Telmatobius culeus is an Anuran of the Leptodactilidae family which has adapted to live in lake Titicaca, a high altitude basin situated at 3816 m between Bolivia and Peru. Some morphological and morphometric characteristics are described; then the observations are emphasized on the anatomical structures linked to respiration that represents, the physiological activity most engaged in the adaptation to the life in the habitat peculiar to lake Titicaca. Microscopic observations have been made of the lungs, palatine mucosa, ventral skin, dorsal skin. An extreme specialization has been observed of the skin, rich in papillae of the dermis with blood vessels that, running under the epidermis, determine a remarkable increase in the surface between dermis and epidermis.
Referenze Bibliografiche
DIAZ Y. GOMEZ E. (1965) - La respiracion cutànea en un cenuro del altipiano andino (Telmatobius culi escomeli), «Boletin de la Real Sociedad Esp. de Hist. Nat., Seccion Biologica», 65 (3), 265-69 Madrid.
GILSON H. C. (1964) - Lake Titicaca, «Verh. Int. Verein. Limnol.», 15, 112-27, Stuttgart.
PARKER H. (1936) - Percy sladen trust expedition, «The Transaction of the Limnean Society of London», 19 (4), 210-11.
RICHERSON P., WIDMER C., KITTEL T. e LANDA A. (1975) - A survevy of the physical and chemical limnology of lake Titicaca, «Verh. Int. Verein. Limnol.», 19 (2), 1498-1503, Stuttgart.
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VELLARD J. (1954) - Les Telmatobius du haut-plateau interandin, «Trat. de l'Inst. Franc, d'études andines», 4, 28-47.
Con il contributo del Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali