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Introduction

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Selected amphibian type

Oscaecilia ochrocephala (Caeciliidae)

Caecilians (/sɪˈsɪliən/; New Latin for 'blind ones') are a group of limbless, vermiform (worm-shaped) or serpentine (snake-shaped) amphibians with small or sometimes nonexistent eyes. They mostly live hidden in soil or in streambeds, and this cryptic lifestyle renders caecilians among the least familiar amphibians. Modern caecilians live in the tropics of South and Central America, Africa, and southern Asia. Caecilians feed on small subterranean creatures such as earthworms. The body is cylindrical and often darkly coloured, and the skull is bullet-shaped and strongly built. Caecilian heads have several unique adaptations, including fused cranial and jaw bones, a two-part system of jaw muscles, and a chemosensory tentacle in front of the eye. The skin is slimy and bears ringlike markings or grooves and may contain scales.

Modern caecilians are a clade, the order Gymnophiona' /ˌdʒɪmnəˈfaɪənə/ (or Apoda /ˈæpədə/), one of the three living amphibian groups alongside Anura (frogs) and Urodela (salamanders). Gymnophiona is a crown group, encompassing all modern caecilians and all descendants of their last common ancestor. There are more than 220 living species of caecilian classified in 10 families. Gymnophionomorpha is a recently coined name for the corresponding total group which includes Gymnophiona as well as a few extinct stem-group caecilians (extinct amphibians whose closest living relatives are caecilians but are not descended from any caecilian). Some palaeontologists have used the name Gymnophiona for the total group and the old name Apoda for the crown group'. However, Apoda has other even older uses, including as the name of a genus of Butterfly making its use potentially confusing and best avoided. 'Gymnophiona' derives from the Greek words γυμνος / gymnos (Ancient Greek for 'naked') and οφις / ophis (Ancient Greek for 'snake'), as the caecilians were originally thought to be related to snakes and to lack scales.

The study of caecilian evolution is complicated by their poor fossil record and specialized anatomy. Genetic evidence and some anatomical details (such as pedicellate teeth) support the idea that frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (collectively known as lissamphibians) are each others' closest relatives. Frogs and salamanders show many similarities to dissorophoids, a group of extinct amphibians in the order Temnospondyli. Caecilians are more controversial; many studies extend dissorophoid ancestry to caecilians. Some studies have instead argued that caecilians descend from extinct lepospondyl or stereospondyl amphibians, contradicting evidence for lissamphibian monophyly (common ancestry). Rare fossils of early gymnophionans such as Eocaecilia and Funcusvermis have helped to test the various conflicting hypotheses for the relationships between caecilians and other living and extinct amphibians. (Full article...)

Selected frog article

The Seychelles palm frog (Sechellophryne pipilodryas) is a species of frog that is endemic to Silhouette Island in the Seychelles. It is closely related to Gardiner's frog, Sechellophryne gardineri.

The Seychelles palm frog inhabits forests higher than 150 m (490 ft) above sea level and is closely associated with the palm Phoenicophorium borsigianum (another Seychelles endemic); most individuals are found in axils of the palm. It is the most arboreal of the Sooglossidae. As a result, the palm frog is the most recent species of the family to have been discovered (in 2000).

The reproductive biology of this species is unknown, but it is presumed to involve direct development, i.e. eggs that hatch directly into froglets. (Full article...)

Selected salamander article

Spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum

Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela from the group Caudata. Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm.

Salamanders never have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults.

This group of amphibians is capable of regenerating lost limbs as well as other damaged parts of their bodies. Researchers hope to reverse engineer the regenerative processes for potential human medical applications, such as brain and spinal cord injury treatment or preventing harmful scarring during heart surgery recovery. The remarkable ability of salamanders to regenerate is not just limited to limbs but extends to vital organs such as the heart, jaw, and parts of the spinal cord, showing their uniqueness compared to different types of vertebrates. ⁤⁤This ability is most remarkable for occurring without any type of scarring. ⁤⁤This has made salamanders an invaluable model organism in scientific research aimed at understanding and achieving regenerative processes for medical advancements in human and animal biology. (Full article...)

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Picture slideshow

Image 1Litoria chloris
Image 2Common toads during amplexus
Image 3Marsh frog
Image 4Male Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris aka Triturus vulgaris) during breeding season in the Netherlands.
Image 5Italian tree frog
Image 6Magnificent tree frog
Image 7Phantasmal poison frog
Image 8Edible Frog
Image 9Lithobates clamitans
Image 10Southern Brown tree frog
Image 11Limosa harlequin frog
Image 12Frogs
Image 13Iberian midwife toad
Image 14American toad
Image 15Fire-bellied toad
Image 16Panamanian golden frog
Image 17Agile frog
Image 18Duttaphrynus melanostictus
Image 19Albanian water frog
Image 20Epirus water frog
Image 21Fire salamander
Image 22Eastern newt
Image 23Dendropsophus microcephalus
Image 24Blue Mountains tree frog
Image 25Common frog
Image 26Spanish painted frog
Image 27Atelopus certus
Image 28Ecnomiohyla rabborum
Image 29Fire salamander
Image 30White-lipped tree frog
Image 31Golden toad
Image 32Agalychnis callidryas
Image 33Limnodynastes dumerilii
Image 34Poison dart frog
Image 35Surprise, its an amphibian. This is a genus of South American Caecilians, blind and snake-like, which hunt through leaf litter. Photo from Wildsumaco Reserve, Ecuador.
Image 36Leaf green tree frog
Image 37Blue poison dart frog
Image 38New England tree frog
Image 39Emerald-eyed tree frog
Image 40Balearic green toad
Image 41Fire salamander

Selected toad article

Toad doctors were practitioners of a specific tradition of medicinal folk magic, operating in western England until the end of the 19th century. Their main concern was healing scrofula (then called "the King's Evil," a skin disease), though they were also believed to cure other ailments including those resulting from witchcraft. They cured the sick by placing a live toad, or the leg of one, in a muslin bag and hanging it around the sick person's neck. (Full article...)

Selected caecilian article

Siphonops annulatus

The Siphonopidae are the family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes.

They are the sister group to Dermophiidae, also of South America. Siphonopids are oviparous caecilians, meaning they lay eggs. They have imperforated stapes and no inner mandibular teeth. Like species of some other caecilian families, their skulls have relatively few bones, with those present being fused to form a solid ram to aid in burrowing through the soil. The mouth is recessed beneath the snout, and there is no tail. (Full article...)