Interpopulation comparison of skeletal anomalies of Pelophylax ridibundus Pallas, 1771

Abstract

The variability of definitive skeletal structures of immature Pelophylax ridibundus was studied from native and introduced populations. The study of skeletons was carried out after the clearing of soft tissue by Dawson’s method. It was found that the occurrence of animals with abnormalities of the skeleton structure in the urban area of Yekaterinburg is significantly higher, than in the autochthonic populations of the Caucasian region. The high similarity in spectra overlapping of anomalies observed for populations of the Iset River and Podkumok River can be related to the similarity of living conditions and the age features of the animals in the studied samples. Refs 17. Figs 1. Tables 2.