Abstract
Research was conducted on breeding and metamorphosis of a species of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). The experimental group consisted of 10 individuals each of albino and natural forms. Specimens were divided into pairs and numbered for better tracking. In experimental ponds, conditions simulating the mating season were created, which led to 100% reproduction of all the pairs. The aim of the work was to determine the effects of temperature on the gender of resulting metamorphic specimens, and how the length of metamorphosis affects their gender. Specimens were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of specimens bred at 19°C, and the second group of specimens were bred at 24°C. Mating covered the period from 5 May to 25 June 2016. Observations were completed on 31 October 2016. Five hundred and fourteen individual metamorphic specimens were bred during the experiment. The research shows that the length of metamorphosis has an effect on gender, in favour of females. The effect of temperature on gender was not confirmed. The experimental results can be used as a basis for similar research, since this topic has not been discussed previously.
Highlights
Propagation and metamorphosis research was carried out on an experimental group of the aquatic African clawed frog Xenopus laevis (Daudin, 1802) under artificial laboratory conditions
African clawed frogs come from the African continent
In X. laevis, a gene called DM-W is the master regulator of sex determination (Yoshimoto et al 2008); this gene appeared in an ancestor of X. laevis after divergence from the ancestor of X. tropicalis, and is present in many close relatives of X. laevis (Bewick et al 2011)
Summary
Propagation and metamorphosis research was carried out on an experimental group of the aquatic African clawed frog Xenopus laevis (Daudin, 1802) under artificial laboratory conditions. African clawed frogs come from the African continent. Their biotope is stagnant or slowly flowing backwater. They have a stout body with a rather small head and smooth skin. The females can grow up to 12 cm, while the males are smaller in size (about 8 cm). The basic colouration is green to greyish with a lighter abdomen; an albinotic form with red eyes often occurs. Individuals with a yellow-orange tinge and those with black and white spots occur very frequently (Evans et al 2004)
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