FROGS Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The rapid growth of wireless communication technologies has caused public concerns regarding the biological effects of electromagnetic radiations on human health. Some early reports indicated a wide variety of non-thermal effects of... more

The rapid growth of wireless communication technologies has caused public concerns regarding the biological effects of electromagnetic radiations on human health. Some early reports indicated a wide variety of non-thermal effects of electromagnetic radiation on amphibians such as the alterations of the pattern of muscle extractions. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted from mobile phone jammers on the pulse height of contractions, the time interval between two subsequent contractions and the latency period of frog's isolated gastrocnemius muscle after stimulation with single square pulses of 1V (1 Hz). Frogs were kept in plastic containers in a room. Animals in the jammer group were exposed to radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted from a common Jammer at a distance of 1m from the jammer's antenna for 2 hours while the control frogs were only sham exposed. Then animals were sacrificed and isolated gastrocnemius ...

The genus Odontophrynus consists of 11 species of medium-sized frogs distributed across south and east South America. This study examines and describes the chondrocrania and oral cavities of O. americanus, O. maisuma, O. carvalhoi, and O.... more

The genus Odontophrynus consists of 11 species of medium-sized frogs distributed across south and east South America. This study examines and describes the chondrocrania and oral cavities of O. americanus, O. maisuma, O. carvalhoi, and O. cultripes, and review current knowledge about the larval external morphology of the genus. Twenty-one tadpoles were cleared and double-stained for chondrocranium description and five tadpoles were dissected for analysis in a scanning electron microscope. The presence of a tectum parientale may be considered here as a putative synapomorphy of the genus. The O. americanus and O. cultripes species groups were partially differentiated by the length of the processus pseudopterigoideus, shape of divergence of the hypobranchial plates, number of postnarial papillae, and number of projections
of the lateral ridge papillae. The larvae of O. occidentalis species group, in turn, differed from others by presenting a greater total length.

I did not write this, I am just a fellow Academic who thinks that frogs are very Pogchamp.

Solomon Islands Forest Life is a terrestrial ecology and conservation textbook for secondary school students in the Solomon Islands. The book gives an overview of the terrestrial environments of Solomon Islands, their ecology, important... more

Solomon Islands Forest Life is a terrestrial ecology and conservation textbook for secondary school students in the Solomon Islands. The book gives an overview of the terrestrial environments of Solomon Islands, their ecology, important species, and some of the key threats they face.
Chapters are:
Introduction to Environments
Flora (algae, bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, flowering plants)
Fungi
Fauna (invertebrates, freshwater fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds)
Critical Issues (forest resource management, deforestation, plastic and pollution, invasive species, climate change)
Guide to common forest life of Solomon Islands (species descriptions)
Glossary

The topic of this work is the anura, i.e. frogs and toads, in Moche iconography. Its primary aim is to establish if the anura were, in Moche cosmovision, associated with rains and agricultural fertility. During the early stages of this... more

The topic of this work is the anura, i.e. frogs and toads, in Moche iconography. Its primary aim is to establish if the anura were, in Moche cosmovision, associated with rains and agricultural fertility. During the early stages of this project, I gathered data and interpretations about the anura, while at the later stage, I built upon these findings to establish a classification system for these amphibians. The objectives of the classification are: first, to create a comprehensive database of anura, and secondly to create a flexible framework that can be used for future research and developed further. In order to reach the objectives and, because of the lack of written sources, an adaptation of the Panofsky method was employed. The outcome of this research illuminates links between the anura, and specific characteristics and concepts underlying Moche culture, e.g. the agricultural fertility. The different anura depictions, in particular the "sapo botánico", show a direct connection between these animals and plant growth, water, rain and fertility.

