Skeletal Development of Pelobates cultripes and a Comparison of the Osteogenesis of Pelobatid Frogs (Anura: Pelobatidae)

Abstract

The larval skeleton and osteogenesis of Pelobates cultures is described and compared to that of several pelobatoid and non-peobatoid taxa. Several features of the larval skeleton are of interest, including: absence of a cartilageinous strip between the cornua trabeculae, type of articulation of cornua and suprarostrals, presence of adrostral tissues, and the condition of the otic process. by comparing sequence of ossification events across taxa, several patterns of skeletal development for Pelobates cultures emerge, including: conserved timing of prootic ossification, delayed onset of mentomeckelian ossification, and early formation of vomerine teeth. Several other developmental features, including the absence of a palatine (=neopalatine) bone and the formation of the frontopartietal, also are discussed.