Factors affecting burst swimming speed in large Lithobates catesbeianus (Anura: Ranidae) tadpoles

Authors

  • Morgan D. Gilmore Denison University. Granville, Ohio 43023, USA
  • Geoffrey R. Smith Denison University. Granville, Ohio 43023, USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v25i1p111-115

Keywords:

Anuran, Body size, Developmental stage, Larvae, Performance

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Arendt, J. 2010. Morphological correlates of sprint swimming speed in five species of spadefoot toad tadpoles: comparison of morphometric methods Journal of Morphology 271: 1044–1052.

Brown, R.M. and D.H. Taylor. 1995. Compensatory escape mode trade-offs between swimming performance and maneuvering behavior through larval ontogeny of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Copeia 1995: 1–7.

Cheron, M., L. Raoelison, A. Kato, Y. Ropert-Coudert, X. Meyer, A. J. J. Macintosh, and F. Brischoux. 2021.

Ontogenetic changes in activity, locomotion, and behavioural complexity in tadpoles. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 134: 165–176.

Dayton, G. H., D. Saenz, K. A. Baum, R. B. Langerhans, and T. J. DeWitt. 2005. Body shape, burst speed and escape behavior of larval anurans. Oikos 111: 582–591.

Gosner, K. L. 1960. A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica 16: 183–190.

Huey, R. B. 1980. Sprint velocity of tadpoles (Bufo boreas) through metamorphosis. Copeia 1980: 537–540.

Johnson, J. B., D. B. Burt, and T. J. DeWitt. 2008. Form, function, and fitness: pathways to survival. Evolution 62: 1243–1251.

Johnson, J. B., D. Saenz, C. K. Adams, and T. J. Hibbitts. 2015. Naturally occurring variation in tadpole morphology and performance linked to predator regime. Ecology and Evolution 5: 2991–3002.

Kinsey, C. T., O. McNelly, W. C. Bridges, and R. W. Blob. 2023. Testing trade-offs in amphibian metamorphic traits: swimming performance and selection across metamorphic stages in the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis. Functional Ecology 37: 2447–2458.

Krishna, S. N., and S. B. Krishna. 2013. American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw 1802). Pp. 585–600 in R. A. Pfingsten, J. G. Davis, J. O. Matson, G. J. Lipps Jr., D. Wynn, and B. I. Armitage (eds.), Amphibians of Ohio. Columbus. Ohio Biological Survey.

Lindgren, B., G. Orizaola, and A. Laurila. 2018. Interacting effects of predation risk and resource level on escape speed of amphibian larvae along a latitudinal gradient. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 31: 1216—1226.

Liu, H., R. J. Wassersug, and K. Kawachi. 1996. A computational fluid dynamics study of tadpole swimming. Journal of Experimental Biology 199: 1245–1260.

Perotti, M. G., M. Pueta, F. G. Jara, C. A. Úbeda, and D. L. Moreno-Azocar. 2016. Lack of functional link in the tadpole morphology induced by predators. Current Zoology 62: 227–235.

Van Buskirk, J. and S. A. McCollum. 2000. Influence of tail shape on tadpole swimming performance. Journal of Experimental Biology 203: 2149–2158.

Wassersug, R. J. and K. S. Hoff. 1985. The kinematics of swimming in anuran larvae. Journal of Experimental Biology 119: 1–30.

Wassersug, R. J. and D. G. Sperry. 1977. The relationship of locomotion to differential predation on Pseudacris triseriata (Anura: Hylidae). Ecology 58: 830–839.

Wilson, R. S. and C. E. Franklin. 2000. Effect of ontogenetic increases in body size on burst swimming performance in tadpoles of the Striped Marsh Frog, Limnodynastes peronii. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73: 142–152.

Wilson, R. S., P. G. Kraft, and R. Van Damme. 2005. Predator-specific changes in the morphology and swimming performance of larval Rana lessonae. Functional Ecology 19: 238–244.

Zechini, L., A. Lilley, J. R. Downie, and P. T. Walsh. 2015. Why do frog and toad forelimbs suddenly (but asynchronously) appear, every time metamorphosis is near? Functional Ecology 29: 816–822.

Downloads

Published

2026-06-11

Issue

Section

Short Communication

How to Cite

Gilmore, M. D., & Smith, G. R. (2026). Factors affecting burst swimming speed in large Lithobates catesbeianus (Anura: Ranidae) tadpoles. Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology, 25(1), 111-115. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v25i1p111-115