• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 1999

Korean R. plancyi occupies a restricted area in western South Korea and shows a relatively low level of genic variability (%P＝15.2, Ho=0.052, He＝0.048). In contrast, R. nigromaculata is broadly distributed in South Korea. The observed low level of variability of R. nigromaculata (%P＝14.3, Ho＝0.042, He＝0.043) is probably due to its recent colonization. Populations of R. nigromaculata exhibited considerable genetic differentiation (F$_{sT}$=0.149) and low level of gene flow (Nm＝1.427) among populations, compared to those of R. Plancyi (F$_{sTF$_{sT}$}$=0.096, Nm＝2.354), which occupies a restricted area. The observed levels of gene flow among populations of R. nigromaculata (Nm＝1.427) over a broad geographic range is relatively higher than other amphibian species. The high level of gene flow is probably the result of the high dispersal abilities of R. nigromaculata. A survey of temporal genic variation of R. nigromaculata showed that there was no significant change on the overall average genetic diversity from 1978 (average He＝0.044) to 1997 (average He＝0.040). Wright's F-statistics also indicated no significant genetic differentiation from 1978 (F$_{sT}$＝0.118) to 1997 (F$_{sT}$＝0.108). This suggests that the environmental change appears to have had little influence on the genetic composition of R. nigromaculata in the study areas during the past 20 years. The low level of temporal variation might be due to the result of high dispersal abilities and wide migration range of this species.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.32-41
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• 2005

The sperm morphology of two Korean frogs, Rana catesbeiana and R. nigromaculata (Ranidae) was studied with the light microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Sperm heads of the R. catesbeiana and R. nigromaculata were long-cylinder shapes. In the total length of R. nigromaculata sperm ($51.2{\mu}m$) was longer than those of R. catesbeiana ($44.6{\mu}m$). Both R. catesbeiana and R. nigromaculata had the long head and principal piece, and short middle piece, but the neck was undeveloped. The axonemal structures contain a 9+9+2 arrangement of microtubules. The number of mitochondria in middle piece have less than mammalian sperm, which irregular surrounded the axone of the middle piece. In conclusion, R. catesbeiana and R. nigromaculata shared many similar features in sperm heads, neck, middle piece, and a site of mitochondria and axial structure, and it suggests that these species should be closely related.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.74-79
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• 2015

This study investigated the tongue movement during prey capture by Rana nigromaculata and the location of the frenulum linguae, which effects tongue movement. The tongue of R. nigromaculata are elliptical at the anterior and concave U-shaped at the posterior. The location of the frenulum linguae of R. nigromaculata is located at the front of the submentalis. This is due to the location of the frenulum linguae, which has significantly effects the movement and the expandability of the tongue. In terms of mobility, the tongue of R. nigromaculata and the expandability of the frenulum linguae allow the tongue to increase in length two or more times compared to immobile tongue in the other species. The time required until the swallowing movement after looking at and capturing the prey was 0.692000 seconds. Filming prey capture with a high speed camera showed that the rear part of the U-shaped tongue captures the prey with an appearance of stretching out longer to the front of tongue and turning in a reverse direction to bring the prey to the mouth.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.10b
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• pp.45.1-45
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• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.331-335
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• 2006

We investigated the distribution of three anuran species, Three-striped pond frogs (Rana nigromaculata), Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), and Narrow-mouthed toads (Kaloula borealis), in an administrative district, Haenam Gun, Junnam Province, Korea using volunteer call surveys. Twenty-eight volunteer call surveyors were assigned to each $2{\times}2km^2$ survey plot. Call surveys on whether the species are present or not were conducted for 5 minutes between 30 minutes after sunset and the midnight on rice fields and ponds from 10 April to 28 August in 2005. Depending on species, call surveys were carried out at seven to 28 plots with average 8.4 to 10.7 visits per the plot. We calculated the detection probabilities and occupancy rates of the three species using four models with three covariates: temperature, humidity, and the amount of water at the habitat. The model average detection probabilities of three anuran species of R. nigromaculata, R. catesbeiana, and K. borealis were 0.53, 0.74, and 0.41 respectively, and the site occupancy rates of them were 0.93, 0.94, and 0.86 respectively. Our results indicate that R. nigromaculata, R. catesbeiana, and K. borealis are common in Haenam Gun.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.260-267
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• 2012

