Evolutionary and developmental considerations of the diet and gut morphology in ceratophryid tadpoles (Anura)

Table 2 Variation of body length and intestine length (in millimeters) during larval development within Ceratophryids

Species	Stage	n	Body Length (BL)	Hind Gut Length (HGL)	HGL/BL
Chacophrys pierottii	Limb bud	5	9,22 (±0.53)	95.64 (±15.61)	≈ 10
	Limb growth	5^a	25.43 (±1.84)	305.58 (±92.5)	≈ 12
	Limb growth	5^b	38.25 (±4.28)	633.6 (±196.72)	≈ 16.56
	Metamorphosis	3^a	23.84 (±3.20)	172.88 (±67.47)	≈ 7.4
	Metamorphosis	3^b	36.51 (±1.73)	120.06 (±75.62)	≈ 3.2
Ceratophrys cranwelli	Limb bud	6	11.73 (±1.40)	51.39 (±10.05)	≈ 4.5
	Limb growth	6	23.80 (±1.45)	81.94 (±8.4)	≈ 3.5
	Metamorphosis	2	28.77	52.5	≈ 1.8
Lepidobatrachus llanensis	Limb bud	5	13.36 (±1.12)	33.89 (±3.34)	≈2
	Limb growth	10	25.062 (±5.17)	51.83 (±14.80)	≈2
	Metamorphosis	10	40.26 (±4.8)	118.55 (±22.86)	≈ 2.9
Lepidobatracus laevis	Limb bud	6	13.85 (±2.61)	27.05 (± 4.80)	≈ 2
	Limb growth	15	37.38 (±6.11)	102.59 (± 30.64)	≈ 2.7
	Metamorphosis	17	46.17 (±4.06)	131.65 (±17.30)	≈ 2.85

In Chacophrys pierotti, super index (^a) refers to small tadpoles and super index (^b) to large tadpoles. Length of intestine was measure between the pyloric loop and end of the intestine into the vent tube/cloaca. Before the metamorphosis, the intestine is very large in Chacophrys pierottii, short in Ceratophrys cranwelli and very short in Lepidobatrachus spp. During metamorphosis, the intestine shortens abruptly in Chacophrys and Ceratophrys whereas it conserves its larval length in Lepidobatrachus spp

ISSN: 1471-213X