01323nas a2200169   4500008004100000245016600041210006900207260001400276300001000290490000700300520072400307100002101031700002401052700002201076700002001098856003501118       2004                        eng d00aThe caecilian amphibian Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger as prey of the burrowing asp Atractaspis aterrima Gunther: trophic relationships of fossorial vertebrates0 acaecilian amphibian Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger as prey of t  cJune 2004  a83-870 v423 aA report is given of an adult caecilian, Scolecomorphus kirkii, found in the gut of a specimen of the snake Atractaspis aterrima from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Both predator and prey are largely fossorial in soil, and their ecology is poorly known, such that this is the first reported predator of any scolecomorphid caecilian. The caecilian was ingested head first and much of the flesh from the anterior of the specimen had been digested. The prey/predator mass ratio is 0.48. This value is substantially higher than reported for A. aterrima from West Africa, and refutes the notion that this species feeds only on small prey. Most reported predators of caecilians are snakes, and a brief review is presented.1 aGower, David, J.1 aRasmussen, Jens, B.1 aLoader, Simon, P.1 aWilkinson, Mark  u<Go to ISI>://PREV20040032171301679nas a2200169   4500008004100000245016300041210006900204260001800273300001200291490000700303520107600310100002101386700002201407700002501429700002001454856003501474       2004                        eng d00aNiche separation and comparative abundance of Boulengerula boulengeri and Scolecomorphus vittatus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) in an East Usambara forest, Tanzania0 aNiche separation and comparative abundance of Boulengerula boule  cDecember 2004  a183-1900 v533 aThe ecology of the sympatric caecilians Boulengerula boulengeri and Scolecomorphus vittatus was studied in Nilo Forest Reserve in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Three sampling methods (timed digging, pitfall trapping and casual visual encounter surveys of the forest floor) yielded 85 B. boulengeri, found only by digging soil, and 23 S. vittatus, mostly collected above ground. The difference between these taxa in the proportions of captures above and below ground is statistically significant and is taken to indicate different ecologies. B. boulengeri is interpreted as predominantly a burrower in soil, and S. vittatus as an animal spending more time than B. boulengeri above ground. Niche separation appears to be correlated with some morphological differences. The vast majority of all vertebrate specimens dug from the top 300 mm of soil were B. boulengeri, and this species appears to be more abundant than S. vittatus in East Usambara forest soils. As an abundant endogeic animal, B. boulengeri may play an important role in the ecology of forest soils.1 aGower, David, J.1 aLoader, Simon, P.1 aMoncrieff, Clive, B.1 aWilkinson, Mark  u<Go to ISI>://PREV20050011925501971nas a2200337   4500008004100000245003100041210002700072300001000099490000800109520104600117100002201163700001701185700002201202700002001224700002001244700002501264700002201289700001901311700002001330700002701350700003101377700002701408700002201435700001601457700001901473700002501492700002001517700002001537700002201557856005401579       2006                        eng d00aThe amphibian tree of life0 aamphibian tree of life  a8-2910 v2973 a<p>The evidentiary basis of the currently accepted classification of living amphibians is discussed and shown not to warrant the degree of authority conferred on it by use and tradition. A new taxonomy of living amphibians is proposed to correct the deficiencies of the old one. This new taxonomy is based on the largest phylogenetic analysis of living Amphibia so far accomplished. We combined the comparative anatomical character evidence of Haas (2003) with DNA sequences from the mitochondrial transcription unit HI (12S and 16S ribosomal RNA and tRNA(Valine) genes, 2,400 bp of mitochondrial sequences) and the nuclear genes histone H3, rhodopsin, tyrosinase, and seven in absentia, and the large ribosomal subunit 28S (approximate to 2,300 bp of nuclear sequences; ca. 1.8 million base pairs; x ($) over bar = 3.7 kb/terminal). The dataset includes 532 terminals sampled from 522 species representative of the global diversity of amphibians as well as seven of the closest living relatives of amphibians for outgroup comparisons.</p>
1 aFrost, Darrel, R.1 aGrant, Taran1 aFaivovich, Julian1 aBain, Raoul, H.1 aHaas, Alexander1 aHaddad, Celio, F. B.1 aDe Sa, Rafael, O.1 aChanning, Alan1 aWilkinson, Mark1 aDonnellan, Stephen, C.1 aRaxworthy, Christopher, J.1 aCampbell, Jonathan, A.1 aBlotto, Boris, L.1 aMoler, Paul1 aDrewes, R., C.1 aNussbaum, Ronald, A.1 aLynch, John, D.1 aGreen, David, m1 aWheeler, Ward, C.  uhttps://africanamphibians.myspecies.info/node/14202135nas a2200217   4500008004100000245007500041210006900116260001600185300001200201490000800213520150600221100001801727700002101745700002001766700002201786700001501808700002101823700001801844700002001862856003501882       2007                        eng d00aGlobal patterns of diversification in the history of modern amphibians0 aGlobal patterns of diversification in the history of modern amph  cJan 16 2007  a887-8920 v1043 aThe fossil record of modern amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) provides no evidence for major extinction or radiation episodes throughout most of the Mesozoic and early Tertiary. However, long-term gradual diversification is difficult to reconcile with the sensitivity of present-day amphibian faunas to rapid ecological changes and the incidence of similar environmental perturbations in the past that have been associated with high turnover rates in other land vertebrates. To provide a comprehensive overview of the history of amphibian diversification, we constructed a phylogenetic timetree based on a multigene data set of 3.75 kb for 171 species. Our analyses reveal several episodes of accelerated amphibian diversification, which do not fit models of gradual lineage accumulation. Global turning points in the phylogenetic and ecological diversification occurred after the end-Permian mass extinction and in the late Cretaceous. Fluctuations in amphibian diversification show strong temporal correlation with turnover rates in amniotes and the rise of angiosperm-dominated forests. Approximately 86% of modern frog species and > 81% of salamander species descended from only five ancestral lineages that produced major radiations in the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. This proportionally late accumulation of extant lineage diversity contrasts with the long evolutionary history of amphibians but is in line with the Tertiary increase in fossil abundance toward the present.1 aRoelants, Kim1 aGower, David, J.1 aWilkinson, Mark1 aLoader, Simon, P.1 aBiju, S.D.1 aGuillaume, Karen1 aMoriau, Linde1 aBossuyt, Franky  u<Go to ISI>://PREV200700290016