Orlando Garrido

Sperm morphology of Batrachyla (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

The structure of immature and mature sperm of the three species of Batrachyla were compared by using smears for light microscopy and ultrathin sections for transmission electron microscopy. Minor differences in length and some ultrastructural details support the notion that B. antartandica and B, taeniata are more closely related to each other than to B. leptopus. Comparisons of the sperm of Batrachyla with those of other anurans suggest the sperm morphology may be correlated with broad phylogenetic relationships as well as mode of fertilization.

Evidence for a trophic paternal-larval relationship in the frog Rhinoderma darwinii

Larvae of Rhinoderma darwinii have a nonaquatic development inside the vocal sac of the male. Different authors have suggested the existence of a trophic relationship between the male and the larvae. In order to test this possibility, horseradish peroxidase, 3H valine and 3H leucine were injected into the paternal circulation and traced in the larvae at different postinjection intervals. The different tracers were demonstrated in several organs of the larvae thus indicating a possible paternal nourishment. Up to stage 10, the tracers were incorporated into the larvae through their skin and the cephalic and caudal parts of their digestive tract. At later stages, the intestines were the main route for the entry of tracers into the larvae.

A New Species of Tropidophis from Cuba (Serpentes: Tropidophiidae)

Tropidophisfuscus is described from native pine forests of eastern Cuba. It is a very dark brown species with a gracile habitus. In some aspects of scalation and coloration, it resembles species in the maculatus group, whereas in habitus it resembles members of the semicinctus group. Therefore, its relationship to other species of Tropidophis is presently unclear.

A new snake of the genus Tropidophis (Tropidophiidae) from Eastern Cuba

Abstract A new species of Tropidophis is described from the northern coast of eastern Cuba, in the province of Holguín. It is a small, spotted species previously confused with Tropidophis haetianus of Hispaniola. It differs from that species in being smaller, and in scalation and coloration. It is tentatively placed in the maculatus species group. Tropidophis galacelidus and Tropidophis hardyi are recognized as valid species rather than subspecies of Tropidophis pilsbryi and Tropidophis nigriventris, respectively.

A New Banded Snake of the Genus Tropidophis (Tropidophiidae) from North-Central Cuba

A new species of Tropidophis is described from the province of Villa Clara in north-central Cuba. It has a buff ground color with bold brown spots fused to form zebra-like bands. In scalation and coloration it differs from all other species in the genus, but is tentatively placed in the Tropidophis maculatus group RESUMEN.-Se describe una nueva especie de Tropidophis de la provincia de Villa Clara al norte de la regi6n central de Cuba. Es una especie de color casi beige con marcadas manchas pardas que estan unidas entre si semejantes al patron de una zebra. Se diferencia de todas las especies del genero en base a la escamacion y a la coloraci6n. Tentativamente lo situamos en el grupo Tropidophis maculatus.

