Individual images of Xenopus laevis tadpoles

Methods Pictures of animals were acquired during the course of experimental work in the laboratory of Hans Straka at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. Details on methods of these experiments are available in publications from the laboratory (see references). All pictures were taken under MS-222 anesthesia of the animal. Images: All images were acquired using a camera (Moticam 580) on an Olympus SHX16 dissection scope using both a white and a black background and from a ventral and a dorsal view (illumination by a ZLED CLS 6000). Due to the size of the animals, multiple overlapping images were collected and stitched in Adobe Photoshop using the File > Automate > Photomerge function. A scale bar was added in ImageJ. For all images with a white background and a dorsal view, a mask was created in Photoshop. The white dorsal views of the animals were assembled in an overview and are available in 'Xenopus laevis: overview over late tadpole stages' (see references). Schematics are available in 'Schemes of Xenopus laevis tadpoles' (see references) Version 2: addition of stage 55 image.