My first foray into writing books for children; a story based on a true incident regarding a pond in Pune city, India. Now the full pdf here, copyright free. Available now in 6 languages: French, Italian, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi,... more

Lithobates johni and Lithobates berlandieri have, respectively, a restricted and a wide geographic distribution, and cohabit in the center of the Atlantic versant of Mexico. We analyze and compare the feeding habits of these two syntopic... more

Lithobates johni and Lithobates berlandieri have, respectively, a restricted and a wide geographic distribution, and cohabit in the center of the Atlantic versant of Mexico. We analyze and compare the feeding habits of these two syntopic species, specifically evaluating differences in trophic niche breadth and overlap between sexes (L. johni = 35 females and 30 males; L. berlandieri = 25 females and 26 males) and seasons (L. johni = 45 from wet and 20 from dry seasons; L. berlandieri = 17 from wet and 34 from dry seasons). Both L. johni and L. berlandieri showed generalist feeding habits and were found to consume mainly arthropods; however, they also consumed vertebrates. In the wet season, L. johni males had higher stomach volume content than females, and L. berlandieri females had higher stomach volume content than males. In the dry season, L. johni females had higher stomach volume content than males, and a similar pattern was seen between sexes in L. berlandieri. Trophic niche breadth and dietary diversity were higher in L. berlandieri than in L. johni for both seasons. There was no trophic segregation between species in either season (wet or dry); however, we suggest that the differences in prey type consumed, dietary diversity, and trophic niche breadth might explain the coexistence of L. johni and L. berlandieri in the study area.

The Eleutherodactylus subgenus Syrrhophus has a complex taxonomic history. For many years the species were classified into series and groups of species based on morphological and allozyme data. However, most of the species have... more

The Eleutherodactylus subgenus Syrrhophus has a complex taxonomic history. For many years the species were classified into series and groups of species based on morphological and allozyme data. However, most of the species have conservative morphology, and their phylogenetic relationships have not been resolved. Furthermore, recent studies employing molecular tools have shown that Syrrhophus diversity is highly underestimated. Here, we present a near-complete phylogenetic hypothesis based on mitochondrial data (16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and cytochrome b) and employing maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The Bayesian tree has high support values (posterior probabilities ≥0.95) whereas the maximum likelihood hypothesis has generally low values (bootstrap support <70). Both phylogenetic analyses recovered Syrrhophus as monophyletic and composed of four main, allopatric clades (E. symingtoni clade, E. longipes clade, E. modestus clade, and E. nitidus clade) concordant with geography. Based on the molecular and morphological data, we describe a new species from the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The new species is most closely related to E. campi and E. cystignathoides from which it has a genetic distance >7% in 16S rRNA. Finally, based on the phylogenetic results, we resurrect E. rubrimaculatus from synonymy. Our results increase the number of species in the subgenus Syrrhophus to 41. We highlight the importance of efforts to study this important component of Mexican biodiversity.

We report the predation of the recently described and poorly known frog Eleutherodactylus jaliscoensis by the snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis employing a mitochondrial marker and morphological evidence. We discuss the importance of frogs in... more

We report the predation of the recently described and poorly known frog Eleutherodactylus jaliscoensis by the snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis employing a mitochondrial marker and morphological evidence. We discuss the importance of frogs in food webs and the use of sequences de DNA in the identification of frogs.

Amphibian species of the family Hylidae exhibit a high degree of endemism in Mexico. To better understand ongoing declines of many amphibian populations, especially for endemic species that are particularly vulnerable to extinction,... more

Amphibian species of the family Hylidae exhibit a high degree of endemism in Mexico. To better understand ongoing declines of many amphibian populations, especially for endemic species that are particularly vulnerable to extinction, information on diverse aspects of their biological makeup is required, including their ecology. This study provides an analysis of the distribution, natural history, feeding habits, reproduction, morphology, and conservation status of Charadrahyla taeniopus, a species endemic to central Mexico. The distribution of this species extends along the Sierra Madre Oriental, primarily in cloud forest. Based on changes in climatic niche, decreases of 14.14% and 37% of its distributional range are predicted to occur by the years 2050 and 2070, respectively. An examination of the stomach contents from 31 adults and two juveniles revealed plant materials and arthropods as major parts of their diet. Charadrahyla taeniopus is sexually dimorphic in size. Females were larger than males, and after correcting for body size, females had larger jaws than males. Based on guidelines proposed by national legislation (NOM-059), we propose that this species should continue to be classified as Threatened. Further studies are necessary to classify it in a high conservation category by international legislation (IUCN) guidelines, due to the high vulnerability indicated by the Environmental Vulnerability Score, which is caused by an accelerated loss of habitat. Charadrahyla taeniopus is a good model for analyzing the conservation status of hylid frogs from temperate areas and in highly transformed environments, as this species exemplifies the conservation status of endemic amphibians in central Mexico.

