Morphology of testicular anurans: a comparative analysis of ten species of the group Calamitophrynia

Abstract

The unranked taxon Calamitophrynia includes four families of frogs: Leiuperidae, Hylodidae, Bufonidae and Dendrobatidae. Previous studies have shown that families Leiuperidae and Hylodidae this group share several characteristics, among them the testicular pigmentation, which features character phylogenetic signal. The testes of frogs possess an extracellular matrix with reticular fibers, elastic and collagen, as well as several cell types, among which the melanocytes, special cells that occur in certain species. The seminiferous locules are spherical or ovoid units within that matrix and containing germ cells organized in the same stage of development, forming spermatocysts. However, comparative analyzes can show different morphologies among species and families of a certain group, being an important tool in the diagnosis of strains in anurans and analysis of the evolution of these features based on pre-existing phylogenies. Therefore, this study will analyze and compare the morphology and arrangement of the components of testicular ten species nested in Calamitophrynia: Physalaemus centralis, P. cuvieri, P. marmoratus, P. olfersii, P. biligonigerus, Pleurodema tucumanum and Pseudopaludicola saltica (Leiuperidae) Crossodactylus caramaschi, Hylodes cardosoi and H. sazimai (Hylodidae). Our results may provide relevant contributions on the structural biology of amphibians, to understand and test hypotheses about the evolution of these features, such as testicular arrangements. (AU)