Exam 2

Anura

Without tail

Biphasic

No tadpole stage

Oophagy

Babies eat unfertilized eggs

Tibofibula

Fused tibula and fibula

Radioulna

Fused radius and ulna

Iliosacral Joint

Hinge-like pivot joint between pelvis and spine that enhances jumping performance

Tibiale and Fibulare

elongated ankle bones

Tympanic Membrane

the “ear drum” thats located externally

Operculum

connects pectoral girdle to the inner ear

Stapes

transfers vibration from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear

Amplexus

sexual embrace

Ascaphidae

Tailed frogs (2 spp)

• cold, turbulent, torrential streams

• internal fertilization

• highly aquatic

• lack tympanic membrane

• do not call

Rhinophrynidae

Mexican Burrowing Toad (1 spp)

• only found in Texas

• spade-like tubercle for burrowing

• small eyes

• hardened, keratinized snout

• thick skull

• mouth modded to eat ants

Mycmerophagy

ant eating

Scaphiopodidae

Spadefoot toads (7 spp)

• Adapted for burrowing

• only emerge in exceptionally heavy rains

• may only ever breed 2-6 years

Explosive breeders

Species that remain hidden until ideal conditions

Eleuthrodactylidae

New world rain frogs (-200 spp)

• forest dwelling

• direct developmemt

Hylidae

Treefrogs (-1,000 spp)

• expanded toe pads for climbing

• highly arboreal

Envionmentally-cued hatching

some herps will hatch early to avoid stressful conditions

Bufonidae

True toads

• teeth are entirely absent

• lay eggs in strings

Microhylidae

Narrowed-mouth frogs (550 spp)

• broad and diverse group

• extensive parental care

Ranidae

True frogs or Water frogs (400 spp)

• highly aquatic and webbed feet

• usually live around permanent water

Centrolenidae

Glass frogs

Dendrobatidae

Poison dart frogs

• not inherently toxic but accumulate alkaloids

• extensive parental care

Reptilomorphs

“reptile-like” ancestors which later developed into mammals and reptiles

Dimetrodon

early synapsid and more closely related to mammals and modern reptiles

Stratum corneum

calluses

Fenestrae

openings in the skull that allow for muscle attachment

Anapsid Condition

no temporal fenestra

Modified Condition

turtles have this which causes confusion

Diapsid Condition

two temporal fenestra

Postorbital Notch

modded anapsid skull in turtles

Hemipenes

two penises

Scutes

scales on turtles that develop in conjunction with underlying bone

Osteoderms

form a dermal scale, includes a bony element and is harder than epidermal scale

Two generations of skin

OG-Older gen

IG- Inner (newer) gen

Beta Layer

contains skin cells packed with beta keratin (unique to sauropsids)

Alpha Layer

contains skin cells packed with alpha keratin (like ours)

Mesos Layer

between alpha and beta layers

Scleral Ossicles

the bone within the sclera of the eye, surrounds pupil, helps muscles attach to aid lens, enhances visual acuity

Two major lineages of living lepidosaurs

Squamata and Rynchocephalia

Akinetic skull

No joints in the jaw to allow separate movement of cranium

Cranial Kinesis

the ability of the upper jaw to move independently of the braincase

Meso Kinetic Skull

hinge just behind the eye

Genetic Sex Determination

sex determined by chromosomes

Temperature-dependent sex determination

sex is determined by incubation temp of the eggs

Caudal autonomy

the ability to intentionally release the portion of the tail

Intravertebral tail autonomy

tail vertebrate have fracture planes which easily allow the tail to separate from the body

Intervertebral tail autonomy

tail breaks between vertebrae

Pit-organs

heat-sensing organs which aid in detecting prey

Trigeminal nerve

all vertebrates have this to carry sensory information from the skin to the brain

Optic Tectum

portion of the brain that processes visual information in non-mammal vertebrates

Scincidae

Skinks (1600 spp)

• smooth shiny cycloid scales undergirded with osteoderms

• litter-swimmers or sand-swimmers

Teiidae

Whiptails and Tegues (146 spp)

• Heliothermic (dependent on solar energy for body heat)

• Parthenogenesis common

• show pseudocopulation

Helodermatidae

Gila Monsters (2 spp)

• Venomous lizards

• venom glads non-muscular and located in lower jaw

• desert-dwelling species

• eat mammal and bird nestlings and eggs

Anguidae

Glass lizards (-130 spp)

• convergently similar to skinks

• legless lizards

How are legless lizards different from snakes?

legless lizards have external ear openings

Phyrnosomatidae

Spiny lizards (148 spp)

• large portion of lizard diversity in U.S.

• commonly used in research

• genus scleporus is the most speciose

Sun-shuttling

moving between sun and shade to maintain a preferred body temp

Endotherm

animals that produce their own body heat

Ectotherm

animals that regulate body heat using the environment

Poikilotherm

animals that allow their body heat to fluctuate more than 2 degrees celcius

Homeotherms

animals that maintain a stable body temp

Endothermic Homeotherm ex?

typical mammal or bird

Endothermic Poikilotherms ex?

naked mole rat

Ectothermic Homeotherm ex?

dinosaurs (probs), sea turtles

Ectothermic Poikilotherms ex?

typical “reptile”: snake, lizard, turtle, croc

Iguanidae

Iguanas (40 spp)

• North and South Americas

• herbivore as adult mostly (arthropods)

• extensive guts for fermenting plants

Dactyloidae

Anoles (400 spp)

• great diversity in the caribbean islands

• have toe-pads like geckos

• lay a single egg at a time

• males have colorful throat called “dewlap”

• 1 native U.S. species- Green Anole

• cool social behavior

Crotaphytidae

Collard+Leopard lizards (12 spp)

• North American lizards of deserts and grasslands

• large lizards that eat other lizards, rodents, and snakes

Gekkota (suborder)

Geckos (1800 spp)

• most have expanded toe-pads and have arboreal lifestyle

• lay 2 egg per clutch

Eublepharidae

Eyelid geckos (36 spp)

• includes leopard geckos

• terrestrial geckos without toe-pads

• genus Coleonyx (banded geckos) in southwestern U.S.

Gekkonidae

Spectacled geckos (1000 spp)

• invasive in U.S.

• house geckos (hemidactylus) will die in our winters so they stay in buildings

Chamaeleonidae

Chameleons (200 spp)

• mostly in africa

• projectile tongue

• prehensive tail

• color change is for thermoregulation

• dark colors = cold

• light colors = warm