The frogs inhabiting the rivers and marshes of Mesopotamia were a common part of the fauna between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Figurative amulets and parts of the animal were used to heal, and frogs served as a substitute animal. In... more

The frogs inhabiting the rivers and marshes of Mesopotamia were a common part of the fauna between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Figurative amulets and parts of the animal were used to heal, and frogs served as a substitute animal. In a variety of early societies frogs were regarded as symbols of fertility, rebirth, healing, and transformation due to their metamorphosis and their ability to live in water and on land. Additionally, frogs' link to water and rain often lead to associations with cleansing. This paper cross-references the textual evidence, collected, and commented on by A. Bácskay, with herpetological insights into the medical use of frogs and toads. Using the descriptions given in Bácskay 2018, four anuran species were identified to have been present in the Mesopotamian marshlands that could have been used as medicinal treatment and as substitute animals. We provide a short summary on their habitat and give insights into their ecology and possible medical value. Together with the presentation of figurative frog amulets from Mesopotamia, dating from the 3rd to 1st millennium BCE, including their materials and archaeological contexts, the authors give a comprehensive overview of the magico-religious perception of frogs in Mesopotamia.

Emesis, also known as nausea and vomiting, are common symptoms associated with ingestion of toxicants, drug side effects, advanced terminal diseases such as cancer and postoperative procedures. Emesis is mediated through the coordinated... more

Emesis, also known as nausea and vomiting, are common symptoms associated with ingestion of toxicants, drug side effects, advanced terminal diseases such as cancer and postoperative procedures. Emesis is mediated through the coordinated
action of central and peripheral regulatory centres that involve receptors including dopamine Type 2, serotonin, muscarinic cholinergic, histamine, cannabinoids and NK-1 receptors. Many anti-emetic drugs targeting these receptors are currently in
use but they also cause undesirable side effects such as excessive sedation, hypotension,dry mouth, dysphoria, hallucinations and extrapyramidal signs. This review highlights the pharmacological mechanism of emesis and current antiemtic drugs
together with detailed analysis of in vitro and in vivo anti-emetic bioassay models. The pharmacology of crude natural products extracts and purified anti-emeticcompounds (cannabinoids, chalcones, diarylheptanoids, flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic
acids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, polysaccharides, saponins, terpenes and glycosidic derivatives) are also systematically presented with their mechanism of action. The potential of natural products as sources of new clinically proven anti-emetic drugs are discussed.

Abstract In this study, the richness and distribution of amphibians were investigated with the use of systematic sampling method to determine amphibian species richness and distribution along the three levels of elevation. It was found... more

Abstract
In this study, the richness and distribution of amphibians were investigated with the use of systematic sampling method to determine amphibian species richness and distribution along the three levels of elevation. It was found out that, while richness and distribution varied significantly along elevational gradient, the diversity of species did not differ along the three levels of elevation. Furthermore, Arthroleptis spp. and Phrynobatracus calcaratus were found to be the most common and successful species that can live on Mountain Afadjato. In relation to amphibian abundance a negative relationship emerged between amphibian’s species and litter levels along the three levels of elevation. The conclusion was that the higher the litter level the lesser the number of amphibians, thus amphibians at mount Afadjato eschewed higher litter levels.

