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Class Amphibia (Amphibians)
Class Amphibia
includes the animals, which are adopted to double mode of life, i.e. on land or in
water. These were the first vertebrates that could lead a terrestrial
existence. About 1500 species of amphibians are living today and their fossils
are also numerous. Amphibians are said to originate from crossopterygian
ancestors (extinct fishes).
- Amphibians animals lives on land as well as in water.
- Their body
differentiated into head, trunk, and tail. The tail is absent in Anura (order).
- Body with two
pairs of pentadactyle limbs. Forelimbs with four digits and hind limbs with
five digits.
- Digits without
claws.
- Head with a pairs
of nostrils leading to buccal cavity.
- Skin naked
without scale, scutes or bony plates but with glands. It help in respiration.
- Skull with two
occipital condyles, cranium, cartilages.
- Amphibians having
maxillary and vomerine teeth.
- Ribs in
amphibians are usually absent but if it is present these are not attach to
sternum.
- Amphibians can
respire through gills, lungs or skin.
- Amphibians having
heart with three chambered, two auricle and one ventricle. although sinus
venous and reduced conus arteriosus are present.
- Amphibians are
having arterial system with two systemic arches as well having venous system
with both hepatic and renal portal system.
- Their blood
corpuscles are nucleated.
- Amphibians are
having ten pairs of cranial nerves.
- Their brain well developed with cerebral hemispheres but poorly developed with cerebellum.
Resemblance of Amphibians with fishes;
- Amphibia resemble the fishes in the following characters;
- Presence of ten pairs of cranial nerves.
- Presence of pronephros (primitive Kidney) type of kidney in larva.
- The resemblance in early development.
- Absence of amnion and allantois.
- Presence of lateral line sense organs.
Amphibians differ from fishes but resemble
with Reptiles in the following respects.
- Absence of fin rays.
- Presence of Pentadactyle limbs.
- Presence of Auditory capsules.
- Absence of cardinal veins in the adult.
- Presence of cloaca.
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