Abstract
We examined the responses of Rana catesbeiana, Rana clamitans, and Xenopus laevis to a variety of emetic drug treatments. No treatment caused regurgitation or any emetic behavior (i. e., retching) in any premetamorphic tadpoles. The ability to vomit first appeared during metamorphosis, precisely when the transforming froglets were first able to swallow a large bolus of food. Postmetamorphic frogs exhibited intergeneric differences in their sensitivity to different emetics. The emetic behavior of Rana did not change when it was transferred from a terrestrial to an aquatic environment. Mechanical stimulus, that is, distention of the foregut, alone can induce regurgitation. Movements of the torso, along with contraction of the abdominal wall, appear to be essential for raising abdominal pressure during emesis in anurans. Rana and Xenopus differ in the body movements they exhibit during emesis: Rana dorsiflexes its presacral vertebral column on its sacroiliac joint; Xenopus instead telescopes its torso by sli...
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