昆虫学、鳥類学、爬虫類学: 現在の研究
オープンアクセス

概要

Feeding Habits of Two Sympatric Rocket Frogs (Genus Ptychadena) in a Forest Remnant of Southern-Central Ivory Coast, West Africa

Jean Christophe Béhibro Yao N’Gatta Konan, N’Goran Germain Kouamé, Akoua Michèle Kouamé, Abouo Béatrice Adepo-Gourène and Mark-Oliver Rödel

The decline of tropical amphibian species calls for studies on their biology and ecology, in order to understand their role in the respective ecosystems. We studied the diet of Ptychadena oxyrhynchus and P. longirostris, two rocket frogs co-occurring along dirt roads with puddles in the Azagny National Park, southern-central Ivory Coast. Stomach contents of 62 individuals of P. oxyrhynchus and 75 specimens of P. longirostris were obtained using the stomach-flushing method. The diet of both species was essentially characterized by various terrestrial invertebrates (predominantly insects) and both species can be considered opportunistic feeders. The presence of tadpoles in the stomach of a female P. longirostris indicates that this species may occasionally prey on aquatic food items as well. The large overlap in prey between both study species can be taken as a hint that competition for food does not play a major role between them. An unexpected observation was the proportion of plant fragments in the diet of our frogs. However, it remains unknown if they devoured plant deliberately or not. Future research should investigate this question.