Reproductive Biology of the Assam Forest Frog, Hydrophylax Leptoglossa
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WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & IRCFAMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL 15,& NAMPHIBIANSO 4 • DEC 2008 •189 25(2):139–141 • AUG 2018 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES Reproductive. Chasing Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer Biology sayi) in Wisconsin: of the Assam Forest On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 Frog,. The SharedHydrophylax History of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) and leptoglossaHumans on Grenada: (Cope 1868) A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198 RESEARCH(Anura: ARTICLES Ranidae), from Lawachara . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida .............................................NationalBrian J. Camposano, Park, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin Bangladesh M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212 CONSERVATIONMd. Mokhlesur ALERT Rahman, Md. Fazle Rabbe, and Md. Mahabub Alam . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 . More ThanDepartment Mammals of............................................................................................................................... Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh ([email protected])....................................... 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ........................................................................................................................................... 225 HUSBANDRY angladesh is home. Captive to 49 Care amphibianof the Central Netted species Dragon .......................................................................................................residing in found on the forest floor, Shannon under Plummer fallen 226 logs, and bushes close Bmixed evergreen,PROFILE deciduous, and mangrove forests as well to water; it breeds in canals, streams, and stagnant water as other densely vegetated. Kraig habitatsAdler: A Lifetime (IUCN Promoting Bangladesh Herpetology ................................................................................................ 2015). with vegetation (Chakma Michael 2009). L. Treglia The 234 species is distributed However, little information is available on the breeding biol- in eastern India (Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya), COMMENTARY ogy of most species; exceptions. The Turtles Have are Been the Watching Common Me ........................................................................................................................ Asian Toad, Bangladesh, southern Myanmar, Eric Gangloff 238and western Thailand Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Ahmed and Alam 2015), the (Ahmed 2015; Frost 2017; IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Indian Bullfrog, HoplobatrachusBOOK REVIEW tigerinus (Joly 1992), and the Group 2016). In Bangladesh, the species is encountered most . Threatened Amphibians of the World edited by S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, Red Narrow-mouthed Frog,R. Berridge, Microhyla P. Ramani, and rubraB.E. Young (Ahmed .............................................................................................................. and frequently in mixed evergreen Robert forests, Powell 243 deciduous forests, and Alam 2015). Herein, we provide some observations on the other densely vegetated areas (Ahmed 2015). reproductive biology CONSERVATION of the Assam RESEARCHForest Frog, REPORTS: Hydrophylax Summaries of Published ConservationAt approximately Research Reports 2100 ................................. h on 14 April245 2017, we observed NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ................................. 247 leptoglossa (Cope 1868) NEWBRIEFS, in Bangladesh. ...............................................................................................................................an adult female....................................................... (SVL 53.0 mm, mass 248 9.8 g) laying its eggs Hydrophylax leptoglossa EDITORIAL is INFORMATIONa medium-sized ............................................................................................................................... (SVL 45–70 (Fig. 1) in a small sand-bottomed...................... pool 251 (40 x 25 x 5–8 cm; mm), nocturnally active,FOCUS ONterrestrial CONSERVATION insectivore,: A Project typicallyYou Can Support ...............................................................................................Fig. 2) approximately 1.5 m from a 252 stream with clear stag- Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo. Fig. 1. An adult female Assam Forest Frog (Hydrophylax leptoglossa) depos- Fig. 2. The egg clutch of an Assam Forest Frog (Hydrophylax leptoglossa) in iting its eggs in a pool in the Lawachara National Park. Photograph by Md. a small sand-bottomed pool in the Lawachara National Park, Bangladesh. Mokhlesur Rahman. Photograph by Md. Mokhlesur Rahman. Copyright © 2018. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman. All rights reserved. 139 IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians ISSN 1098-6324 RAHMAN ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(2):139–141 • AUG 2018 Fig. 3. Map showing the location of Lawachara National Park, where we observed egg deposition by an Assam Forest Frog (Hydrophylax leptoglossa). nant water and a sandy-clay bottom filled with dead leaves and twigs in the Lawachara National Park (24°19’55”N, 091°47’40”E), Bangladesh (Fig. 3). An adult male (SVL 44.8 mm, mass 5.6 g) was in close proximity to the female (Fig. 4). The nearest vegetation was 3–4 m away and the pool was exposed to direct sunlight. Temperature and relative humid- ity at the site were 28 °C and 67%, respectively. Several addi- tional male Assam Forest Frogs and males of other species (Smith’s Litter Frog, Leptobrachium smithi; Dark-sided Frog, Sylvirana nigrovittata) were calling in the immediate vicinity. We did not have permission to collect the species, which is protected under Schedule II of the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012. However, after egg deposition was complete, we captured and measured both frogs before releasing them in the pool. We counted 253 eggs; egg diameters were 0.9–1.2 mm (mean = 1.03 ± 0.11 mm, n = 10). After three days, almost all of the eggs had hatched into dark brown to black tadpoles that measured 2.9–3.2 mm in total length (mean = 3.04 ± 0.1 mm, n = 10). Seven days later, we counted only 110 tadpoles (43.5%), with total Fig. 4. An adult male Assam Forest Frog (Hydrophylax leptoglossa) was lengths of 4.8–5.9 mm (mean = 5.4 ± 0.4 mm, n = 10). The in close proximity to the female depositing its eggs. Photograph by Md. low number of tadpoles might have been attributable to a Mokhlesur Rahman. 140 RAHMAN ET AL. IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 25(2):139–141 • AUG 2018 number of unfertilized eggs, predation, or unintentional dam- Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh. age inflicted by humans moving through the pool. Ahmed, F. and S.M.I. Alam. 2015. An observation of winter breeding by two anurans from Bangladesh. Reptiles & Amphibians 22: 29–31. Chakma, S. 2009. Sylvirana leptoglossa, pp. 34–35. In: S.M.H. Kabir, M. Ahmad, Acknowledgements A.T.A. Ahmed, A.K.A. Rahman, Z.U. Ahmed, Z.N.T. Begum, M.A. Hassan, We express our gratitude to Mr. Mihir Kumar, Divisional and M. Khondker (eds.), Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Volume 25: Amphibians and Reptiles. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Forest Officer, for permitting us to work in the Lawachara Bangladesh. National Park. We thank Mr. M.A. Hossain, official of the Frost, D.R. 2017. Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version Forest Department, for accompanying us in the field. We also 6.0 (21 January 2018). American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA (http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html). thank Mr. M. Salauddin for assistance with preparation of the IUCN Bangladesh. 2015. Red List of Bangladesh, Volume 4, Reptiles and Amphibians. map. This study was partially supported by the University Grants IUCN Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Commission, Bangladesh (Grant no: Reg/Admin–3/65676–78). IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2016. Hydrophylax leptoglossa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T58642A64131614 (http://dx.doi. org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T58642A64131614.en). Literature Cited Joly, R.A. 1992. Studies on some aspects of breeding biology of Bull Frog (Rana Ahmed, A. 2015. Hylarana leptoglossa, p. 259. In: IUCN Bangladesh. Red List of tigrina). Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Zoology, University of Bangladesh, Volume 4: Reptiles and Amphibians. IUCN Bangladesh Country Dhaka, Bangladesh. 141.