Abstract
To prepare for terrestrial life amphibian larvae, especially anurans, undergo a complex metamorphosis, which embraces elaborate morphological, biochemical, physiological, and behavioral changes. Since it was first discovered that thyroid feeding of anuran larvae hastens metamorphic changes, a vast corpus of knowledge on the subject has accumulated. During premetamorphosis there is no effective level of hormonal secretion of the thyroid and its activity is minimal. Near the end of premetamorphosis (about TK stages X–XI, which refer to the stages of Taylor and Kollros, 1946), through prometamorphosis and climax (Etkin, 1970), larval development is under endocrinological control of high complexity (Dodd and Dodd, 1976). Such hormones operate in the larva in a milieu influenced by factors such as light, temperature, diet, iodine, or larval crowding in the ambient water.
Published Version
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