|
Rhombophryne Vaventy
''Rhombophryne vaventy'' is a large species of frogs of the Madagascar endemic microhylid subfamily Cophylinae. It is one of the largest members of its genus. Range and distribution ''Rhombophryne vaventy'' is endemic to the Marojejy massif in northern Madagascar, where it was originally described from two individuals, captured at high altitude. Description ''Rhombophryne vaventy'' measure up to . In life, the dorsal skin is highly textured. It lacks webbing between the fingers and toes, and has very long legs. It possesses four unequally sized spines above each eye, characteristic of its species group. Habitat and ecology ''Rhombophryne vaventy'' is found in montane rainforest at high altitude (~ above sea level) on the Marojejy massif. Like most ''Rhombophryne'' species, ''R. vaventy'' is a terrestrial or possibly semi-fossorial frog. It is a generalist predator, and its diet is known to include relatively large arthrosphaerid pill millipedes of the genus ''Zoosphaerium''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miguel Vences
Professor Miguel Vences (born 24 April 1969 in Cologne) is a German herpetologist and evolutionary biologist. Much of his research is focused on the reptiles and amphibians of Madagascar. Life The son of Galician philosopher Sergio Vences Fernández (1936–2012), Vences attended the Schiller-Gymnasium Köln from 1979 to 1988, and graduated with the German Abitur. The following year he began to study Biology at the University of Cologne. There he met Frank Glaw, and as undergraduate students they undertook their first excursions to Madagascar. 496 pp. After completing the Vordiplom in 1993, Vences transferred to the University of Bonn and the Museum König, where he completed his Diplom studies. Vences continued his studies there as a PhD student under the supervision of Wolfgang Böhme until 2000. His thesis was on the evolutionary history of true frogs ( Ranoidea) and related families in Madagascar. Thereafter, he worked for one year at the National Museum of Natural Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terrestrial Animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g. cats, dogs, ants, spiders), as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water (e.g. fish, lobsters, octopuses), and amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats (e.g. frogs and newts). Some groups of insects are terrestrial, such as ants, butterflies, earwigs, cockroaches, grasshoppers and many others, while other groups are partially aquatic, such as mosquitoes and dragonflies, which pass their larval stages in water. Terrestrial animals tend to be more developed and intelligent than aquatic animals. Terrestrial classes The term "terrestrial" is typically applied to species that live primarily on the ground, in contrast to arboreal species, which live primarily in trees. There are other less common terms that apply to specific groups of terrestrial animals: * Saxicolous creatures are rock dwelling. "Saxicolous" is d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taxa Named By Mark D
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and given a particular ranking, especially if and when it is accepted or becomes established. It is very common, however, for taxonomists to remain at odds over what belongs to a taxon and the criteria used for inclusion. If a taxon is given a formal scientific name, its use is then governed by one of the nomenclature codes specifying which scientific name is correct for a particular grouping. Initial attempts at classifying and ordering organisms (plants and animals) were set forth in Carl Linnaeus's system in ''Systema Naturae'', 10th edition (1758), as well as an unpublished work by Bernard and Antoine Laurent de Jussieu. The idea of a unit-based system of biological classification was first made widely available in 1805 in the int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibians Described In 2014
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Frogs Of Madagascar
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example ''Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. ''Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhombophryne Tany
''Rhombophryne'' is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. It is currently estimated to include more than 23 species, but only 20 of these are currently described. The common name 'diamond frog' has been proposed and used for members of this genus. Taxonomy The genus ''Rhombophryne'' was monotypic until 2005, containing just '' R. testudo'' Boettger, 1880. However, in 2005 Andreone et al. showed that the genus ''Plethodontohyla'' was paraphyletic with respect to this genus. Several species were therefore transferred to this genus by Frost et al. in 2006, Glaw and Vences in 2007, and Wollenberg et al. in 2008. In 2015/2016, Peloso et al. re-analysed the genetic relationships of the Microhylidae using partial genomic data. They proposed the synonymy of ''Stumpffia'' with ''Rhombophryne'' because these genera were found to be paraphyletic. However, in 2016 Scherz et al. re-analysed their data with new data—including osteology and external morphology. They found stron ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species Complex
