Breeding ecology and oviposition site selection of black-spotted pond frogs () in Ningbo, China

Abstract

The black-spotted pond frog (Rana nigromaculata) is one of the most widely distributed species in China. However, there have been only a few qualitative descriptions of their breeding ecology and oviposition site selection. From 2004 to 2006, we investigated the breeding ecology and oviposition site selection of R. nigromaculata in Ningbo, China, quantitatively. Analyses of breeding ecology show that: (1) mean frog density in the breeding season was 0.0903 ± 0.0029 individuals per meter (n = 11) (mean ± SE); (2) R. nigromaculata was a sexually dimorphic species, with females significantly larger than males in both body weight and snout-vent length; (3) the clutch size averaged 4643.04 ± 235.96 eggs (range 1546–7897, n = 50); and (4) the egg size ranged from 1.50 to 1.74 mm in diameter, with an average egg size of 1.6050 ± 0.0046 mm (n = 226). Oviposition sites differed significantly from random sites in percentages of water, bare ground and vegetation cover, water depth (cm), water temperature (°C) and water turbidity. Rana nigromaculata preferred microhabitats with higher percentages of water and vegetation cover, while it avoided microhabitats with deeper water. The results suggest that microhabitats with higher percentages of water and vegetation cover, but not deeper water, should be priorities for protection and conservation of the breeding habitats of R. nigromaculata.

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