Calling behavior is often used to infer breeding patterns in anurans. We studied the seasonal and diel calling activities of anuran species in a wetland in central Korea to determine the calling season and to evaluate the effects of abiotic factors on male calling. Acoustic monitoring was used in which frog calls were recorded for a full day, once a week, throughout an entire year. Using acoustic monitoring, we identified three frog species in the study site. Males of Rana dybowskii called in late winter and early spring; we thus classified this species as a winter/spring caller. The results of binary logistic regression showed that temperature, relative humidity, and 1-day lag rainfall were significant factors for male calling in R. dybowskii. Temperature and relative humidity were important factors for the calling activity of R. nigromaculata, whereas 24-h rainfall and 1-day lag rainfall were not significant. Thus, we determined R. nigromaculata to be a summer caller independent of weather. In Hyla japonica, relative humidity, 24-h rainfall, and 1- day lag rainfall were significant for male calling, suggesting that this species is a summer caller dependent on local rain.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.263-272
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• 1980

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to investigate the patterns of LDH and MDH isozymes in the embryo and adult of amphibia; Rana nigromaculata, Rana plancyi chosenica and Hynobius leechii. Rana nigromaculata is considered to be heterozygous for the gene specifying the "B" subunit of LDH, and Hynobius leechii to be heterozygous for the gene specifying the "A" subunit of LDH. The LDH isozyme paatern of embryos of the above three species is characterized by a gradual increase in the activity of LDH-5 (muscular form)during development. Two or three molecular forms of MDH is present steadily from early embryos and in adult. Of the MDH isozymes, the more cathodic one (MDH-m) appears weakly in early developing stages, but increases slowly in the activity as the embryo develops.the embryo develops.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.199-203
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• 2005

We studied the effectiveness of mating call playbacks on call monitoring of three-striped pond frogs (Rana nigromaculata). Playback experiments were conducted between 2100 to 0030 at 15 sites located at Chungwon, Chungbuk, and Yeongi, Chungnam, in May 2005. We recorded call responses of 25 males to two different call playbacks, (i) single mating calls from a single male and (ii) chorus mating calls from five males, by randomly presenting the calls with a 15 min-gap between the two playbacks. We compared the number of response calls of the focal males for three min before, during, and after the playbacks. Five of 25 males were silent before stimulus presentation, but all the males emitted calls after the playbacks. The number of calls in response to single playback calls significantly differed among the three playback periods, where males gave more calls during the playback than before or after the playbacks. In addition, subject males presented significantly more calls to single call playbacks than to chorus call playbacks. The results of this study suggest that playback using repeated single mating calls is effective in call monitoring of R. nigromaculata males.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.117-121
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• 2000

Genetic relationships among six species of the genus Rana from Korea were investigated by complete nucleotide sequence analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1143 bp). Based on Kimura-2-parameter distance, the interspecific sequence differences of cytochrome b gene within the genus Rana were ranged from 7.83% to 25.00%. The genetic distances were 7.83% between R. nigromaculata and R. plancyi, 8.47% between two types of R. rugosa (type A and B), 10.42% between the brown frogs (R. amurensis and R. dybowskii), 16.11% between R. dybowskii types 1 and 2 and 12.36% between pond frogs (R. nigromaculata and R. plancyi) and R. catesbeiana. In the neighbor-joining and parsimony trees, R. catesbeiana was more closely related to pond frogs than brown frogs. R. dybowskii types 1 and 2 were considered to be at a distinct and specific level of differentiation (16.11%), while two types of R. rugosa were suspected to be at a subspecific level (8.47%).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.427-432
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• 2013

A new trichostome ciliate, Balantidium honghuensis n. sp., was isolated from the recta of Rana nigromaculata and R. limnocharis during parasite surveys in Honghu Lake, Hubei Province, central China in summmer of 2010 and 2011. Its detailed morphometric characters based on LM and SEM studies were described herein. The organism is oval in shape and thickly ciliated. The vestibulum is "V" shaped and occupies about 1/3 to 2/5 of the body length. The vestibular and nearby regions possess strong peripheral fibers which form a marked axial fiber about the cytopharynx. More than 10 contractile vacuoles are distributed along the periphery of the latter body. Comparisions were made between this new species and B. sinensis Nie, 1935. They were discriminated from each other in terms of general body forms, body size, and vestibulum shapes. Besides, special attention was paid to its high-speed daughter swarmers which we believed to be the infective stage of B. honghuensis. Possible infection routes of anura amphibian balantidia were discussed.