for these programmes due to their small body size and low space requirements, high fecundity, applicability of reproductive technologies, short generation time, lack of parental care, hard wired behaviour, low maintenance requirements, relative cost effectiveness of such programmes, the success of several amphibian conservation breeding programmes and because captive husbandry capacity exists. Superficially, these reasons appear sound and conservation breeding has improved the conservation status of several amphibian species, however it is impossible to make generalisations about the biology or geo-political context of an entire class. Many threatened amphibian species fail to meet criteria that are commonly cited as reasons why amphibians are suitable for conservation breeding programmes. There are also limitations associated with maintaining populations of amphibians in the zoo and private sectors, and these could potentially undermine the success of conservation breeding programmes and reintroductions. We recommend that species that have been assessed as high priorities for ex situ conservation action are subsequently individually reassessed to determine their suitability for inclusion in conservation breeding programmes. The limitations and risks of maintaining ex situ populations of amphibians need to be considered from the outset and, where possible, mitigated.
    [Show full text]
  • Froglog Promoting Conservation, Research and Education for the World’S Amphibians
    Issue number 111(July 2014) ISSN: 1026-0269 eISSN: 1817-3934 Volume 22, number 3 www.amphibians.orgFrogLog Promoting Conservation, Research and Education for the World’s Amphibians A New Meeting for Amphibian Conservation in Madagascar: ACSAM2 New ASA Seed Grants Citizen Science in the City Amphibian Conservation Efforts in Ghana Recent Publications And Much More! A cryptic mossy treefrog (Spinomantis aglavei) is encountered in Andasibe during a survey for amphibian chytrid fungus and ranavirus in Madagascar. Photo by J. Jacobs. The Challenges of Amphibian Saving the Montseny Conservation in Brook Newt Tanzania FrogLog 22 (3), Number 111 (July 2014) | 1 FrogLog CONTENTS 3 Editorial NEWS FROM THE AMPHIBIAN COMMUNITY 4 A New Meeting for Amphibian Conservation in 15 The Planet Needs More Superheroes! Madagascar: ACSAM2 16 Anima Mundi—Adventures in Wildlife Photography Issue 6 Aichi Biodiversity Target 12: A Progress Report from the 15, July 2014 is now Out! Amphibian Survival Alliance 16 Recent Record of an Uncommon Endemic Frog 7 ASG Updates: New ASG Secretariat! Nanorana vicina (Stolickza, 1872) from Murree, Pakistan 8 ASG Working Groups Update 17 Global Bd Mapping Project: 2014 Update 9 New ASA Seed Grants—APPLY NOW! 22 Constructing an Amphibian Paradise in your Garden 9 Report on Amphibian Red List Authority Activities April- 24 Giants in the Anthropocene Part One of Two: Godzilla vs. July 2014 the Human Condition 10 Working Together to Make a Difference: ASA and Liquid 26 The Threatened, Exploding Frogs of the Paraguayan Dry Spark Partner
    [Show full text]
  • Revue Suisse De Zoologie LIENHARD, Charles, HOLUŚA, Otakar
    Revue suisse de Zoologie s W i s s J o u R N A l o F Z o o l o g Y tome 117, fascicule 2, juin 2010 Pages Lienhard, Charles, HoLuša, Otakar & Grafitti, Guiseppe. Two new cave-dwelling Prionoglarididae from Venezuela and Namibia (Psocodea : ‘Psocoptera’ : Trogiomorpha) ........................................................................................................ 185-197 Kontschán, Jenő. Three new Deraiophorus Canestrini, 1897 species from Thailand (Acari : Uropodina : Eutrachytidae) ........................................................................ 199-211 diricKx, Henri G. Notes sur le genre Allobaccha Curran, 1928 (Diptera, Syrphidae) à Madagascar avec descriptions de cinq nouvelles espèces ......................................... 213-233 Weber, Jean-Marc & hofer, Blaise. Diet of wolves Canis lupus recolonizing Switzerland : a preliminary approach ........................................................................ 235-241 barej, Michael F., böhme, Wolfgang, Perry, Steven F., Wagner, Philipp & schmitz, Andreas. The hairy frog, a curly fighter ? – A novel hypothesis on the function of hairs and claw-like terminal phalanges, including their biological and systematic significance (Anura : Arthroleptidae : Trichobatrachus) ........................................... 243-263 Puthz, Volker. Edaphus aus Taiwan (Coleoptera : Staphylinidae) 101. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Euaesthetinen ....................................................................................... 265-336 Revue suisse de Zoologie s W i s s J o u R N
