Naturally occurring fluorescence in frogs

TABOADA, CARLOS; BRUNETTI, ANDRÉS E.; PEDRON, FEDERICO N.; CARNEVALE NETO, FAUSTO; ESTRIN, DARÍO A.; BARI, SARA E.; CHEMES, LUCÍA B.; PEPORINE LOPES, NORBERTO; LAGORIO, MARÍA G.; FAIVOVICH, JULIÁN

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NATL ACAD SCIENCES

Año: 2017 vol. 114 p. 3672 - 3677

0027-8424

Fluorescence, the absorption of short-wavelength electromagneticradiation reemitted at longer wavelengths, has been suggested toplay several biological roles in metazoans. This phenomenon isuncommon in tetrapods, being restricted mostly to parrots andmarine turtles.We report fluorescence in amphibians, in the tree frogHypsiboas punctatus, showing that fluorescence in living frogs isproduced by a combination of lymph and glandular emission, withpigmentary cell filtering in the skin. The chemical origin of fluorescencewas traced to a class of fluorescent compounds derived fromdihydroisoquinolinone, here named hyloins. We show that fluorescencecontributes 18−29% of the total emerging light under twilightand nocturnal scenarios, largely enhancing brightness of the individualsandmatching the sensitivity of night vision in amphibians. Theseresults introduce an unprecedented source of pigmentation in amphibiansand highlight the potential relevance of fluorescence invisual perception in terrestrial environments.