Daniel J Paluh

University of Dayton | UD · Department of Biology

Frogs (Anura) are one of the most diverse vertebrate orders, comprising more than 7,000 species with a worldwide distribution and extensive ecological diversity. In contrast to other tetrapods, frogs have a highly derived body plan and simplified skull. In many lineages of anurans, increased mineralization has led to hyperossified skulls, but the f...

The Philippine archipelago is an exceptionally biodiverse region that includes at least 112 species of land snakes from 41 genera and 12 families. Recently, Cyclocoridae (formerly Lamprophiidae: Cyclocorinae) was proposed as a distinct, Philippine-endemic family, containing four genera: Cyclocorus, Hologerrhum, Myersophis, and Oxyrhabdium. Here, we...

We describe a new species of marsupial frog, genus Gastrotheca , using morphological characters and molecular data as lines of evidence. The new species was discovered in the páramo and the ecotone between páramo and humid montane forest of Cordillera de Colán, at elevations between 3136 and 3179 m a.s.l., in northeastern Peru. The new species is d...

Teeth are present in most clades of vertebrates but have been lost completely several times in actinopterygian fishes and amniotes. Using phenotypic data collected from over 500 genera via micro-computed tomography, we provide the first rigorous assessment of the evolutionary history of dentition across all major lineages of amphibians. We demonstr...

Dollo's law of irreversibility states that once a complex structure is lost, it cannot be regained in the same form. Several putative exceptions to Dollo's law have been identified using phylogenetic comparative methods, but the anatomy and development of these traits are often poorly understood. Gastrotheca guentheri is renowned as the only frog w...

Animal colour is a complex trait shaped by multiple selection pressures that can vary across geography. The thermal melanism hypothesis predicts that darker coloration is beneficial to animals in colder regions because it allows for more rapid solar absorption. Here, we use community science images of three closely related species of North American...

We describe two new species of Gastrotheca from the humid montane forests and grasslands of La Libertad and Amazonas departments, respectively, in the northern portion of the central Peruvian Andes. Our phylogenetic analysis recovered the new species as part of the Gastrotheca marsupiata species group and closely related to G. gemma, G. oresbios, G...

Teeth have been broadly maintained across most clades of vertebrates but have been lost completely at least once in actinopterygian fishes and several times in amniotes. Using phenotypic data collected from over 500 genera via micro-computed tomography, we provide the first rigorous assessment of the evolutionary history of dentition across all maj...

We describe a new species of dendrobatid frog, Leucostethus bilsa sp. nov., using molecular, morphological, and acoustic evidence. We also comment on the taxonomic status of four similar Hyloxalus and Colostethus. We provide an updated phylogeny of Leucostethus that corroborates previous hypotheses of relationships of nine species. Phylogenetic ana...

Premise: Citizen science platforms for sharing photographed digital vouchers, such as iNaturalist, are a promising source of phenology data, but methods and best practices for use have not been developed. Here we introduce methods using Yucca flowering phenology as a case study, because drivers of Yucca phenology are not well understood despite th...

Broad-scale plant flowering phenology data has predominantly come from geographically and taxonomically restricted monitoring networks. However, platforms such as iNaturalist, where citizen scientists upload photographs and curate identifications, provide a promising new source of data. Here we develop a general set of best practices for scoring iN...

African clawed frogs in the genus Xenopus are found today throughout sub-Saharan Africa and, because of their widespread use as model organisms in biological research, as introduced populations around the world (Measey et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2015). Because all members of the family Pipidae, including Xenopus, are predominantly aquatic frogs wi...

Crown-group frogs (Anura) originated over 200 Ma according to molecular phylogenetic analyses, though only a few fossils from high latitudes chronicle the first approximately 60 Myr of frog evolution and distribution. We report fossils that represent both the first Late Triassic and the earliest equatorial record of Salientia, the group that includ...

The functional components of the vertebrate skull-including the chondrocranial braincase, protective dermatocranium and lower jaw-are interconnected and become operational through the quadrate bone. This latter element is critical for cranial biomechanics and support of the auditory system in squamate reptiles, but the interspecific variation of qu...

The functional components of the vertebrate skull-including the chondrocranial braincase, protective dermatocranium and lower jaw-are interconnected and become operational through the quadrate bone. This latter element is critical for cranial biomechanics and support of the auditory system in squamate reptiles, but the interspecific variation of qu...

