Action of intrinsic laryngeal muscles during release calling in leopard frog

✍ Scribed by Schmidt, Robert S.

• Book ID: 102893414
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1972
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 943 KB
• Volume: 181
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1401810210

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Cinematographic, gross anatomical, muscle contraction, histological, and electromyographic data were used to determine the actions of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles of the leopard frog (Rana pipiens pipiens) during release calling. The dilator muscles act as glottal openers, the posterior constrictors as vocal cord opposers, and the external and anterior constrictors as glottal closers. The posterior constrictors do not “tense” the vocal cords, but merely bring them into opposition at the midline by pulling on the vocal pulvinaria, which act as levers. The anterior constrictors probably are not involved in vocal cord changes. Most of the release call trills (glottal trills) are produced by a brief opening of the glottis (which is quickly terminated by contraction of the glottal closers) during which there is a brief vocal cord opposition. The final trills of the call (vocal cord trills) occur during a continuous, prolonged opening of the glottis and are produced by the relaxation oscillations of the vocal cords.