    [Show full text]
  • Revue Suisse De Zoologie
    Revue suisse de Zoologie 1 17 (2): 243-263: juin 2010 The hairy frog, a curly fighter? - A novel hypothesis on the function of hairs and claw-like terminal phalanges, including their biological and systematic signifîcance (Anura: Arthroleptidae: Trichobatrach us) 1 1 2 1 Michael F. BAREJ , Wolfgang BÔHME , Steven F. PERRY , Philipp WAGNER . Andréas SCHMITZ 3 1 Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, D-53113 Bonn, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] [email protected] - Institut fur Zoologie der Universitât Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, D-531 15 Bonn, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 3 Muséum d'histoire naturelle, Department of Herpetology and Ichthyology, C.P. 6434, CH-1211 Geneva 6, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected] The hairy frog, a curly fighter? - A novel hypothesis on the function of hairs and claw-like terminal phalanges, including their biological and systematic signifîcance (Anura: Arthroleptidae: Trichobatrachus). - The Central African Hairy Frog Trichobatrachus robusîus Boulenger, 1900 possesses two morphological peculiarities, its unique hair-like dermal appendages, and claw-like terminal phalanges also known from related gênera. We review formerly published data on claw-like terminal phalanges in arthroleptid frogs and discuss their systematic significance, pointing out that récent phylogenies do not support close relationships of gênera with this unique structure. Moreover, we review data on the structure and function of the "hairs" and provide new data. Finally we présent a novel hypothesis on the use of claws and "hairs". Greater maie size and the peculiar structure of the dermal appendages (the "hairs") would support a possible use of the claws as weapons in aggressive male-male interactions, the "hairs" serving as mechanical protection.
    [Show full text]
  • FROGLOG Edi- to Publish a Synopsis in FROGLOG
    ROGLOG FNewsletter of the IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group Search for the Lost Frogs he search has begun! Over the next few months, the ASG together WHAT’S INSIDE Twith Conservation International and Global Wildlife Conserva- VOL 94 SEPTEMBER 2010 tion are supporting expeditions by amphibian experts in 20 countries Cover story across Latin America, Africa and Asia. Led by members of IUCN’s Am- Search for the Lost Frogs Page 1 phibian Specialist Group, the research teams are in search of around 40 Discovery species that have not been seen for over a decade. Although there is no Newly discovered miniature guarantee of success, we are optimistic about the prospect of at least one Microhyla from Borneo Page 2 rediscovery. Conservation Whatever the results, the expedition findings will expand our Darwin’s frog captive global understanding of the threats to amphibians and bring us closer rearing facility in Chile Page 6 to finding solutions for their protection. Bold conservation efforts are Extirpation not only critical for the future of many amphibians themselves, but also A growing market for frog meat for the benefit of humans that rely on pest control, nutrient cycling and Page 10 other services the animals provide. To join the search please visit www. Rediscovery conservation.org/lostfrogs Two endemic Honduran Craugastor species Page 12 Announcements: New Publications and CMH2 DAPTF Seed Grant Publications Page 15 Second Mediterranean Congress of Herpetology Page 16 Funds for Habitat Protection Support ASG Instructions to authors Page 18 1 DISCOVERY Newly discovered miniature Microhyla from Borneo among the world’s smallest frogs Indraneil Das & Alexander Haas he terms ‘diminutive,’ has an adult SVL range of Its small size made T‘minute,’ or ‘miniature’ 10.9–12.0 mm (Vences and specimen collection a chal- have been applied to a num- Glaw 1991).
    [Show full text]