Microscopía electrónica de barrido del aparato bucal y cavidad bucofaríngea de la larva de Atelognathus nitoi (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Abstract

Larvae of Atelognathus nitoi were collected in the Province of Río Negro (Argentina). The microanatomy of the oral apparatus and of the buccopharyngeal cavity of these tadpoles is described with scanning elec­tron microscope and observed with stereoscopic microscope. The buccal apparatus has short labial teeth formed by a short base, a short neck, and a multicusped paddle with 10-12 short denticles. The horny beak is wider than high and the teeth are unicusped. The bucopharingeal cavity has two pairs of infralabial papillae and four lingual papillae, the median ridge is triangular, the lateral ridges are simple, the ventral velum and the glandular zone are present at the posterior side. The intestinal contents consist of cysts and scales of algae (Chrysophyta, Chrysophycea), frustula of diatoms and fungi.