Emesis encompasses the forceful expulsion of the contents of stomach via the mouth or sometimes the nose. The adverse effects of currently available anti-emetic agents potentiate the natural product researchers to explore the natural... more

Emesis encompasses the forceful expulsion of the contents of stomach via the mouth or sometimes the nose.
The adverse effects of currently available anti-emetic agents potentiate the natural product researchers to explore the
natural anti-emetics with fewer side effects. The presented communication constitutes a review on anti-emetic effect of
two hundred and forty five plants belonging to seventy-eight families found in different parts of the world. It also
outlined the anti-emetic effect of plant extracts and isolated secondary metabolites studied through a variety of animal
models of emesis. The reported anti-emetic plants in different countries and cultures and the scientific studies on extracts
may help in the identification of promising single chemical compound(s) that may be used as a potential leads for
developing safe anti-emetic agents in future. Moreover the reported secondary metabolites having the same effect may
open the door for the search of same secondary metabolites from other natural sources. This review will provide useful
information for the discovery of natural anti-emetic compounds and fill the gaps in knowledge.

This is first every systematic study of anuran amphibians from the DandeliAnshi Tiger Reserve, which will serve as a bench mark for further research on amphibians from this area. Twenty nine species of anurans recorded from DATR is quite... more

This is first every systematic study of anuran amphibians from the DandeliAnshi Tiger Reserve, which will serve as a bench mark for further research on amphibians from this area. Twenty nine species of anurans recorded from DATR is quite comparable to any other place along the Western Ghats. Although, this study provided some useful insights on relationship between habitat variables and species distribution, a detailed study on effect of fragmentation, influence of agriculture practices inside DATR and past mining areas are worth exploring.

This began as a Supplementary Table to Harrod (2022), Portable Art Sculptures from the Anzick Clovis Cache, Wilsall, Montana. I did it to provide a Siberian/East Asian and North American comparative mythology context to identify Anzick... more

This began as a Supplementary Table to Harrod (2022), Portable Art Sculptures from the Anzick Clovis Cache, Wilsall, Montana. I did it to provide a Siberian/East Asian and North American comparative mythology context to identify Anzick Clovis cache (13,000 years ago) portable art, and support proposed taxon depicted. I decided best to upload this separately from my Anzick article, to stand independently, pertaining to the Frog motif in global comparative mythology .

We report the results of a herpetofaunal inventory between July, 2014 and March, 2017 of Parsa National Park that detected 51 herpetofaunal species. Three amphibians (Microhyla nilphamariensis, Sphaerotheca breviceps, and Uperodon... more

We report the results of a herpetofaunal inventory between July, 2014 and March, 2017 of Parsa
National Park that detected 51 herpetofaunal species. Three amphibians (Microhyla nilphamariensis,
Sphaerotheca breviceps, and Uperodon taprobanicus), two Gecko species (Hemidactylus flaviviridis and
H. frenatus), one Agamid (Sitana fusca), two Skinks (Eutropis carinata and Sphenomorphus maculatus), 13
snakes (Ahaetulla nasuta, Bungarus lividus, Coelognathus helena, Coelognathus radiatus, Chrysopelea ornata,
Dendrelaphis tristis, Lycodon aulicus, Lycodon jara, Oligodon arnensis, Psammodynastes pulverulentus, Ptyas
mucosa, Rhabdophis subminiatus, and Trimeresurus albolabris), and one crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) are
new records to Parsa National Park. This paper aims to highlight the understanding of amphibians and reptiles
of Parsa National Park and will be a reference for herpetofaunal management in the park.

Biocontraponto: how frogs had taught us counterpoint proposes an interface between the communication strategies from night creatures such as frogs, crickets and fireflies and the human polyphonic techniques, like counterpoint, as... more

Biocontraponto: how frogs had taught us counterpoint proposes an interface between the communication strategies from night creatures such as frogs, crickets and fireflies and the human polyphonic techniques, like counterpoint, as resonating practices that tends to affirm identity in a context of huge diversity.

New records of morphological anomalies in anurans, with a review for Brazil.

