Glossary

Advertisement call: —Sound produced by male anurans during the mating season to attract females.
Agonistic behavior: —Fighting behavior between members of the same species.
Amplexus: —The copulatory embrace of frogs and toads, during which the male fertilizes the eggs that are released by the female.
Aposematic: —The conspicuously recognizable markings of an animal, such as in poison frogs, that serve to warn off potential predators. Also called warning coloring.
Arciferal: —A condition in which the two halves of the pectoral (shoulder) girdle are not fused ventrally.
Axillary: —Of, relating to, or located near the axilla; the cavity beneath the junction of a forelimb and the body.
Barbels: —Whisker-like appendages found on both sides of the mouth.
Basal: —Arising from the base of a stem; of or relating to, or being essential for, maintaining the fundamental vital activities of an organism.
Cartilaginous: —Consisting of cartilage, a tough, elastic skeletal tissue consisting mostly of collagen fibers.
Chromosome: —Thread-like structure consisting mostly of genetic material (DNA) in the nucleus of cells.
Clade: —An evolutionary lineage of organisms that includes the most recent common ancestor of all those organisms and all the descendants of that common ancestor.
Cladograms: —Graphic, tree-like representations that show the evolutionary relationships of organisms.
Clavicle: —Paired bony elements of the pectoral girdle.
Cloaca: —The common chamber into which the urinary, digestive, and reproductive systems discharge their contents, and which opens to the exterior.
Cloud forest: —Moist forest at mid- to high elevations on mountains in the tropics.
Clutch: —Eggs deposited by a single female in one breeding.
Cocoon: —A tough protective covering.
Conspecific: —Of or belonging to the same species.
Continuous breeder: —An animal that may breed throughout the year.
Coracoid: —Paired bony elements of the pectoral girdle.
Courtship: —Behavioral interactions between males and females that precede and accompany mating.
Cranial: —Of or pertaining to the cranium (skull).
Crest: —An elevated ridge-like structure.
Crypsis: —Involves resemblance or imitation of some feature (background or object) in an organism's environment, including its form, color, and pattern; camouflage. It may also be referred to as cryptic coloration.
Cutaneous: —Of or pertaining to the skin.
Dermis: —The layer of skin immediately below the epidermis.
Desiccation: —The process of drying out.
Diapause: —A period of physiologically enforced dormancy between periods of activity.
Dimorphism: —The existence of two different forms (color, size, sex) of a species in the same population.

Direct development: —Transition from the egg to the adult form without passing through a free-living larval stage.
Diurnal: —Active by day.
Dorsal: —Pertaining to the back or upper surface or one of its parts.
Dorsolateral: —Pertaining to the interface of the back and the sides.
Ectotherm: —An animal whose body temperature is controlled by the environment.
Eft: —The juvenile, terrestrial phase of newts.
Electrophoretic analysis: —Running electric currents through tissues in a chemical medium or gel to cause various components to separate. Used in genetic analysis.
Embryo: —The young before hatching from the egg.
Epicoracoid: —Paired cartilaginous elements of the pectoral girdle.
Epidermis: —The outermost layer of skin.
Estivation: —A state of dormancy or torpor during prolonged hot or dry periods.
Exostosis: —A proliferation of bone usually resulting in sculpturing on the surface of a bone.
Explosive breeder: —A species in which the breeding season is very short, usually at the time of the first heavy rains of the rainy season.
External fertilization: —The joining of sperm and eggs (fertilization) outside of the female's body.
Femoral gland: —A gland on the thigh.
Fertilization: —The penetration of an egg by sperm.
Fetus: —The unborn young of a viviparous animal.
Firmisternal: —A condition in which the two halves of the pectoral (shoulder) girdle are fused ventrally.
Fossorial: —Living underground.
Frontoparietal: —Paired bones forming most of the roof of the skull.
Gill: —A respiratory structure in aquatic animals through which gas exchange occurs.
Girdle: —The group of connected bones that provide support for a pair of limbs.
Gland: —An organ that produces chemical compounds (secretions).
Gravid: —Female carrying young or eggs.
Hatchling: —A young animal that has just emerged from an egg.
Heterospecific: —Members of a different species.
Home range: —The area in which an individual lives, except for migrations.
Hybrid: —Individual resulting from mating of parents that belong to different species.
Hyoid: —The group of cartilages and bones in the throat.
Ilium (pl. ilia): —Dorsal or anterior part of the pelvic (hip) girdle.
Inguinal: —Pertaining to the groin.
Internal fertilization: —Penetration of eggs by sperm inside the female's body.
Intromittent organ: —A male copulatory organ.
Juvenile: —Young, not sexually mature.
Keratinous: —Epidermal structures composed of tough, fibrous protein (e.g., claws).
Labial tooth-row formula: —The LTRF is written as a fraction designating the location and number of labial tooth rows. The most common LTRF is 2/3. The numerator indicates the number of rows on A, the anterior labium, while the denominator indicates the number of rows on P, the posterior labium. A LTRF only tells how many tooth rows there are on each labium and which ones have medial gaps; the lengths or positions of the rows are not designated.
Larva: —The early stage of development after hatchling and before metamorphosis.
Larynx: —A sound-producing structure at the anterior end of the trachea (windpipe) in the throat, containing the vocal cords.
Lateral line organ: —A sense organ embedded in the skin that responds to water-borne vibrations.
Live-bearing: —Giving birth to young that have developed beyond the egg stage.

