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Bombina
The fire-bellied toads are a group of six species of small frogs (most species typically no longer than ) belonging to the genus ''Bombina''. The name "fire-bellied" is derived from the brightly colored red- or yellow-and-black patterns on the toads' ventral regions, which act as aposematic coloration, a warning to predators of the toads' reputedly foul taste. The other parts of the toads' skins are green or dark brown. When confronted with a potential predator, these toads commonly engage in an unkenreflex, ''Unken-'' being the combining form of ''Unke'', German for fire-bellied toad. In the unkenreflex, the toad arches its back, raising its front and back legs to display the aposematic coloration of its ventral side. Species The currently recognized species are: Biology The female of the species typically lays 80–300 eggs that can be found hanging off plant stems. The offspring develop in pools or puddles. Their metamorphosis is complete within a few weeks, peaking in J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombina Variegata
The yellow-bellied toad (''Bombina variegata'') belongs to the Order (biology), order Frog, Anura, the family Bombinatoridae, and the genus of fire-bellied toads. The toad is distributed mainly across western Europe as well as a handful of countries in eastern Europe. While the population of the toad is steadily decreasing over time, its numbers are not critical enough to be considered threatened or extinct. Conservation efforts in Germany are taking place to remedy the declining population before it is too late. The toad is characterized by its bright ‘yellow belly,’ and has a dark brown and green dorsal body. The toad displays crypsis to camouflage itself from predators. It also positions itself to display yellow coloration when facing a threat. The warts found on the dorsal side allow for the toad's toxins to be readily excreted when needed. The yellow-bellied toad is a fascinating species to study because of its breeding choices; it chooses calculated risk when deciding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Fire-bellied Toad
The European fire-bellied toad (''Bombina bombina'') is a species of fire-bellied toad native to eastern parts of mainland Europe, where it can be found near waterbodies such as ponds and marshes. It is known for its red colored belly used to ward off predators, an example of aposematism, and its distinctive "whoop" call. Description The European fire-bellied toad is a medium sized frog, growing up to approximately . The dorsal coloration can vary from gray to brown to green, while the stomach is red with thick black mottling. The backs of these frogs are covered in warts. When threatened by a predator, the fire-bellied toad will lift up its arms (sometimes flipping over) to expose its red coloration and show off its toxicity to the potential predator. This is known as Unkenreflex, and is an example of aposematism. Distribution The European fire-bellied toad is found throughout Central and Eastern Europe. More particularly, its range starts in eastern Germany (including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombina Orientalis
The Oriental fire-bellied toad (''Bombina orientalis'') is a small semiaquatic frog species found in northeastern Asia, where they primarily dwell in slow-moving bodies of water and temperate forests. Quite common throughout much of their range, these frogs have mild toxins that can be excreted through their skin, with their vibrant underbellies Aposematism, serving as a warning of this. While not a true toad, their green and black skin is covered in small tubercles, giving them a toadlike appearance. Their sounds, mainly produced by males during the mating season, are very unlike those of other frogs. While their population is in decline, their numbers are still high overall, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rating them as a least-concern species. They are commonly kept as pets in land and water vivarium, vivaria, as a relatively easy-to-care for species. They are also frequently used in scientific research, with their behavior, vocalizations, and le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombina Orientalis Genève 24102014
The fire-bellied toads are a group of six species of small frogs (most species typically no longer than ) belonging to the genus ''Bombina''. The name "fire-bellied" is derived from the brightly colored red- or yellow-and-black patterns on the toads' ventral regions, which act as aposematic coloration, a warning to predators of the toads' reputedly foul taste. The other parts of the toads' skins are green or dark brown. When confronted with a potential predator, these toads commonly engage in an unkenreflex, ''Unken-'' being the combining form of ''Unke'', German for fire-bellied toad. In the unkenreflex, the toad arches its back, raising its front and back legs to display the aposematic coloration of its ventral side. Species The currently recognized species are: Biology The female of the species typically lays 80–300 eggs that can be found hanging off plant stems. The offspring develop in pools or puddles. Their metamorphosis is complete within a few weeks, peaking in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombina Maxima
