La Guyane est un laboratoire naturel idéal pour étudier la biodiversité tropicale. Depuis 14 ans, le Labex CEBA, basé en Guyane française et porté par le CNRS, cherche à comprendre l’origine et le mai...

Of the many features that make frogs and toads unique, vocal sacs are among the most remarkable. Vocal sacs are inflatable, elastic chambers present in adult males of most anurans and are key elements in their social interactions. Traditionally vocal sacs have been associated primarily with acoustic communication, but their functions are currently being reinterpreted, and there is increasing evidence that they play a wider role in anuran biology. We surveyed the anatomical and histological structure of vocal sacs in all major clades of frogs by examining 777 specimens representing 605 species. Herein we characterize the morphological diversity of the three elements that compose the vocal sac: the gular skin, the superficial submandibular musculature, and the internal mucosa. We describe major anatomical patterns and define characters that we optimize on a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis of Anura. Integrating this anatomical information with images and videos of vocalizing frogs, we produce an updated morphological classification that includes 20 patterns of vocal sac morphology, each of which can be diagnosed by internal and external structures. Applying this classification to 4358 species, we discuss major evolutionary trends, taking ontogeny, homology, and multimodal communication into consideration. A single, spherical vocal sac is the most widely distributed vocal sac shape (present in 63% of known species), but some degree of lateralization (bilobate or paired sacs) has evolved in almost all anuran families. Some groups, such as Hylidae and Ranidae, are particularly diverse and contain more than 10 different vocal sac morphologies. Vocal sacs are absent in 18% of anurans and have been lost between 146 and 196 times, an astounding number considering their biological importance. Lastly, we review the morphological diversity and taxonomic relevance of vocal sac structures for each of the 58 families of recent anurans.

Ichthyosaura as a generic nomen for the Alpine Newt (Caudata: Salamandridae): a doubtful case of literarian archeology. pp. 41-52. Abstract. Since the partition of the traditional genus Triturus Rafi...

Abstract The Balkan Peninsula hosts a great proportion of Europe’s biodiversity, and this is well illustrated by amphibian richness and endemism. Among them, the yellow-bellied toad Bombina v...

L’atlas des amphibiens de Guyane intègre les progrès considérables réalisés au cours des vingt dernières années en termes de connaissances sur la taxonomie, la répartition, l’écologie et la conservati...

In Lower Austria’s Waldviertel region, artificial drainage ditches were constructed in the last century in order to use peatlands for forestry, agriculture, and peat extraction. By now, many of these ...