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each other, further blurring any distinctions. Terms that are sometimes used synonymously but have more precise meanings are cryptic species for two or more species hidden under one species name, sibling species for two (or more) species that are each other's closest relative, and species flock for a group of closely related species that live in the same habitat. As informal taxonomic ranks, species group, species aggregate, macrospecies, and superspecies are also in use. Two or more taxa that were once considered conspecific (of the same species) may later be subdivided into infraspecific taxa (taxa within a species, such as bacterial strains or plant varieties), that is complex but it is not a species complex. A species complex is in most ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhombophryne Serratopalpebrosa
''Rhombophryne serratopalpebrosa'' is a species of frog of the Madagascar endemic microhylid subfamily Cophylinae. Genetic evidence revealed that it is a species complex, in need of resolution. This work has made significant progress, and five related species have been described from this complex between 2014 and 2017. It is threatened by habitat loss. Range and distribution ''Rhombophryne serratopalpebrosa'' is endemic to the Marojejy massif in northern Madagascar. At present it is only known with certainty from the holotype specimen. Its type locality is at high elevation on the Marojejy massif. Records from outside of Marojejy National Park may refer to other species, and at present this species has only been confirmed from this single location. Description The holotype of ''Rhombophryne serratopalpebrosa'' measures roughly long. Its fingers and toes are unwebbed, and its dorsal skin is grainy. It possesses four spines above each eye, the posterior-most of which is indistinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rotational Micro-CT Scan Of Rhombophryne Vaventy Holotype
Rotation, or spin, is the circular movement of an object around a '' central axis''. A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A three-dimensional object has an infinite number of possible central axes and rotational directions. If the rotation axis passes internally through the body's own center of mass, then the body is said to be ''autorotating'' or ''spinning'', and the surface intersection of the axis can be called a '' pole''. A rotation around a completely external axis, e.g. the planet Earth around the Sun, is called ''revolving'' or '' orbiting'', typically when it is produced by gravity, and the ends of the rotation axis can be called the '' orbital poles''. Mathematics Mathematically, a rotation is a rigid body movement which, unlike a translation, keeps a point fixed. This definition applies to rotations within both two and three dimensions (in a plane and in s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pill Millipede
Pill millipedes are any members of two living (and one extinct) orders of millipedes, often grouped together into a single superorder, Oniscomorpha. The name Oniscomorpha refers to the millipedes' resemblance to certain woodlice (Oniscidea), also called pillbugs or "roly-polies". However, millipedes and woodlice are not closely related (belonging to the subphyla Myriapoda and Crustacea, respectively); rather, this is a case of convergent evolution. Description Pill millipedes are relatively short-bodied compared to most other millipedes, with only eleven to thirteen body segments, and are capable of rolling into a ball (volvation) when disturbed, as a defense against predators. This ability evolved separately in each of the two orders, making it a case of convergent evolution, rather than homology. They can also exude a noxious liquid, which may be both caustic and toxic, to repel predators. Pill millipedes are detritivorous, feeding on decomposing plant matter, usually in w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthrosphaeridae
Arthrosphaeridae is a family of giant pill millipedes that are found in Madagascar, the Western Ghats of India, and Sri Lanka. The largest pill-millipede in the world, ''Zoosphaerium neptunus'' (Butler 1872) belongs to this family and is known to swarm at certain times of the year. Description The first segment of the anterior telopods have a stridulatory organ known as a "harp" and this has one to ten ribs. The anal plate on the female is enlarged and has 1-12 ribs while the male anal shield has no special sclerotized notch as seen in other families. The segments of the antenna are oval or cylindrical. Taxonomy Within the family ''Arthrosphaeridae'' there are four genus formally described: * '' Arthrosphaera'' Pocock, 1895 – India, Sri Lanka * ''Zoosphaerium'' Pocock, 1895 – Madagascar * ''Sphaeromimus ''Sphaeromimus'' (Latin: sphere mimic), or the chirping giant pill millipedes, is a genus of giant pill millipedes (order Sphaerotheriida) endemic to southeastern Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Terrestrial Animal")
.png "Click for more on -> Amphibians Described In 2014")
.jpg "Click for more on -> Endemic Frogs Of Madagascar")
