title: Morphometric relationships of take-off speed in anuran amphibians.
abstract: Locomotory speed correlates with muscle mass (determining force and stride rate), limb length (stride rate and distance), and laterally compressed body trunk (force and stride distance). To delineate generalization of the locomotory-morphometric relationships specifically in anuran amphibians, we investigated take-off speed and the three morphological variables from seven species, Rana nigromaculata, R. rugosa, and Bombina orientalis, Eleuthrodectilus fitzingeri, E. diastema, Bufo typhonius, Colostethus flotator and Physalaemus pustulosus. The fastest jumper E. fitzingeri (3.41 m s(-1)) showed 2.49-fold greater speed than the slowest B. typhonius. Take-off speed correlated well with both thigh muscle mass relative to body mass and hindlimb length relative to snout-vent length (HL/SVL), but poorly correlated with the inter-ilial width relative to SVL. The best morphological predictor was HL/SVL (speed=-3.28+3.916 HL/SVL, r=0.968, P<0.0001), suggesting that anuran take-off speed is portrayed well with high gear and acceleration distance characterized by hindlimbs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, College of Liberal Art and Science, Yonsei University, Wonju, Gangwon-do 222-710, Korea. ichoi@dragon.yonsei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Inho
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jae Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ricklefs
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001699:Biometry; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D012863:Skeleton; D013045:Species Specificity