Trophic Ecology of Ansonia latidisca at Gunung Penrissen, Sarawak, North-Western Borneo
Dietary data on Ansonia latidisca, the little known Bornean Rainbow Toad, are presented, through an investigation of a population at Gunung Penrissen, Sarawak, Malaysia (north-western Borneo), at elevations between 1,100–1,229 m asl. Standard sampling techniques, including visual encounter surv...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Chinese Academy of Sciences
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35520/1/580-%20Ong%20%26%20Das%20%28Ansonia%20latidisca%20diet%29.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35520/ http://www.ahr-journal.com/en/Corp/10.aspx |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Dietary data on Ansonia latidisca, the little
known Bornean Rainbow Toad, are presented, through an
investigation of a population at Gunung Penrissen, Sarawak,
Malaysia (north-western Borneo), at elevations between
1,100–1,229 m asl. Standard sampling techniques, including
visual encounter surveys, were employed and individuals
encountered stomach-flushed, marked, and released.
The volume of food ingested by adults, apart from large
females, did not vary monthly, and there was no significant
difference between wet and dry periods, the dominance
index between the two periods showing no significant
difference, indicating that seasonal variation does not affect
the dietary constitution of the species across months. The
mean longest prey was recovered from a female in March,
during the end of the wet season. Larger individuals did not
consume larger prey in the species, although larger females
did harvest the largest insects, and as may be expected,
had fewer prey items in their stomachs at the time. Males
fed on fewer prey items than females, the adult male diet
predominantly comprised of members of the Hymenoptera,
including formicids (ants), as indicated by percentage
frequency of occurrence of 78.69, while for adult females,
equivalent figure was 90.70. Coleopterans (beetles) were
found secondary in importance (48.8% in females, 5.85% in
males), the rest categorized as tertiary. Plant items (including
bryophytes) had a high frequency of occurrence (23.3% in
females, 4.64% in males). Females examined in the month of
July had voluminous stomach contents, and may have eaten
more to increase fat reserves for breeding in the upcoming
wet season. Since the diet of all size classes consisted of
hymenopterans (ants) and coleopterans, the study species
is here considered to have a narrow food preference, and
consequently, is a dietary specialist |
|---|