LARYNGEAL STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION IN A MAJOR FROG RADIATION (ANURA: RANOIDEA)

• Grant number: 23/16756-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Effective date (Start): April 15, 2024
• Effective date (End): August 14, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Grantee: Katyuscia de Araujo Vieira
• Supervisor: Claudia Koch
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz-Institut Für Biodiversität Der Tiere, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/24979-2 - The evolution of the larynx in anurans: a study of the laryngeal structure in the most species-rich genus of Neotropical treefrogs (Hylidae: Scinax), BP.PD

Abstract

The larynx of anurans is a cartilaginous structure that houses the vocal cords. The sound is produced by the vibration of the vocal cords and associated cartilages as the air accumulated in the lungs is expired and moves through the larynx into the buccal cavity. The larynx is of great importance during the reproductive period of anurans, because it is the organ that produces the calls required for successful courtship and mating in this group. Studies on the larynx in anurans were restricted to individual species and small clades, or a few species of large groups. Furthermore, no comprehensive study on the morphological structure of the larynx and its associated musculature across the diversity of Anura has been carried out considering a phylogenetic context. Ranoidea is a large clade within the Anura that includes 19 diverse and speciose frog families (~ 3,000 species), with its diversity concentrated in the Old World Tropics that includes regions in Eurasia, Africa, and the island of Madagascar, and with relatively smaller radiations in India and the island of Sri Lanka. Ranoidea has a great morphological and structural diversity of the larynx, but it is poorly studied considering the superfamily's number of species and morphological diversity. Therefore, this project aims to survey variation in the larynx and its associated musculature on Ranoidea, focusing on species distributed throughout Eurasia, Africa, and the island of Madagascar. To accomplish this goal, I will carry out a selective study of the laryngeal morphology of 16 families of Ranoidea to better understand the evolution of the laryngeal structure and its diversity, based on phylogenetic hypotheses proposed for this clade. To complement this study, I will employ the method of micro-CT scanning to study the larynx cartilaginous structure and its associated musculature for selected species.