Effects on growth and development of cadmium aplied at different stages of Bufo viridis laurenti, 1768 (Salientia:Bufonidae) tadpoles

: In this sudy, the effects of cadmium heavy metal on growth and development of P. viridis larvae were observed chronically. Cadmium treatment was started from early embrionic stage 8th stage (Gosner, 1960),19th stage which jaw shema development is completed and 25th stage which is late embrionic stage. Applications continued for 81 days. In this study 0; 1; 10; and 100 µg/l cadmium doses were used. The 8th stage treatment goups larvaes which were exposed to 100 µg/l, died in the end of 48 hours. The application continued until the forelimp development of control group larvas was complete. In the end of the application, P.viridis larvas which were exposed to 1 ve 10 µg/l cadmium grew and developed faster periodically in three different embrionic stages. In the end of 24 hours, cadmium treatment group larvas at 19th and 25th stage were all dead too. Weight, total length, width and tail length values were found close between the groups which the treatment started at 19th and 25th stage when stages were compared in the end of the treatment. Histopathological examination showed that 10 µg/l cadmium treatment caused branchias fusion.Keywords: Cadmium, Pseudoepidalea viridis,larvae,haevy metal, toxic effect