Diet of the Nonnative Southeast Asian Treefrog <i>Polypedates leucomystax</i> on Okinawajima, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

NAKAMURA Yasuyuki, TOMINAGA Atsushi

doi:10.5358/hsj.43.31

<p>We investigated the food composition of the Southeast Asian Rhacophorid frog species Polypedates leucomystax, an invasive species introduced to Okinawajima in the Ryukyu Archipelago, during their breeding activities and the month immediately after that. We examined the stomach contents of 190 males and 54 females, uncovering 215 prey items (including at least 56 species) from 113 males and 21 females. The rate of empty stomachs was relatively high, 45.1% for all frogs (40.5% for males and 61.1% for females). Most prey were arboreal, with a minority being obligately terrestrial or aquatic. Insects constituted the majority of the diet (61.4%), followed by other arthropods, gastropods, and a vertebrate (an agamid lizard neonate). Orthopterans were the dominant prey group in terms of number (29.8%), frequency of occurrence (43.3%), and volume (51.6%). This species is considered an opportunistic feeder, a conclusion corroborated by comparisons with locally varied dietary data from populations of conspecific or closely related species in Southeast Asia. The average prey length was approximately one-third of the body length, but instances of the consumption of larger prey were observed. Similarly, males are able to swallow prey up to two-thirds of their gape width and females up to one-third. The data obtained in this study cover most of the active season of this species on the island, and thus provide a basis for elucidating the ecological impact of this species.</p>

Diet of the Nonnative Southeast Asian Treefrog <i>Polypedates leucomystax</i> on Okinawajima, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

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