A New Gecko (Sphaerodactylus) from the Sierra Maestra of Cuba

A new species of Sphaerodactylus is described from karst areas of the northern slopes of the Sierra Maestra of Cuba. It is most closely related to S. nigropunctatus and S. torrei, and is distinguished from those species and other members of the nigropunctatus group by having a narrower snout, a nearly uniform pattern with no cross-banding in any life stages (juveniles, adult males, and females), and by having a small escutcheon. It is most easily confused with the Cuban species S. elegans, from which it is differs in head and toe pad scalation. ABSTRACT.-A new species of Sphaerodactylus is described from karst areas of the northern slopes of the Sierra Maestra of Cuba. It is most closely related to S. nigropunctatus and S. torrei, and is distinguished from those species and other members of the nigropunctatus group by having a narrower snout, a nearly uniform pattern with no cross-banding in any life stages (juveniles, adult males, and females), and by having a small escutcheon. It is most easily confused with the Cuban species S. elegans, from which it is differs in head and toe pad scalation. In the summer of 1989, while en route by plane from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, we no- ticed a distinctive region of karst terrain in the northern foothills of the Sierra Maestra. During that summers field work we made a special ef- fort to visit the area, which is roughly south of Jiguani near the border of Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces. There, we collected speci- mens of a new ring-necked gecko, Sphaerodac- tylus cricoderus (Thomas et al., 1992), and one of us (S.B.H.) also saw, but was unable to collect, a large plain-colored Sphaerodactylus that could not be identified to species. The following year we returned to the site, a coffee-growing settle- ment called La Pimienta, and collected a large, plain-colored female, which, in addition to be- ing unpattered, showed other differences in pigment distribution and scale configuration from any of the known species of Sphaerodacty- lus. We revisited La Pimienta in 1994 and col- lected several more specimens of this lizard, all showing the same distinctive features as the original. We also collected specimens from south of Guisa, some 18 km to the northwest of La Pimienta. In the summer of 1989, while en route by plane from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, we no- ticed a distinctive region of karst terrain in the northern foothills of the Sierra Maestra. During that summers field work we made a special ef- fort to visit the area, which is roughly south of Jiguani near the border of Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces. There, we collected speci- mens of a new ring-necked gecko, Sphaerodac- tylus cricoderus (Thomas et al., 1992), and one of us (S.B.H.) also saw, but was unable to collect, a large plain-colored Sphaerodactylus that could not be identified to species. The following year we returned to the site, a coffee-growing settle- ment called La Pimienta, and collected a large, plain-colored female, which, in addition to be- ing unpattered, showed other differences in pigment distribution and scale configuration from any of the known species of Sphaerodacty- lus. We revisited La Pimienta in 1994 and col- lected several more specimens of this lizard, all showing the same distinctive features as the original. We also collected specimens from south of Guisa, some 18 km to the northwest of La Pimienta.

A new species of Gecko (Sphaerodactylus) from central Cuba

A new species of gecko, Sphaerodactylus richardi, is described from near Playa Giron in southern Matanzas Province, Cuba. It is a member of the scaber group, and is distinguished by its dorsal body pattern of 5-6 bold crossbands and large, keeled dorsal scales. The taxonomic status of S. storeyae is re-evaluated. The scaber group now includes four species, all from central Cuba, Isla de Juventud, and the Archipielago de los Canarreos: S. oliveri, S. richardi, S. scaber, and S. storeyae

Comparative Studies of the Digestive Tract Development between Rhinoderma darwinii and R. rufum

