Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2015, 63(2), 439-446 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun201563020439

The Using of Skeletochronology as a Screening Method for Age Determination of Alpine Newts (Mesotriton Alpestris): a Technical Report

Peter Makovický1, Oldřich Kopecký2, Pavol Makovický3, Radek Matlach4
1 Czech Centre for Phenogenomics (BIOCEV), Institute of Molecular Genetics of the ASCR, v. v. i., Department of Transgenic Models of Diseases, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Praha 4, Czech Republic
2 Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6-Suchdol, Czech Republic
3 Department of Biology, Pedagogical faculty, Selye Janos University in Komárno, Bratislavská cesta 3322, 945 01 Komárno, Slovak Republic
4 Forensic Expert in the Field of Healthcare, Gutenbergova 272/5, 460 05 Liberec V-Kristiánov, Czech Republic

Skeletochronology is a widely used method for age determination in amphibians. This method is based mainly on the histological examination of the finger bones. However, the lengths of utilized severed fingers have not been specified in previous studies. The objective of this study was to analyse the structure of line arrested growth (LAGs) involving taking only the last two phalanges of a finger, and using the entire finger of Alpine newts (Mesotriton alpestris). Altogether 432 fingers were taken from four localities in the Czech Republic during the newt breeding period. The first group (group A) contained fingers that consisted of the last two phalanges (330 samples), and the second (group B) contained complete fingers with all phalanges (102 samples). All fingers were processed using standard histological methods and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Phalange cross-section slides were made, and the ages of the individuals were determined by the number of LAGs. From two phalanges it is determine the age of 17.87% of newts; however, age determination was successful in 49.01% of newts when using whole fingers. Age determination success rate differences between groups were significant (P < 0.001). This is a histological study and it is recommended utilizing whole fingers in future Caudata amphibian screening age studies.

Keywords: age determination, Alpine newt, amphibian, bone histology, caudata, screening, line arrested growth, skeletochronology, zoology

Prepublished online: May 10, 2015; Published: April 1, 2015  Show citation

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Makovický, P., Kopecký, O., Makovický, P., & Matlach, R. (2015). The Using of Skeletochronology as a Screening Method for Age Determination of Alpine Newts (Mesotriton Alpestris): a Technical Report. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 63(2), 439-446. doi: 10.11118/actaun201563020439

Errata to this article were published in: Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 2015, 63(3): 1079-1079. http://dx.doi.org/10.11118/actaun201563031079

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