TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rödel, Mark-Oliver
A1  - Brede, Christian
A1  - Hirschfeld, Mareike
A1  - Schmitt, Thomas
A1  - Favreau, Philippe
A1  - Stöcklin, Reto
A1  - Wunder, Cora
A1  - Mebs, Dietrich
T1  - Chemical Camouflage - A Frog's Strategy to Co-Exist with Aggressive Ants
JF  - PLOS ONE
N2  - Whereas interspecific associations receive considerable attention in evolutionary, behavioural and ecological literature, the proximate bases for these associations are usually unknown. This in particular applies to associations between vertebrates with invertebrates. The West-African savanna frog Phrynomantis microps lives in the underground nest of ponerine ants (Paltothyreus tarsatus). The ants usually react highly aggressively when disturbed by fiercely stinging, but the frog is not attacked and lives unharmed among the ants. Herein we examined the proximate mechanisms for this unusual association. Experiments with termites and mealworms covered with the skin secretion of the frog revealed that specific chemical compounds seem to prevent the ants from stinging. By HPLC-fractionation of an aqueous solution of the frogs' skin secretion, two peptides of 1,029 and 1,143 Da were isolated and found to inhibit the aggressive behaviour of the ants. By de novo sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry, the amino acid sequence of both peptides consisting of a chain of 9 and 11 residues, respectively, was elucidated. Both peptides were synthesized and tested, and exhibited the same inhibitory properties as the original frog secretions. These novel peptides most likely act as an appeasement allomone and may serve as models for taming insect aggression.
KW  - amphibian skin secretions
KW  - antimicrobial peptides
KW  - paltothyreus tarsatus
KW  - dendrobates pumilio
KW  - anurans
KW  - microhylidae
KW  - hymenoptera
KW  - formicidae
KW  - mutualisms
KW  - alkaloids
Y1  - 2013
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128181
SN  - 1932-6203
VL  - 8
IS  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Barej, Michael F.
A1  - Schmitz, Andreas
A1  - Penner, Johannes
A1  - Doumbia, Joseph
A1  - Sandberger-Loua, Laura
A1  - Hirschfeld, Mareike
A1  - Brede, Christian
A1  - Emmrich, Mike
A1  - Kouamé, N'Goran Germain
A1  - Hillers, Annika
A1  - Gonwouo, Nono L.
A1  - Nopper, Joachim
A1  - Adeba, Patrick Joël
A1  - Bangoura, Mohamed A.
A1  - Gage, Ceri
A1  - Anderson, Gail
A1  - Rödel, Mark-Oliver
T1  - Life in the spray zone - overlooked diversity in West African torrent-frogs (Anura, Odontobatrachidae, Odontobatrachus)
JF  - Zoosystematics and Evolution
N2  - West African torrent-frogs of the genus Odontobatrachus currently belong to a single species: Odontobatrachus natator (Boulenger, 1905). Recently, molecular results and biogeographic separation led to the recognition of five Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) thus identifying a species-complex. Based on these insights, morphological analyses on more than 150 adult specimens, covering the entire distribution of the family and all OTUs, were carried out. Despite strong morphological congruence, combinations of morphological characters made the differentiation of OTUs successful and allowed the recognition of five distinct species: Odontobatrachus natator, and four species new to science: Odontobatrachus arndti sp. n., O. fouta sp. n., O. smithi sp. n. and O. ziama sp. n. All species occur in parapatry: Odontobatrachus natator is known from western Guinea to eastern Liberia, O. ziama sp. n. from eastern Guinea, O. smithi sp. n. and O. fouta sp. n. from western Guinea, O. arndti sp. n. from the border triangle Guinea-Liberia-Cote d'Ivoire. In addition, for the first time the advertisement call of a West African torrent-frog (O. arndti sp. n.) is described.
KW  - Guinean rain forest
KW  - molecular data
KW  - conservation
KW  - Upper Guinea
KW  - new species
KW  - Phrynobatrachus amphibia
KW  - Arthroleptis amphibia
KW  - ivory coast
KW  - genus
KW  - biodiversity
KW  - Ranidae
KW  - Petropedetidae
KW  - biodiversity hotspot
KW  - rainforest
KW  - taxonomy
KW  - Amphibia
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-144254
VL  - 91
IS  - 2
ER  -