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A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found in adult amphibians, such as a lateral line, gills and swimming tails.
The tadpole madtom has a dark brown back with a lighter brown color on their sides and a yellow or white stomach. The pelvic and pectoral fins of adults are heavily covered in melanophores responsible for pigmentation, and the dorsal and anal fins contain fewer melanophores. There are also bands of melanophores on both the upper and lower jaws ...
The jellynose fishes or tadpole fishes are the small order Ateleopodiformes. This group of ray-finned fish is monotypic , containing a single family Ateleopodidae . It has about a dozen species in four genera , but these enigmatic fishes are in need of taxonomic revision.
The behavior of an amphibian hatchling, commonly referred to as a tadpole, is controlled by a few thousand neurons. [4] 99% of a Xenopus hatchling's first day after hatching is spent hanging from a thread of mucus secreted from near its mouth will eventually form; if it becomes detached from this thread, it will swim back and become reattached, usually within ten seconds. [4]
The life cycle is short. The tadpole-shaped larva usually performs the tail shift less than one day after fecundation, becoming fully functional juveniles. Adults usually reproduce after 5 to 7 days depending on the species. [12] Fertilisation is external. The body wall ruptures during egg release, killing the animal. [31]
As a generalized system, Gosner stages may not be adequate for describing development of some anuran tadpoles. [3] For example, in the torrent-dwelling tadpoles of Ansonia longidigita and Meristogenys orphnocnemis , the usual Gosner stages become inappropriate beyond the stage 41 because the tadpoles retain their oral disc longer than the ...
Adults hunt in spring and summer, but only at night or during light rains. Spadefoot tadpoles are dimorphic. Within a cohort, some tadpoles have large mouthparts, while others have much smaller mouthparts. As well as consuming other types of food, large-mouthed individuals are cannibalistic, swallowing other tadpoles whole. [4] [10]
The eggs are laid in temporary ponds that may quickly evaporate, so the tadpole stage is unusually brief, with rapid development to the adult form in as little as two weeks. To further speed their growth, some of the tadpoles are cannibalistic, eating their brood-mates to increase their supply of protein. [2]