Species- and sex-specific chemical composition from an internal gland-like tissue of an African frog family.

ABSTRACT: Intraspecific chemical communication in frogs is understudied and the few published cases are limited to externally visible and male-specific breeding glands. Frogs of the family Odontobatrachidae, a West African endemic complex of five morphologically cryptic species, have large, fatty gland-like strands along their lower mandible. We investigated the general anatomy of this gland-like strand and analysed its chemical composition. We found the strand to be present in males and females of all species. The strand varies in markedness, with well-developed strands usually found in reproductively active individuals. The strands are situated under particularly thin skin sections, the vocal sac in male frogs and a respective area in females. Gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry and multivariate

SUBMITTER: Schafer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10777154 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature