1. Single muscle fibres were dissected from the toe muscles of Xenopus laevis and microinjected with Fura-2 to measure myoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Injected fibres were illuminated at 340 and 380 nm and the ratio of the resulting fluorescence at 505 nm (the Fura-2 ratio) was taken as a measure of [Ca2+]i. Fibres were fatigued at 21 degrees C by repeated tetani until developed tension had fallen to 50% of control. 2. Tetanic tension declined monotonically during fatiguing stimulation, whereas the tetanic Fura-2 ratio first increased and then declined. At the 10th tetanus, tension was 87% of control whereas the Fura-2 ratio was 106% of control. At the end of fatiguing stimulation, where tension was around 50% of control, the tetanic Fura-2 ratio was reduced to 71%. The rate of decline of both tension and the Fura-2 ratio after a tetanus slowed during fatigue. During recovery, the tension and the tetanic Fura-2 ratio recovered in parallel. 3. The resting Fura-2 ratio increased throughout fatigue reaching 237% of control when tension had declined to 50%. There was a rapid phase of recovery, complete within 1 min, by which time the resting Fura-2 ratio was 198% of control. Subsequent recovery was slower and took 20-30 min to reach a stable level which was 121% of control. 4. The resting Fura-2 ratio towards the end of fatiguing stimulation was greater than the tetanic Fura-2 ratio in the early part of recovery although there was no detectable increase of resting tension during fatiguing stimulation. This observation suggests that the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile proteins was reduced at the end of fatiguing stimulation. 5. Plots of the tetanic tension against tetanic Fura-2 ratios throughout fatiguing stimulation and recovery also suggested that Ca2+ sensitivity was reduced during fatiguing stimulation when compared to recovery. 6. The increases in resting [Ca2+]i caused by raised [K+]o (from 2.5 to 10 mM) and/or by application of 15% CO2 were much less than those produced by fatiguing stimulation. Much of the elevated [Ca2+]i in fatigue could be reversed by application of dantrolene (25 microM). 7. The results suggest that both reduced tetanic [Ca2+]i and reduced Ca2+ sensitivity contribute to the decline of tension during fatigue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)