A Field Study of the Kansas Ant-Eating Frog, Gastrophryne olivaceaFitch, Henry S. (Henry Sheldon)
Science
A Field Study of the Kansas Ant-Eating Frog, Gastrophryne olivacea
Fitch, Henry S. (Henry Sheldon)
Frogs
==============================================================
Individual | Dates | Length | Probable time
and sex | of capture | in mm. |of metamorphosis
-----------------+-----------------+---------+----------------
No. 1 [Female] | August 28, 1951 | 21.5 |Mid-July, 1951
| May 5, 1952 | 23 |
| July 3, 1952 | 32 |
| August 31, 1952 | 33 |
-----------------+-----------------+---------+----------------
No. 2 [Female] | June 8, 1950 | 25 |Late July, 1949
| May 24, 1951 | 31 |
| July 30, 1951 | 34 |
| June 24, 1952 | 35 |
-----------------+-----------------+---------+----------------
No. 3 [Male] | August 31, 1951 | 24 |Late June, 1951
| May 23, 1953 | 32 |
==============================================================
[Illustration: FIG. 5. Ant-eating frogs, a little less than twice
natural size, adult and newly metamorphosed young, showing differences
in size and coloration. The young is darker and has a leaflike middorsal
mark which fades as growth proceeds.]
The trend of growth after attainment of minimum adult size is also well
shown by the records of marked individuals recaptured. Many of these
were marked while they were still small so that their approximate ages
are known. For those recaptured in their second year, after one
hibernation, length averaged 30.92 mm. Some of this group were young
metamorphosed late the preceding summer and still far short of adult
size (as small as 23 mm.) when recaptured. Others were relatively large,
up to 33 mm. A group of 22 recaptured frogs known to be in their third
year averaged 33.3 mm. (males 31.9, females 35.3, excluding four
individuals of undetermined sex). Fifteen other recaptured frogs were
known to be in their fourth year at least, and some probably were older,
as they were already large adults when first examined. These 15 averaged
36.6 mm. (males 34.7, females 37.9 mm.). Size was similar in a sample of
58 individuals intercepted en route to the breeding pond in heavy rains
of June and August, 1954. The 38 males in this sample ranged in size
from 30 mm. to 38 mm., averaging 34.5. The 20 females ranged from 34 mm.
to 40 mm., averaging 37.65. The large average and maximum size in this
sample of a breeding population may be typical after periods of drought
years have prevented successful reproduction. Summer drought in 1952 and
1953 prevented breeding in those years, or, at least, it drastically
reduced the numbers of young produced. One-year-old and two-year-old
frogs may not have been represented at all in the sample of 58.
Three-year-old frogs presumably made up a substantial part of the
sample, since 1951 was a year of successful breeding.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account