Meeting Abstract

102.2  Wednesday, Jan. 7  Comparative locomotor morphology of hyloid and non-neobatrachian anurans JORGENSEN, M.E.; Ohio University mj207406@ohio.edu

Frogs are characterized by a unique locomotor morphology that includes (but is not limited to) a craniocaudal elongate pelvis, hindlimbs with modified tarsal elements, reduced number of pre- and postsacral vertebrae, and the presence of an urostyle. Across the diverse order (5600+ species), jumping remains the characteristic locomotory mode for these animals. I investigated anatomical variation that may be related to differences in locomotory function by examining bone morphology from x-rays of at least one species representative (n = 5+ indviduals/species) from over 200 hyloid and non-neobatrachian genera. Multivariate statistics were used to assess patterns of morphological variation and convergence and results are viewed in light of previous characterizations of "locomotor type" in frogs. Musculature patterns in different functional regions are combined with osteological data to present preliminary interpretations of the evolution of locomotor morphology in hyloid and non-neobatrachian anurans.