''Bombina maxima'', commonly known as the Yunnan firebelly toad or large-webbed bell toad, is a species of toad in the family Bombinatoridae found in Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ..., China and likely to Myanmar. Its natural habitats include swamps, springs, marshes, arable land, canals, and ditches. Although easy to care for, handling a large-webbed toad should be kept to a minimum because their skin secretes a toxin that can cause irritation. This toxin is rich in active proteins and antimicrobial peptides that are essential in maintaining its innate immunity and protecting it from predators that come in contact with its skin. This antimicrobial peptide rich skin is used for local medicine. References maxima Amphibians described in 1905 Amphibian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombina Microdeladigitora
''Bombina microdeladigitora'' is a species of toad in the family Bombinatoridae endemic to Guangxi, Hubei and Sichuan in China. It is commonly known by several names including Guangxi firebelly toad, Hubei firebelly toad, large-spined bell toad, Lichuan bell toad, small-webbed bell toad, and Yunnan firebelly toad. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, temperate forests, rivers, swamps, and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease .... References Bombina Amphibians described in 1978 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Anura-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to wart-like parotoid glands tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal and purely cosmetic, not from taxonomy (biology), taxonomy or evolutionary history. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest and associated wetlands. They account for around 88% of extant amphibian species, and are one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is known from the Early Triassic of Madagascar (250Myr, million years ago), but molecular clock, molecular clock dating suggests their divergent evolution, divergence from other amphibians may exte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombina Pachypus
The Apennine yellow-bellied toad (''Bombina pachypus'') is a species of toad in the family Bombinatoridae endemic to Italy. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate grassland, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, ponds, open excavations, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land. It is threatened by habitat loss. Description This species was once thought to be a subspecies of the yellow-bellied toad ''B. variegata''. It has a compact body and a rounded snout and the skin of the back is covered with tubercles. The pupil of the eye is triangular. The dorsal surface is dark tan or dark greyish-brown, often with washed-out, bright spots. The underparts, including the inner sides of the limbs, the fingers and toes, is greyish-blue to black-blue with striking, bright yellow to orange spots or patches, usually covering more than half of the underside. Distribution and habitat The Apennine yellow-bellied toad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibia
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods, but excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane, such as modern reptiles, birds and mammals). All extant (living) amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass Lissamphibia, with three living orders: Anura (frogs and toads), Urodela (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater, wetland or terrestrial ecosystems (such as riparian woodland, fossorial and even arboreal habitats). Their life cycle typically starts out as aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. Young amphibians generally undergo metamorphosis from an aquatic larval form with gills to an air-breathi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombesin
Bombesin is a 14-amino acid peptide originally isolated from the skin of the European fire-bellied toad (''Bombina bombina'') by Vittorio Erspamer ''et al.'' and named after its source. NIHMSID 45053. It has two known homologs in mammals called neuromedin B and gastrin-releasing peptide. It stimulates gastrin release from G cells. It activates three different G-protein-coupled receptors known as BBR1, -2, and -3. It also activates these receptors in the brain. Together with cholecystokinin, it is the second major source of negative feedback signals that stop eating behaviour. Bombesin is also a tumor marker for small cell carcinoma of lung, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, and neuroblastoma. Receptors The anuran receptor homologue is termed (). Iwabuchi ''et al.'' 2003 discovered a chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unkenreflex
Unkenreflex – interchangeably referred to as unken reflex (''Unke'' is the German word for fire-bellied toads) – is a defensive posture adopted by several branches of the amphibian class, including salamanders, toads, and certain species of frogs. Implemented most often in the face of an imminent attack by a predator, unkenreflex is characterized by the subject’s contortion or arching of its body to reveal previously hidden bright colors of the ventral side, tail, or inner limb; the subject remains immobile while in unkenreflex. During the course of unkenreflex, the amphibian in question releases bufotoxins from its parotid glands, tenses its entire body, and swallows air to bloat itself in an attempt to look larger. These secretions, along with the aposematic coloring common among the amphibians which display unkenreflex, serve as a warning to nearby predators that the amphibian may be poisonous. Not all amphibians which display unkenreflexes possess aposematic coloring ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
