Diet of the Brackish Frog, Fejervarya moodiei (Anura: Dicroglossidae), on the Andaman Islands, India

Mohanty, N P and Isaac, S and Anujan, K (2022) Diet of the Brackish Frog, Fejervarya moodiei (Anura: Dicroglossidae), on the Andaman Islands, India. In: Herpetology Notes, 15 . pp. 105-109.

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Abstract

Fejervarya moodiei (Taylor, 1920) is a large-bodied frog, well-known for its occurrence in brackish, coastal habitats such as mangroves. However, the natural history of this ‘data deficient’ species,including its diet, is not well understood. In this study, we systematically assess the diet of F. moodiei from populations in the Andaman archipelago. We describe the diet in terms of the taxon, volume, and functional traits of the prey consumed. In a sample of 54 F. moodiei, 42 had prey items while 12 had empty stomachs. We recorded a total of 47 prey items spanning seven orders, with crabs (Brachyura) the dominant prey by number, volume, and frequency. Given the prevalence of evasive prey in the diet, we infer a sit-and-wait foraging strategy for F. moodiei. Additionally, we observed a positive relationship between body sizes of predator and prey. Our study provides a systematic assessment of the diet of F. moodiei and fills a major gap in the natural history of the recently taxonomically validated Andaman population. © 2022 by Herpetology Notes.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Herpetology Notes
Publisher:	Societas Europaea Herpetologica
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to Societas Europaea Herpetologica
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	18 May 2022 06:10
Last Modified:	18 May 2022 06:10
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/71810

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