TAIL BUD STAGE stage 26

EXTERNAL GILL STAGE

Changes in Morphology
These include the decrease or complete absence of specific organs or structures which are
essential during development of early frog embryology, but not critical in the mature frog
species. The significant alterations of this nature include the following developmental
structures.
a) The long tail of the tadpole alongside the fin folds is absorbed again during metamorphosis
and becomes absent at the final stage of the metamorphosis.
b) The developing gills are resorted, the gill clefts are congested and the branchial cavities
start to become absent. The reabsorbtion of gills also takes place by autolysis.
c) The teeth of the perioral disc additionally the homey lining of the jaws are shed.
d) The lateral line sense organs within the skin of tadpoles vanish throughout metamorphosis.
e) The cloacal tube begins to condensed and reduced.

f) Various blood vessels, together with parts of the aortic arches, are reduced during mature
development.
(The figure on the left represents the transformation from a tadpole to a developing structure

Timeline of frog development

Development of egg and embryo at temperature 18 degree celsius.
0 hours- fertilization of the egg
1 hours - formation of the gray crescent due to pigment migration
3.5 hours - early cleavage
4.5 hours - blastula stage(coeloblastula with eccentric blastocoel
26 hours - gastrulation
26 hours - early - crescent shaped dorsal lip
34 hours - middle- semicircular blastoporal lip
42 hours - late- circular blastoporal lip
50 hours - neurulation
50 hours - early - medullary plate
62 hours - middle- neural folds converging
67 hours - late - neural tube formed and ciliation of embryo
84 hours - tail bud stage(early organogeny)
96 hours - muscular response to tactile stimulation
118 hours - early heart beat, development of gill buds
140 hours - hatching and gill circulation
162 hours - mouth opens and cornea becomes transparent
192 hours - tail fin circulation established
216 hours - degeneration of external gills, formation of operculum, development of
embryonic teeth
240 hours - opercular fold over brachial chamber except for spiracle and internal gills

255 hours - prolonged larval stage with refinement of organs

270 hours - development of hindlimbs, internal development of forelimbs in opercular cavity
275 hours - projection of forelimbs through operculum, left side first
280 hours - absorption of the tail and reduction in size of the gut
284 hours - metamorphosis complete, emergence from water as miniature, air breathing frog

Stages of frog embryology

--Mark Hill 08:40, 9 October 2009 (EST) see my comment on images
The rate of development of the egg and embryo will depend upon the temperature at which
they are kept. The approximate schedule of development at 23 degree celsius is provided
below.

Table 1: Stages of frog development

Stage

Time since
fertilisation
(hours)

Stage
Characteristic

Embryo characteristic

0.00-1.30

fertilization of the animal hemisphere, gray

egg, post
crescent and vegetal
fertilization
hemisphere are present

1.30-2.00

splits into two cells

appearance of first cleavage

furrow

2.00-2.15

becomes four cells

appearance of second cleavage

furrow

2.15-2.45

becomes eight cells

appearance of third cleavage

furrow

Image of frog
stage

2.45-3.00

becomes sixteen
cells

appearance of fourth cleavage

furrow

3.00-3.30

becomes thirty-two appearance of fifth cleavage

cells
furrow

6.5

3.30-4.00

blastula stage

Three dorsal folds become

visible as a result of endoderm
invagination. Pole cells no
longer visible on surface

4.00-5.00

Gastrulation stage

two primary germ layers.

epiblast and endoderm

5.00-7.00

neurulation

medullary plate, neural folds

and neural tube

7.00-9.00

germ layer

complete lip involution

encircling yolk

10

9.00-11.00

early gastrula

two primary germ layers

gastrula

two germ layers

10.5 11.00-11.45

11

11.45-12.30

medulla plate

Yolk sac protrudes dorsally,

labium moves to midline on
ventral side

11.5

12.30-13.15

continuation of
medulla plate

start closing the plate

12

13.15-14.15

early neurula

thickened ectoderm give rise to

CNS

12.5 14.15-14.45

neural folds

expansion of cavity

13

14.45-16.15

neural folds

continue expanding cavity

14

16.15-17.30

neural folds

continuation of cavity

15

17.30-18.15

tail bud stage

early organogeny

16

18.15-18.45

tail bud stage

posterior ventral view

17

18.45-19.45

tail bud stage

anterior view

19

20.45-21.45

neural fold close

complete

dorsal view

20

21.45-22.30

early tail bud

anterior view

21

22.30-24.00

termination of
neural crest

progress to next stage

22

24.00-24.45

prolonged
development

elongation

23

24.45-26.15

elongation of
embryo

later view

26.15-27.30

continuation of
elongation of
embryo

dorsal view

24

25

27.30-29.30

organs
development

embryo elongates and develops

dorsal thickening

26

29.30-31.15

elongation

dorsally forms neural and brain

cavity

27

31.15-32.30

elongation of
embryo

lateral view

28

32.30-35.00

further
development

lateral view

29-30 35.00-37.30

tail bud

growth

31

prolonged
development

development

37.30-40.00

early muscular
development

elongation

33-34 44.30-50.00

muscular
movement

apparatus for locomotion

35-36 50.00-53.30

muscular
movement

apparatus for locomotion

37-38 53.30-56.30

heart beat

develops apparatus

39

mouth opens

cornea transparent

32

40.00-44.30

56.30-66.00

40

66.00-76.00

gill circulation

hatching

41

76.00-80.00

tail, fin circulation circulation

42

80.00-86.00

internal gills,
operculum

opercular fold, teeth

43

86.00-98.00

operculum
complete

operculum closed on right

46

98.00-106.00

metamorphosis

emergence from water as

miniature, operculum complete

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The Tadpoles Hatch

2006 David Jones (www.mybitoftheplanet.com)

Around three weeks after spawning the tadpoles hatch out from their eggs. They are each about 12mm
long. They still feed from the old jelly mass and any algae which is growing on it.
At this time most of the tadpoles seem to be together. Can you see the feathery-like gills on the sides of
their heads? At the moment these gills are on the outside of the tadpole's body and the tadpole
breathes through these, getting oxygen from the water.

Tadpoles Develop Internal Gills

2002 David Jones (www.mybitoftheplanet.com)

A week later and the feathery-like gills have now disappeared from view. A skin grew over them and
they are now inside the tadpole's body. The tadpole continues to breathe through these.
In the small picture you can see the skin on the tadpole has almost covered the gills. At this stage the
tadpoles are around 18mm long.
The newt is just one of the creatures that is preying on the tadpoles. It is also walking on them.

Early stage of common frog tadpole development, showing branching gills

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