GENERAL CHARACTRES
AND CLASSIFICATION
OF
AMPHIBIA
Chandranath Chatterjee
Associate Professor of Zoology
Bankura Christian College
Amphibia are the first cold blooded vertebrates from
evolution point of view which came to the land. Class
Amphibian includes about 3,000 species. They are amphibious
in nature, viz. they can live on land as well as in water. They are
mostly found in warm countries. They are ectothermic (cold
blooded).
❑Body is divisible into head and trunk. Tail may be present in
some amphibians.
❑The skin is smooth or rough having glands which keep it
moist.
❑They are usually without scales, but if present they are hidden
beneath the skin (e.g caecilians).
❑Paired fins are absent. Unpaired fins may be present. Two
pairs of limbs are used for locomotion except caecilions.
❑Skull is dicondylic, i.e., with two occipital condyles .
❑The respiratory organs are lungs, buccopharyngeal cavity, skin
and gills.
❑The heart is three chambered, having two auricles and one
ventricle. In the heart, there are present sinus venosus and truncus
arteriosus.
❑Hepatic portal and renal portal systems are well developed.
RBCs are biconvex, oval and nucleated.
❑Kidneys are mesonephric. Urinary bladder is present in frog.
Larvae and tailed amphibians (e.g., salamanders) are ammonotelic.
Frogs and toads are ureotelic.
❑Alimentary canal, urinary and reproductive tracts open into a
common chamber called cloaca which opens outside through
cloacal aperture.
❑ The gills are present at least in the larval stage; some adult forms
also carry external gills in addition to lungs (e.g., Necturus,
Proteus).
❑ Ear consists of internal and middle ear. Tympanum (outer
membrane) covers the middle ear. One ear ossicle, present.
❑The eyes have eyelids. Nictitating membrane is well
developed.
❑Ten pairs of cranial nerves are present. Fertilisation is external.
However in Salamander and Ichthyophis (blind worm)
fertilisation is internal. They are mostly oviparous; however,
Salamander is viviparous. Development is mostly indirect.
❑ They return to water for breeding. Male lacks copulatory
organs. The metamorphosis is usually present. A fish like larva,
the tadpole is present.
❑They occur in fresh water and moist land. Amphibians are not
found in sea water except a few.
❑ Example: Bufo, Rana, Necturus, Icthyophysis etc
Classification of Amphibia
According to G. Kingsley Noble (1931)
Class Amphibia is devided into six orders.
Three are extinct and three are living.
Living Amphibians are divided into three
orders:
Order 1. Apoda (Gymnophiona or Caecilia)
Order 2. Urodela (Caudata)
Order 3: Anura (Salientia)
Apoda (Gymnophiona or Caecilia)
➢Apoda means “without legs”. These are limbless organisms
with scales on their body.
➢They are also known as “blind-worms” because their eyes
are covered by skin or bone.
➢The tentacles on their head are the chemosensory organs that
help them to detect the underground prey.
➢They possess venom glands.
➢They secrete mucus to reduce water loss.
➢Dermal scales are embedded in the skin.
➢Male copulates with female by a protrusible cloaca and thus
fertilization is internal.
➢The female shows parental care by carefully coiling her body
around the eggs till they hatch.
➢E.g.- Icthyophyis
Urodela (Caudata)
➢These are the organisms with a tail.
➢The body is elongated with four equally sized limbs.
➢The skin is smooth with poison glands.
➢Fertilization is internal.
➢They feed on insects and worms. Eg., Salamanders
➢They are found under leaf litter, in the soil, or in water.
➢In the southern US, they reproduce primarily in winters.
➢ Very little differences between male and female.
➢ Spermatophores are utilized for internal fertilization.
➢ They possess hidden gills.
➢E.g- Salamander, Ambystoma, Necturus, Amphiuma
Necturus Ambystoma
Amphiuma Salamander
Anura (Salientia)
➢ There are around 3400 species of Anura in the world.
➢ They have four limbs. The front limbs are elongated and
modified to jump.
➢The head and trunk are fused together.
➢The tail is present only in the larval stage and is lost in the
adults.
➢Fertilization is external and the eggs are laid in water. Eg.,
frogs and toads
