The Herpetological Journal

pp.63-68

Authors: M. Isabel Bellocq, Karin Kloosterman And Sandy M. Smith

Abstract: Diets of adults of amphibian species coexisting in the boreal forest are poorly understood. We quantified and compared the diets of adult amphibians from four jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in east-central Canada. Results showed that American toads (Bufo americanus) and northern redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) were predominantly ant-eaters; bluespo . tted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale) fed mainly on snails, beetles, and insect larvae; spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) took primarily spiders and wasps; and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) took a variety of alternative prey and had the highest dietary diversity. Diets of these amphibians differed significantly among the species in all study sites. Discriminant analyses showed species separation based on food type, the variable representing the proportion of ants in stomach contents being the major contributor to the discriminant functions in all assemblages.

Keywords: frog, salamander, diet, feeding behaviour