The gastromyzophorous tadpoles of Atelopus elegans and A. palmatus (Anura: Bufonidae), with comments on oral and suction structures

Figures & data

Table 1. Measurements (mm) of 14 tadpoles of Atelopus elegans CJ 9759. Mean and standard deviation are provided at the first row and below are the ranges

Stage	N	BL	TAL	TL	IND	IOD	MTH	TMH	TMW
25	3	2.7 ± 0.1 (2.6–2.8)	3.8 ± 0.1 (3.6–3.9)	6.4 ± 0.2 (6.2–6.7)	0.7 ± 0.1 (0.7–0.8)	0.9 ± 0.1 (0.8–1)	1.1 ± 0.1 (1–1.2)	0.5 ± 0.1 (0.4–0.5)	0.4 ± 0.1 (0.3–0.4)
26	1	2.8	4.1	6.9	0.7	0.9	1.2	0.4	0.3
31	1	4.5	5.3	9.8	1.1	1.4	1.4	0.7	0.5
32	1	4.7	5.9	10.6	1	1.5	1.9	0.8	0.6
33	3	4.9 ± 0.2 (4.6–5.1)	5.9 ± 0.3 (5.6–6.4)	10.8 ± 0.5 (10.4–11.5)	1.1 ± 0.1 (1.1–1.2)	1.6 ± 0.1 (1.4–1.8)	1.8 ± 0.1 (1.7–1.8)	0.9 ± 0.1 (0.7–1)	0.6 ± 0.1 (0.5–0.6)
34	4	5.4 ± 0.3 (5–5.8)	6.3 ± 0.3 (5.9–6.6)	11.7 ± 0.5 (10.9–12.2)	1.1 ± 0.1 (1.1–1.2)	1.7 ± 0.1 (1.5–1.8)	1.9 ± 0.1 (1.8–2)	0.9 ± 0.2 (0.6–1)	0.7 ± 0.1 (0.6–0.7)
35	1	5.4	6.6	12	1.3	1.6	1.9	0.7	0.7

Stage, Gosner stages; N, sample size; BL, body length; TAL, tail length; TL, total length; IND, internarial distance; IOD, interorbital distance; MTH, maximum tail height; TMH, tail muscle height; and TMW, tail muscle width.

Table 2. Measurements (mm) of eight tadpoles of Atelopus palmatus CJ 2063. Mean and standard deviation are provided at the first row and below are the ranges

Stage	N	BL	TAL	TL	IND	IOD	MTH	TMH	TMW
25	2	3.3	4.8 ± 0.3 (4.5–5.1)	8.1 ± 0.3 (7.8–8.4)	0.8	1.2 ± 0.1 (1.1–1.2)	1.4 ± 0.1 (1.3–1.4)	0.9 ± 0.2 (0.7–1)	0.6 ± 0.1 (0.5–0.6)
26	3	3.4 ± 0.1 (3.3–3.4)	5.1 ± 0.5 (4.7–5.8)	8.5 ± 0.4 (8.1–9.1)	0.9 ± 0.1 (0.8–0.9)	1.3 ± 0.2 (1.1–1.5)	1.4	0.8 ± 0.1 (0.7–1)	0.6 ± 0.1 (0.6–0.7)
28	1	3.5	4.7	8.2	0.8	1	1.1	0.7	0.6
30	1	4.7	7.2	11.9	1.1	1.6	2	1	1
34	1	5.1	6.6	11,7	1	1.7	1.6	1	0.8

Stage, Gosner stages; N, sample size; BL, body length; TAL, tail length; TL, total length; IND, internarial distance; IOD, interorbital distance; MTH, maximum tail height; TMH, tail muscle height; and TMW, tail muscle width.

Figure 1. Tadpole and metamorph of Atelopus elegans CJ 1220. (a) tadpole (Stage 25); (b) metamorph (Stage 41); (c) metamorph (Stage 43). From Durango, Provincia Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Scale = 5 mm. Photos by LAC

Figure 2. Scanning electron microscope micrographs of a tadpole of Atelopus elegans (CJ 6383) at Stage 25. (a) Ventral view, scale = 250 μm; (b) frontal view, scale = 250 μm; (c) lateral side, scale = 150 μm; (d) teeth, scale = 5 μm; (e) posterior (lower) tooth rows, scale = 12.5 μm; (f) Oral disc (mouthparts), scale = 50 μm

Figure 3. Tadpole and metamorph of Atelopus palmatus CJ 1220. (a) tadpole (Stage 25); (b) tadpole (Stage 30); (c) tadpole (Stages 30–35); (d) metamorph (Stage 43). From Las Estancias, Río Negro, Provincia Tungurahua, Ecuador. Scale = 5 mm. Photos by LAC

Figure 4. Scanning electron microscope micrographs of a tadpole of Atelopus palmatus (CJ 2063) at Stage 30. Ventrolateral view of body, scale = 0.5 μm; (b) Neuromasts of the snout, scale = 150 μm; (c) Narines, scale = 100 μm; (d) Teeth, scale = 10 μm

Table 3. Summary of morphological characters found in tadpoles of the genus Atelopus. Modified from Pérez-González et al. [48]

