| rapid sexual maturity and short life span in the blue-legged frog and the rainbow frog from the arid isalo massif, southern-central madagascar. | longevity and age at sexual maturity were estimated in two anurans from the arid isalo massif (southern-central madagascar), the blue-legged frog (mantella expectata) and the rainbow frog (scaphiophryne gottlebei). phalanges from 69 individuals of m. expectata and 38 individuals of s. gottlebei were analyzed, using the skeletochronological method, in samples collected during two periods: january-february and november-december 2004. the male gonads of both species were also analyzed in order to b ... | 2010 | 21051209 |
| ancient tetraploidy and slow molecular evolution in scaphiophryne: ecological correlates of speciation mode in malagasy relict amphibians. | karyotypes of three microhylid frog species of the malagasy relict genus scaphiophryne were studied: scaphiophryne gottlebei, s. madagascariensis and s. spinosa. the latter two showed a plesiomorphic ranoid karyotype of 2n = 26. in contrast, tetraploidy was demonstrated in s. gottlebei, which constitutes an exceptional state among malagasy amphibians. a combination of different banding techniques and of rdna-fish provided evidence for allopolyploidy in the species and for a completed subsequent ... | 2002 | 11993933 |