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Tadpoles of the sandpaper frog, Lechriodus fletcheri, hunt mosquito larvae in ephemeral pools

Tadpoles of the sandpaper frog, Lechriodus fletcheri, hunt mosquito larvae in ephemeral pools Amphibian tadpoles are generally considered to be herbivores or plant-based detritivores that occupy lower trophic levels within freshwater aquatic communities. However, tadpoles are known to incorporate a variety of animal products within their diets as well. There are also many examples of tadpole species occupying higher trophic levels as opportunistic predators of conspecifics and other animals. In this paper, I describe the opportunistic predation of mosquito larvae by tadpoles of the sandpaper frog, Lechriodus fletcheri. Field observations revealed that L. fletcheri tadpoles actively preyed on mosquito larvae at the surface of the water column, using a series of swimming-to-gliding motions to hunt. This swimming routine may be effective for catching mosquito larvae, which respond to water vibrations to evade predation, allowing tadpoles to effectively become invisible to the larvae during periods when tail motions are ceased. Given that L. fletcheri tadpoles have a non-specialised omnivorous diet, these findings indicate that the tadpoles of some species have the ability to take up multiple ecological roles within freshwater systems, including as opportunistic predators. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian Journal of Zoology CSIRO Publishing

Tadpoles of the sandpaper frog, Lechriodus fletcheri, hunt mosquito larvae in ephemeral pools

Australian Journal of Zoology , Volume 67 (1): 3 – Jan 14, 2020

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Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s). Published by CSIRO Publishing
ISSN
0004-959X
eISSN
1446-5698
DOI
10.1071/ZO19065
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Amphibian tadpoles are generally considered to be herbivores or plant-based detritivores that occupy lower trophic levels within freshwater aquatic communities. However, tadpoles are known to incorporate a variety of animal products within their diets as well. There are also many examples of tadpole species occupying higher trophic levels as opportunistic predators of conspecifics and other animals. In this paper, I describe the opportunistic predation of mosquito larvae by tadpoles of the sandpaper frog, Lechriodus fletcheri. Field observations revealed that L. fletcheri tadpoles actively preyed on mosquito larvae at the surface of the water column, using a series of swimming-to-gliding motions to hunt. This swimming routine may be effective for catching mosquito larvae, which respond to water vibrations to evade predation, allowing tadpoles to effectively become invisible to the larvae during periods when tail motions are ceased. Given that L. fletcheri tadpoles have a non-specialised omnivorous diet, these findings indicate that the tadpoles of some species have the ability to take up multiple ecological roles within freshwater systems, including as opportunistic predators.

Journal

Australian Journal of ZoologyCSIRO Publishing

Published: Jan 14, 2020

There are no references for this article.