Mandible: —The skeletal elements (bones) that make up the lower jaw.
Maxillary: —The skeletal elements (bones) that make up most of the upper jaw.
Metamorphosis: —The transformation from one stage to another in the life cycle (e.g., from larva to adult).
Monophyly: —The monophyletic taxon, also called a clade, includes the most recent common ancestor of all those organisms and all the descendants of that common ancestor.
Nares: —The paired openings of the nasal capsule.
Nasal: —Paired bones forming the anterior roof of the skull.
Newt: —Salamanders of the genera Notophthalmus, Taricha, and Triturus that are characteristically aquatic.
Nocturnal: —Active at night.
Ovary: —The female reproductive organ that produces eggs, or ova.
Oviduct: —The duct in females through which eggs pass from the ovary to the cloaca.
Oviparous: —Producing eggs that develop and hatch outside the mother's body.
Ovoviviparous: —Producing eggs that develop within the mother's body and hatch within or immediately after extrusion from the parent.
Ovum (pl. ova): —The female gamete, an egg.
Paedomorphic: —Retention of juvenile (or larval) characters in the adult stage.
Papilla: —A small, nipple-like projection.
Parotoid gland: —One of a pair of large glands situated behind the eye.
Pectoral girdle: —The group of bones that support the forelimbs.
Pelvic girdle: —The group of bones that support the hind limbs.
Penultimate: —Next to the last.
Phalange: —One of the digits in the hand or foot.
Phylogenetic: —Pertaining to evolutionary history.
Premaxillary: —Paired bones forming the anterior margin of the upper jaw.
Scansorial: —Adapted to or specialized for climbing.
Seasonal breeder: —A species that breeds at a specific time of the year.
Sexual dimorphism: —Difference of physical form (shape, size, or coloration) between the sexes; any consistent difference between males and females beyond the basic functional portions of the sex organs.
Spermatheca: —Organ in the female that receives and stores sperm from the male pending fertilization of the eggs.
Spermatogenesis: —Synonymous to spermiogenesis, the initial stage of sperm formation.
Spermatophore: —A gelatinous structure capped with sperm produced by most male salamanders.
Spiracle: —A slit that opens the throat to the outside.
Sternum: —A median element in the pectoral girdle.
Tubercle: —A small knob-like projection.
Tympanic annulus: —A cartilaginous ring surrounding the tympanum.
Tympanum: —The membranous eardrum.
Unken reflex: —A defensive posture in which the body is arched and the head and tail are lifted upward.
Ventral: —Pertaining to the lower surfaces of the body or one of its parts.
Viviparous: —Giving birth to live young that develop within and are nourished by the mother.