FRESH WATER ANIMALS: DEPOSITS: AMPHIBIA 



Bartz and Schmidt ^ ' detected carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin in the 

 brachial and sciatic nerves of bull frogs, and Ackerman^^^ carotenoids 

 in the phagocytes in the intestinal walls of frogs. 



Proteus anguineuSy ^ ' a blind and nearly colourless salamander inhabits 

 dark caves in Yugoslavia and North Italy ; the liver contains small 

 amounts of carotene and the body unesterified xanthophylls. 



The carotenoids which are widely distributed in the Great newts 

 (Triton cristata and T. carnifex) have not yet been unequivocally 

 identified ; both xanthophylls and carotenes exist and of the xantho- 

 phylls, the two major components are probably cryptoxanthin and 

 taraxanthin. The xanthophylls are completely esterified in the skin 

 but only partly so in the liver. Love ^ » has made a study of the quanti- 

 tative distribution of carotenoids in Triton carnifex. (Table 38). 



Axolotls (Ambystoma triginum) kept in captivity did not absorb 

 to any appreciable extent ^-carotene dissolved in arachis oil. ^ ^ 



Table 38. — The quantitative distribution of carotenoids in the organs 

 of the great newt (Triton carnifex) 



From Love, R. M. (1951), Ph.D. Thesi? University of Liverpool. 



Metabolism 



The most important contribution to the further understanding of 

 carotene metabolism in frogs is that of Morton and Rosen. ^ ^ By using 

 much more rigid experimental techniques than any of those previously 

 employed and by following the changes occurring during complete 

 annual cycles, they obtained results which command considerable 

 attention. 



211 



