This book is a continuation of Tadpoles that was edited in 1999. Since then, many more new research results have been obtained in novel experimental approaches thus necessitating this book. The growing improvement of methods and the simultaneous specialization of zoological disciplines have led to the introduction of some more general aspects of anuran larvae.
The questions of what anuran larvae are and why a larval stage occurs between the embryo and the frog is the common thread in the chapters of this book. This is bolstered by the uniqueness of larvae within the living, four-legged, and mostly terrestrial vertebrates.
Metamorphosis is a must for all amphibians to leave larval life and was the presumption of the successful gaining ground of early tetrapods. It is not surprising that metamorphosis plays a crucial role in evolutionary change, also in extant amphibians. The more amphibians are understood in their special role, the more their relationship to other vertebrates awakens interest. The broadly changed bauplan of frogs and of their larvae compared to other vertebrates calls for explanation.
What made the anuran larvae? The question cannot be answered definitively, although today we have considerably more information than in the past.
This book also attempts to integrate the knowledge of anuran larvae into comprehensive aspects of vertebrate biology, which is essential in order to understand their biology.