kin and poison glands in toads (Rhinella) and their role in defence and water balanc

Autor(es)

Mailho-Fontana, Pedro Luiz ^[1] ; Titon, Braz ^[2] ; Antoniazzi, Marta Maria ^[1] ; Gomes, Fernando Ribeiro ^[2] ; Jared, Carlos ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Inst Butantan, Lab Biol Estrutural, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Fisiol Geral, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ACTA ZOOLOGICA; v. 103, n. 1, p. 112-128, JAN 2022.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Toads are considered poisonous animals since they have a passive mode of defence relying on cutaneous poison glands, differently from venomous animals who can inject venom in predators/aggressors or prey. Toads of Rhinella marina group are generally large and have a broad distribution in South America, inhabiting a wide range of environments. In this paper, we studied the toads Rhinella icterica from the Atlantic rainforest, and Rhinella jimi from the Brazilian Semiarid Caatinga, analysing aspects of natural history and comparing their skin morphology, the presence of macroglands, their resistance to water loss and rates of water uptake. In periods of extreme drought, R. jimi uses rock cracks as refuges, exposing only the head and regions of accumulation of poison glands. The skin of R. jimi showed higher number of poison glands with hydrophilic content than R. icterica. R. jimi also had a thicker skin, which can be related to its superior resistance to water loss. It also showed high rates of rehydration in association with a peculiar behaviour using the limbs to spread water onto highly glandular skin areas, suggesting that poison glands may also act in water balance in addition to chemical defence. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 17/10488-1 - O cuidado parental e a dermatofagia na cobra-cega Siphonops annulatus: uma abordagem integrativa
• Beneficiário: Pedro Luiz Mailho Fontana
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 14/15334-4 - A pele e a defesa dos sapos-cururus (Bufonidae) contra predadores e dessecação
• Beneficiário: Pedro Luiz Mailho Fontana
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 10/16804-3 - Balanço hídrico e desempenho locomotor em bufonídeos que habitam biomas hídrica e termicamente contrastantes
• Beneficiário: Braz Titon Junior
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado