OOMMEN, OOMMEN; MATHEW, SMITA; GEORGE, JANCY; AKBARSHA, M.A; Univ. of Kerala, Kariavattom; Univ. of Kerala, Kariavattom; Bharathidasan Univ. Tiruchirappalli; Bharathidasan Univ. Tiruchirappalli: Ultrastructural studies on Spermatogenesis in Caecilians The pioneering work on male reproductive biology are those of Seshachar and of late by Wake. The caecilians have evolved a unique pattern of cystic spermatogenesis in […]

POE, Steven; WAKE, Marvalee H.; University of New Mexico; University of California, Berkeley: Quantitative tests of general theories for the evolution of development Recent interest in integrating development and evolution has focused attention on general theories and models for the ways that development evolves. Three models have been proposed to describe the evolution of ontogeny, […]

SUMMERS, A.P.; WAKE, M.H.; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Berkeley : Modeling the caecilian jaw: the importance of streptostyly and escaping lever constraints. Caecilians are elongate, limbless amphibians with many adaptations for burrowing. They typically are sit-and-wait predators with a strong bite mechanism. They have extremely well ossified skulls. Nevertheless, the quadrate maintains […]

SANTINI, F.; Mus�um National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris: How easy is it to lose a fin? Patterns of morphological evolution in pufferfish and allies (Tetraodontiformes, Teleostei) Tetraodontiformes (pufferfish, triggerfish, ocean sunfish) are a small clade (approx. 400 species) of spiny-rayed fishes that have fascinated natural historians since Aristotle due to their highly modified skeletal and external […]

CARRIER, David/R; University of Utah: Function of the Axial Muscles during Running. The axial muscles of tetrapods perform two functions during walking and running: generation of work and postural support. Work is produced when active flexion and extension of the trunk contribute to displacement of the body. In lizards, for example, the muscles of the […]

HANKEN, J.*; PARRA-OLEA, G.; GARC�A-PAR�S, M.; WAKE, D.B.; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Instituto de Biolog�a, M�xico D.F., M�xico; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain; University of California, Berkeley: Cryptic diversity of miniaturized vertebrates: systematics of the Mexican salamander genus Thorius The plethodontid salamander genus Thorius comprises a clade of miniaturized salamanders endemic to southern […]

FRITZSCH, B; Creighton Univ., Omaha: Being all ears: The regressive and progressive evolution of the vertebrate ear. The vertebrate ear shows a puzzling change in shape, number and distribution of sensory organs, pattern of innervation. Some of these features are associated with distinct vertebrate taxa and provide strong evidence for specific evolutionary affinities of disputed […]