scholarly journals Responses of male cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) to attenuated and degraded advertisement calls

Ethology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt R. Venator ◽  
Michael J. Ryan ◽  
Walter Wilczynski
Keyword(s):  
Advertisement Calls ◽  
Acris Crepitans ◽  
Male Cricket ◽  
Cricket Frogs

Correlations between call characteristics and morphology in male cricket frogs (Acris crepitans).

1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (9) ◽  
pp. 1907-1919
Author(s):  
B E McClelland ◽  
W Wilczynski ◽  
M J Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Size Effects ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Advertisement Call ◽  
Acris Crepitans ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Male Cricket ◽  
Cricket Frogs

We investigated the relationships among spectral and temporal advertisement-call characteristics and the sizes of the laryngeal and ear components thought to underlie the generation and reception of species-specific vocalizations in male cricket frogs (Acris crepitans). We tested the predictions that the volumes of the structural elements necessary for acoustic communication would be correlated with various parameters of the vocalizations. The anatomy of laryngeal and ear structures was reconstructed from serial sections of the heads of male cricket frogs of two subspecies collected from several sites across the range of this species in Texas, USA. The relationships among the anatomy and call parameters were assessed using several univariate and multivariate analyses. Highly significant univariate correlations among the laryngeal components suggest that the temporal and spectral characteristics of the calls are not independently produced. Dominant frequency correlates strongly with most of the other call and morphological characteristics. Removing body size effects, however, removes the relationship between dominant frequency and the volume of the whole larynx and ear. This is also the case for call pulse rate, indicating that for this species both spectral and temporal call parameters are biomechanically related to laryngeal size which is, in turn, largely mediated by body size. General body size effects might also explain the existence of significant relationships between ear size and temporal characteristics of the call that probably do not have a functional basis.

Risk Factors and Declines in Northern Cricket Frogs (Acris crepitans)

2005 ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Val R. Beasley ◽  
Sandra A. Faeh ◽  
Brigit Wikoff ◽  
Craig Staehle ◽  
Tim Halliday ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Acris Crepitans ◽  
Cricket Frogs

168 A NONINVASIVE, TRANSDERMAL ABSORPTION APPROACH FOR EXOGENOUS HORMONE INDUCTION OF SPAWNING IN THE NORTHERN CRICKET FROG, ACRIS CREPITANS: A MODEL FOR SMALL ENDANGERED AMPHIBIANS

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 232 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Snyder ◽  
V. L. Trudeau ◽  
N. M. Loskutoff
Keyword(s):  
Pond Water ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Amphibian Conservation ◽  
Dopamine Antagonist ◽  
Exogenous Hormone ◽  
Transdermal Absorption ◽  
Acris Crepitans ◽  
Cricket Frog ◽  
Cricket Frogs

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) currently recognises Eleutherodactylus locustus from Puerto Rico and Plectrohyla acanthodes from Mexico and Guatemala as critically endangered, and they are recommended for ex situ breeding by several amphibian conservation organizations (e.g. AZA, ATAG, RCP, and AARK). Because of their very small and delicate bodies, conventional injectable methods developed for hormonally stimulating spawning in larger frogs and toads are undesirable, because this can result in trauma and injury. Recently, a protocol was developed for inducing spawning in frogs by co-injection of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) with metoclopramide-HCl (MET), a dopamine antagonist (Amphiplex; Trudeau et al. 2010 Rep. Biol. Endo. 8, 36). The goal of this study, therefore, was to determine the effectiveness of Amphiplex using 3 routes of exogenous treatments: (1) direct IP injection (0.4 µg of GnRHa + 10 µg of MET per gram of body weight), (2) injection into prey (1 µg of GnRHa + 25 µg of MET per insect) before feeding, and (3) a 60-min immersion in 10 mL of pond water containing 0.17 µg of GnRHa + 0.42 µg of MET per microliter. The northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans), a very common local species, was used as a model because it is also small, delicate, and difficult to handle. A total of 110 cricket frogs were caught locally either late or after their normal breeding season, sexed as males or females, and segregated into a control group that was housed similarly ex situ but not exposed to Amphiplex and the 3 Amphiplex experimental groups. The frogs were monitored daily for egg production and behavioural amplexus (potential spermiation). The results are summarised as follows (Table 1): of the frogs exposed to the Amphiplex-supplemented pond water, 84% of 38 females deposited eggs, and 6 pairs were observed in amplexus (indicating spermiation). Approximately 27% of more than 2242 eggs were found to develop cleavage divisions, and tadpoles were first observed in vitro after 4 days. In conclusion, to our knowledge this is the first report indicating that transdermal absorption of a reproductive hormone cocktail (e.g. Amphiplex) may serve in the application of assisted reproductive technology to increase the populations of critically endangered amphibians such as frogs and toads that may be too small or delicate for conventional methods of exogenous hormone treatments that require handling and injections. Table 1.Treated northern cricket frogs

scholarly journals Forms and prevalence of intersexuality and effects of environmental contaminants on sexuality in cricket frogs (Acris crepitans).

1998 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
A L Reeder ◽  
G L Foley ◽  
D K Nichols ◽  
L G Hansen ◽  
B Wikoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Contaminants ◽  
Acris Crepitans ◽  
Cricket Frogs
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