The functional components of the lizard skull are divided into the chondrocranial braincase, protective dermatocranium, lower jaw, and hyobranchial apparatus. These regions are interconnected and become operational through the quadrate, a bone critical for cranial biomechanics and support of the peripheral auditory system. The quadrate is a complex...

Skinks account for more than 25% of all lizard species; however, representatives of fewer than a quarter of all species have been characterized osteologically. All but a few of the available cranial descriptions concentrate solely on characters that can be seen externally on the intact skull. Mabuyid skinks of the genus Trachylepis are the dominant...

Survey of scincid morphological studies that depict articulated skulls, disarticulated elements, or histological sections. It is noted parenthetically which view(s) are provided and whether figure labels are included. Dagger (†) denotes extinct taxa and asterisk (*) denotes revised taxonomy (i.e., the species name here reflects current taxonomic hy...

Coronal cross-section tomogram of the snout of Trachylepis laevis. The septomaxilla is fused at the midline. Abbreviations: d, dentary; mx, maxilla; smx, septomaxilla; v, vomer. (TIF)

Length and angle measurements recorded using the measure tool in Avizo. These measurements include skull length, skull width, thickness of the frontal table, angle of the snout, quadrate angle, epipterygoid angle, and angle of the medial process of the frontal. (TIF)

Coronal cross-section tomograms of the mandible anterior to the mandibular fossa (A) and at the mandibular fossa (B) in Trachylepis laevis (left), T. sulcata (center), and T. gonwouoi (right). The articular and surangular are fused in T. laevis, while they are separate in T. sulcata and T. gonwouoi. Abbreviations: ang, angular; art, articular; mf,...

Transverse cross-section tomograms of the snout of Trachylepis laevis (left), T. sulcata (center), and T. gonwouoi (right). The premaxilla is fused in T. laevis, while midline sutures are visible in T. sulcata and T. gonwouoi. Abbreviations: mx, maxilla; pmx, premaxilla; v, vomer. (TIF)

Osteoderms are bony deposits that form within the dermal layer of skin in vertebrates. Within geckos, osteoderms are uncommon, only described in Gekko gecko and the genus Tarentola. A previous report of osteoderms in the Afro-Malagasy gekkonid genus Geckolepis has been questioned due to the extreme skin fragility and regional integumentary loss wit...

Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamander) exhibits 3 distinct color morphs across eastern North America. The ecology of the least-common phenotype (i.e., erythristic morph) is largely unknown and no study has tested for ecological differences between sympatric erythristic and striped morphs. In this study, we compared dietary contents of s...

Table S3. Comparisons of iodine‐based contrast agents with alternatives commonly used in contrast‐enhanced μCT imaging.

Table S1. A Microsoft excel file containing the contents of Table 1 along with additional columns of specimen preparation and imaging parameters for readers to manipulate and use for comparing and contrasting various aspects of specimen affinities, sizes, preparation regimes, and μCT imaging.

Table S2. This sample reporting spreadsheet, or a modified version thereof, is intended to be helpful for ensuring the full documentation (and later reporting) of specimen storage, preparation, and CT‐scanning parameters at each stage of diceCT imaging research.

Defensive chemicals in anuran skin secretions function in protection against potential predators. Although studies have demonstrated that particular chemicals are effective against certain predators, very little is known about how different chemicals from different species function against the same predators. Understanding how different chemicals f...

Morphologists have historically had to rely on destructive procedures to visualize the three-dimensional (3-D) anatomy of animals. More recently, however, non-destructive techniques have come to the forefront. These include X-ray computed tomography (CT), which has been used most commonly to examine the mineralized, hard-tissue anatomy of living an...

Numerous authors have studied the diet of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and have described this species as a generalist predator of invertebrates. In most studies, prey taxa are identified to the family or order level. Additionally, few studies have directly assessed dietary preference by comparing diet to available prey. W...

Clay model experiments are commonly used to measure natural rates of predation and have become an important method in studying predator avoidance of aposematic frogs. Previous clay model experiments have demonstrated that conspicuous coloration in dendrobatid frogs is an effective deterrent to avian predators. It is generally assumed that predators...

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The chondrocranium is a cartilaginous structure that forms around and protects the brain and sensory organs of the head. Through ontogeny, this skeletal structure may become more elaborate, remodeled and reabsorbed, and/or ossified. Though considerable attention has been given to the formation of the chondrocranium and a great amount of data has be...