Species	Tail color	Body color	Pigmentation of spiracle	Submarginal papillae	Percentage of the ASL in relation to the BL	Percentage of the TAL in relation to the TL	Distribution (altitude)
A. balios	Brown with white marks and fin with scattered brown flecks	Brown with pale marks behind eyes, one at mid-body and two at the end of body; and some white marks along the periphery of snout and between spiracle and eyes	No	Present	47.9 *	59.0	200–460 (EC)
A. carbonerensis	Cream	Dark brown with two vertical cream marks between spiracle and eyes and two cream marks below eyes and narines	Yes	Absent	49.3	58.0	2330 (VE)
A. carrikeri	Brown marks	Uniformly brown	Yes	Absent	56.3*	64.0	2350–4800 (C)
A. certus	Cream with brown marks	Dark brown above, white flecks below, and the edge of snout lacking pigment	-	-	45.6	51.4	500–1150 (PA)
A. cruciger	-	Dark with a continuous flank from the posterior part of the spiracle rounded the below part of body	-	Absent	60.3 *	57.7 *	100–2200 (VE)
A. elegans	Tan with brown marks	Tan with brown marks	No	Absent (in early stages)	66.7	58.5	300–1140 (EC, CO)
A. exiguus	Dark brown anteriorly, and unpigmented posteriorly	Dark brown translucent marks below eyes and translucent vertical bands behind eyes	Yes	Absent	52.2 *	60.4	3000–4000 (EC)
A. flavescens	Brown	Brown with some unpigmented areas	No	Present	41 *	62.1	0–300m (GU)
A. franciscus	Dark grey	Dark grey with white and rounded areas behind each eye, and a rectangular area in the snout	No	Present	58.3 *	57.1	5–200 (GU)
A. hoogmoedi	Dark brown with cream marks	Dark brown with a regular pattern of cream marks in front of and behind eyes	-	-	-	59.0	-
A. ignescens	Dark brown	Black	-	-	58.0	62.1	2500–4200 (EC)
A. laetissimus	Light cream with black spots	Uniformly black with translucent border around the snout connected with a vertical mark between spiracle and eyes	No	Present	43.5 *	61.7	1900–2800 (C)
A. mindoensis	One-third dark brown, and the rest tan with brown flecks	Uniformly brownish orange with minute brown spots	No	Absent	45.1 *	60.8	587–1830
A. mittermeieri	White with a black mark at the middle tail and the last part is reticulated	Black with a small unpigmented area between eyes and spiracle	Yes	Absent	37.9	55.4	2525
A. mucubajiensis	Dark brown with brown spots	Dark brown with almost unpigmented areas in the snout, and some marks behind the eyes and anterior to the spiracle and a white vertical line anterior of the spiracle	No	Absent	46.4	61.7	2300–3500
A. nahumae	Light cream with black spots	Black with a horizontal band behind the eyes and two marks between nostrils and snout tip	No	Present	54.8 *	64.4	1900–2800
A. nanay	Two thirds uniformly brown, and the last third white with scattered brown pigment	Uniformly brown	Yes	Present	72.7	60.7	3600–4100
A. palmatus	Unpigmented with brown spots anteriorly	Tan with colorless areas in the snout, between eyes and spiracle and at the end of body	No	Present	51.5	57.7	1150–1740
A. peruensis	Dark	Dark brown with gray mottling	-	-	56.2 *	45.7	2800–4000
A. pulcher	Brown with white marks	Brown with withe marks anterior and posterior to eyes	-	Present	47.7 *	59.6 *	600–900
A. sorianoi	Creamily white	Dorsum and flanks brown and the anterior area mainly white	-	Absent	52.2	63.2	2400–2718
A. sp. (spumarius complex from Manaus, Brazil)	Strongly pigmented	Light with scattered pigmentation	-	Absent	54.4 *	54.8 *	-
A. sp. (spumarius complex from Puyo, Ecuador)	Presence of vertical cream and black bands	Dark above and laterally with scattered white flecks	-	-	43.5	49.6	-
A. subornatus	Cream anteriorly with dark spots, black in the middle, and translucent posteriorly	Black with two white marks at the snout area, two vertical marks behind eyes and some others at the posterior part	Yes	Present	70.0	59.2	2150–2800
A. tamaense	Dark brown	Brown with some vertical bands behind the eyes without bending in the dorsum	-	Present	73.3	60.0	2950–3200 (VE)
A. tricolor	Dark brown with unpigmented areas	Dark brown with darker dots, unpigmented marks behind eyes	-	Present	-	56.0	1250–2500 (PE)
A. varius	Dark brown	Uniformly dark	-	Absent	48.5 *	55.6 *	16–2000 (PA)
A. zeteki	One third pigmented, and the rest unpigmented	Dark brown with lighter gray areas at the flanks	No	-	48.3 *	52.5	335–1315 (PA)

Asterisks (*) mean information is taken from pictures or illustrations. ASL, abdominal sucker lengt; BL, body length; TAL, tail length; TL, total length; EC, Ecuador; VE, Venezuela; C = Colombia; PA, Panama; GU = Guyane.

Pérez González JL, Rada M., Vargas-Salinas F. et al. The tadpoles of two Atelopus species (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia, and comments on relevant morphological characters in their Neotropical congeners. South Am J Herpetol. Accepted.

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