A frog is member of a diverse largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura, one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. The skin of frogs varies in color from well-camouflaged and this is a... more

A frog is member of a diverse largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura, one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. The skin of frogs varies in color from well-camouflaged and this is a sort of natural adaptation that announces their toxicity warning off predators. Frogs had a variety of roles in ancient Egyptian culture where they generally represented female creation energy, and is listed bearing nu I7, and thetadpole nu I8 in Gardiner's sign list.-Ancient Egyptians knew and recognized frogs as underworld creatures and they took it as a symbol of life creation , thus the Hermopolis original male deities were usually depicted having frog heads, also frogs were considered as a holy animal " deity " bearing the name " Heqat-hekat-heket " the goddess of birth– Also frog amulets were placed within the wrappings Heqet is the Egyptian goddess of fertility and life bearer, the goddess of creation, midwifery, and the germination of barley, it is depected and represented as a human figure with a frog head. There are evidences in hieroglyphs that the Egyptians saw these breeding events giving respect for such creatures. Heqet " Frog deity " was known since early dynastic Egypt, thus her name was part of the names of some high Dynasty individuals. Her depictions and inscriptions on the walls of tombs and temples from various ancient Egyptian epochs till Ptolemaic Egypt.

There is an appreciable distance between the biochemistry of being pregnant and the experience of recognizing oneself as pregnant—a speculative gap that technology can serve to narrow or widen depending on how one chooses to choreograph... more

There is an appreciable distance between the biochemistry of being pregnant and the experience of recognizing oneself as pregnant—a speculative gap that technology can serve to narrow or widen depending on how one chooses to choreograph an ontological state. Conducting an outmoded pregnancy test with live Xenopus frogs, we probed the contours of this gap. As we took an antiquated bioassay out of medical archives, we conducted a performative experiment—an intervention that blurred the boundaries between performance art, science, and ethnography. Like queer enactments of gender, performative experiments exhibit the performativity of conventional science and thereby make scientific modes of knowledge production and claims available for critical inspection. Moving beyond the domain of human self-fashioning and debates about the ethics of animal experimentation, our experiment also considered speculation linking the Xenopus pregnancy test to the extinction of other frogs. Amphibian biolo...

Despite the global reach of its iconicity, the history of Pepe — from its origins in independent comics to its moment of mainstream limelight on the social media accounts of celebrities like Nicky Minaj or Katy Perry — has for the most... more

Despite the global reach of its iconicity, the history of Pepe — from its origins in independent comics to its moment of mainstream limelight on the social media accounts of celebrities like Nicky Minaj or Katy Perry — has for the most part been narrated as a thoroughly American story. Throughout the 2016 US Presidential election year, the archetypal meme frog has experienced a further bout of popularity after being adopted as a humor device by Donald Trump supporters, identified by the Hillary Clinton campaign as white supremacist iconography, and condemned by the Anti-Defamation League as an “anti-semitic symbol” — all the while being continually repurposed as the protagonist of increasingly complex and self-referential genres of Internet memes including “Rare Pepes,” “Cult of Kek,” and “Beta Uprising.” Repeatedly interviewed about the political reappropriations that turned his iconic character into a “culturally thick object,” Matt Furie has minimized this phenomenon as “just a product of the internet.” And yet, years before its spells of mainstream popularity and its contested political interpretations, Pepe had already found its way to Chinese social media platforms with surprising outcomes.

This paper identifies some important factors affecting the density of frogs in the Solomon Islands. Distance sampling was used to estimate frog density in all major frog habitats across 13 islands. A total of 109 transects, covering five... more

This paper identifies some important factors affecting the density of frogs in the Solomon Islands. Distance sampling was used to estimate frog density in all major frog habitats across 13 islands. A total of 109 transects, covering five forest types (coastal, freshwater marshes, lowland forest, hill or ridge, and montane forest) were used, with 16 species being sampled. Estimated densities ranged from 2 ha À1 to 675 ha À1. Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) was used to select the most parsimonious model of frog density. Factors identified in the selected model to predict density of and Rana kreffti were island, landform, and forest type. Additional factors such as disturbance, leaf litter, shrub, and understorey were also described by the regression model as predictors of density for B. vertebralis, C. guentheri, D. guppyi, D. malukuna, Pal. solomonis, P. guppyi, and R. kreffti. These findings have important management implications for the conservation of frogs in the Solomon Islands. High densities of most species were strongly related with forest type and low disturbance. Preservation of rainforest, in especially high conservation value old-growth forests, is imperative to protecting these species.