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The surface fauna of Xenopus skin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

R. C. Tinsley
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Westfield College, London NW3 7ST
M. Whitear
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University College, London WC1E 6BT
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Synopsis

Regular moulting can prevent colonisation of the skin surface by epibionts, although some invading organisms are sufficiently mobile to overcome this protective device. Bacteria and sessile protozoans settle on the surface of the claws of Xenopus, where the keratinised cells are not shed as regularly as on the skin. Alternatively, parasites may inhabit the orifices, which also are not affected by moulting.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1980

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