A comparative morphological study of the digestive tract during larval development between two species of the genus Rhinoderma is presented. The digestive tract of R. rufum shows the structure typical of species with free living larvae; a large intestinal mass and early differentiation of the duodenal epithelium. On the other hand, R. darwinii with nonaquatic development, lacks the morphology associated with exogenous feeding and the histogenesis of the duodenal epithelium reaches its maximum degree of differentiation only in the last stages of the metamorphosis. For R. darwinii a mixed trophic mechanism is suggested involving yolk dependence and a paternal larval relation. This proposition is supported by previous findings which indicate the existence of absorption across the larval skin and inability of the larvae to survive in Ringers amphibian solution. There is some evidence suggesting that a similar mechanism could operate in R. rufum. The frogs of the genus Rhinoderma present an uncommon characteristic of development. After the male has fertilized the oocytes, he remains in proximity to the eggs and takes the embryos up into the vocal sac (Burger, 1904; Wilhelm, 1927, 1932; Cei, 1962). Two species have been identified in the genus: R. darwinii Dumeril and Bibron (1841) and R. rufum (Philippi) Formas et al. (1975). R. darwinii has direct development without free living larvae. The embryoic period (prehatching) lasts 23 days. Of these, the first 20 occur externally. Once muscular activity begins the embryos are taken into the males vocal sac where they hatch and remain until the end of metamorphosis. Larval development lasts 52 days. In this species, eggs are large (4 mm), the larvae lack external gills, spiraculum tube, beak and cornified teeth; the caudal fin is poorly developed; and interdigital membrane and digital tubercules are absent (Jorquera et al., 1972). In R. rufum muscular activity occurs after 8 days and the embryos are taken into the vocal sac at this time. The larvae remain in the vocal sac until stage 3 of larval development when horny jaws are differentiated (Jorquera et al., 1974). At this point the larvae are expelled by the male to complete larval development in an aquatic environment. The duration of this last period is not known. Embryonic and larval characteristics differ from those of R. darwinii. The eggs are small (2.4 mm); the larvae have external gills, spiraculum tube, beak and cornified teeth; interdigital membrane and digital tubercules are present on the hind legs (Jorquera et al., 1974). In summary R. darwinii has direct development and paternal care during larval growth, while R. rufum presents a form of development, which could be called intermediate, with paternal care during the beginning of the larval stage, and a final free living larval period in an aquatic environment. In the first case, as in most species with direct development, the main source of nutriment during embryonic and larval development is the yolk. According to our previous investigations the ultrastructure of the vocal sac epithelium of both species of Rhinoderma reveals the presence of four cellular types: superficial cells, basal cells, This content downloaded from 207.46.13.184 on Fri, 29 Jul 2016 06:04:36 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms RHINODERMA GUT DEVELOPMENT mucous cells, and ciliated cells (Garrido et al., 1975; Jorquera et al., in press). The superficial cells present different morphological characteristics depending on the presence or absence of larvae in the sac. When larvae are present the superficial cells contain numerous secretory granules which are apparently secreted by a merocrine type of secretion. Near the capillaries, the epithelium has a laminar disposition. On the other hand the ultrastructure of the larval skin reveals a thin epithelium with surface epidermal cells and basal cells. The surface cells contain numerous dense intracytoplasmatic vacuoles some of which communicate with the cellular surface with signs of exoor endocytosis and some communicate with the endoplasmic reticulum (Garrido et al., 1975). Large vacuoles with dense contents are also present between the surface cells and the basal cells. In spite of the different location of these vacuoles they all have similar ultrastructure features. Extracytoplasmatic vacuoles are present in the larval skin of R. darwinii during almost all of the stages of larval development, however in R. rufum they are present only until stage 5 (Jorquera et al., in press). In both species the ultrastructural characteristics of the vocal sac epithelium and the larval skin epithelium, suggest that they may have a functional interrelationship. We postulate that a nutrient substance is synthetized by the sacs superficial cells, released, and then incorporated into the larvae by transepithelial absorption. Besides, at least in R. darwinii, it is also possible that paternal-larval exchanges may occur by digestive absorption similar to the viviparous anuran Nectophrynoides occidentalis in which differentiation of the gut tube begins early in embryonic life (Vilter and Lugano, 1959; Xavier, 1971, 1973, 1977). The present study reports on the anatomical development of the digestive tract as well as the ultrastructure of the gastric and duodenal mucosa of R. darwinii and R. rufum. The results are discussed taking into consideration the capacity of digestive absorption and yolk dependence during larval development in both species. In addition the role of the vocal sac in the nourishment of the larvae is also considered. MATERIAL AND METHODS R. darwinii and R. rufum larvae were classified from stages 1-15, according to tables described by Jorquera et al. (1972, 1974). The gross anatomical characteristics of the digestive tract were studied in 150 dissected specimens. The digestive tracts were illustrated with scale drawings which allowed recognition of the different stages of each species, and a comparative analysis between species at the same stage. Once the different segments of the digestive tract were identified, samples from the duodenal and cardial regions of the stomach were prepared for electron microscopy. Fragments from the gastric and duodenal walls were fixed in Karnovskys fluid and post-fixed in an isotonic 1% solution of osmium tetroxide. Samples were then dehydrated in an ethanol-acetone mixture and were embedded in pure araldite (Glauert and Glauert, 1958). The ultrastructure study was done using 800 to 1000 A sections mounted on uncovered copper grids. These sections were stained with uranyl-acetate and lead citrate (Glauert, 1965), and observed in a Philips 300 transmission electron microscope.