Prey diversity of Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Daudin, 1802) (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae) and its ecological role in an agro-ecosystem in Pokhara valley, West Nepal
Abstract
The food items of Hoplobatrachus tigerinus included diversified prey species like Arthropoda, Annelida, Mollusca and Chordata (Amphibia and Reptilia). Primarily, it relied on insects as 76.9 percent of the total number of food items were insects. Its non-insect food included snails, crabs. earthworms and myriapods. Small frogs were also found in the stomach, which shows its cannibalistic feeding habit. The consumed prey items consisted of 64.3 percent harmful pests and 22.2 percent non-specific insect pests. The study indicates H. tigerinus is an important natural control agent of destructive pests in an agro-ecosystem.
References
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