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dc.contributor.authorDöring, Britta
dc.contributor.authorMecke, Sven
dc.contributor.authorKieckbusch, Max
dc.contributor.authorO’Shea, Mark
dc.contributor.authorKaiser, Hinrich
dc.date.accessioned2018-07-10T10:18:52Z
dc.date.available2018-07-10T10:18:52Z
dc.date.issued2017-03-20
dc.identifier.citation(2017) 'Food spectrum analysis of the Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) (Anura: Bufonidae), from Timor Island, Wallacea', Journal of Natural History, 51 (11-12) 607
dc.identifier.issn0022-2933
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/00222933.2017.1293182
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2436/621479
dc.description.abstractAbstract: The Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799), is widespread throughout tropical Asia and very abundant where it occurs. It was relatively recently introduced to Timor, the second largest island in the biogeographic region called Wallacea. Timor Island shows an and there are concerns that D. melanostictus may have a negative impact on this diversity, including vertebrates, through direct predation.To evaluate the impact the diet of D. melanostictus might have on the local fauna, gut contents of 83 preserved toad specimens from five habitat types in Timor-Leste, a country occupying the eastern half of Timor Island, were examined. We identified 5581 prey items, comprising the following animal groups: annelids; snails and slugs; spiders and harvestmen; woodlice; millipedes and centipedes; grasshoppers, crickets and earwigs; termites; thrips and true bugs; beetles; ants; hymenopterans other than ants; true flies; butterflies; unidentified insects; and insect larvae. Small eusocial insects (ants and termites) constituted the major part of the diet (61.6% and 23.4%, respectively). No vertebrate prey was recorded. Prey item composition did not differ between habitats. The wide prey spectrum well indicates that D. melanostictus is a generalist invertebrate feeder, as other studies, from regions where this species occurs naturally, have already shown. Although the Asian toad seems to not generally prey on vertebrates, vertebrate species that are morphologically similar to invertebrates in their overall appearance may be consumed. Hence, a negative effect on some taxa (e.g. blindsnakes) may be possible. We also present some limited data on intestinal parasites occurring in D. melanostictus.
dc.description.sponsorshipinternal
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherTalyor & Francis
dc.relation.urlhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00222933.2017.1293182
dc.subjectWallacea
dc.subjectAmphibia
dc.subjectDuttaphrynus melanostictus
dc.subjectTimor-Leste
dc.subjectTrophic ecology
dc.subjectut contents analysis
dc.titleFood spectrum analysis of the Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) (Anura: Bufonidae), from Timor Island, Wallacea
dc.typeJournal article
dc.identifier.journalJournal of Natural History
dc.date.accepted2017-02-05
rioxxterms.funderUniversity of Wolverhampton
rioxxterms.identifier.projectUOW100718MO
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2018-02-05
dc.source.volume51
dc.source.issue11-12
dc.source.beginpage607
dc.source.endpage623
refterms.dateFCD2018-10-19T09:24:43Z
refterms.dateFOA2018-02-05T00:00:00Z
html.description.abstractAbstract: The Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799), is widespread throughout tropical Asia and very abundant where it occurs. It was relatively recently introduced to Timor, the second largest island in the biogeographic region called Wallacea. Timor Island shows an and there are concerns that D. melanostictus may have a negative impact on this diversity, including vertebrates, through direct predation.To evaluate the impact the diet of D. melanostictus might have on the local fauna, gut contents of 83 preserved toad specimens from five habitat types in Timor-Leste, a country occupying the eastern half of Timor Island, were examined. We identified 5581 prey items, comprising the following animal groups: annelids; snails and slugs; spiders and harvestmen; woodlice; millipedes and centipedes; grasshoppers, crickets and earwigs; termites; thrips and true bugs; beetles; ants; hymenopterans other than ants; true flies; butterflies; unidentified insects; and insect larvae. Small eusocial insects (ants and termites) constituted the major part of the diet (61.6% and 23.4%, respectively). No vertebrate prey was recorded. Prey item composition did not differ between habitats. The wide prey spectrum well indicates that D. melanostictus is a generalist invertebrate feeder, as other studies, from regions where this species occurs naturally, have already shown. Although the Asian toad seems to not generally prey on vertebrates, vertebrate species that are morphologically similar to invertebrates in their overall appearance may be consumed. Hence, a negative effect on some taxa (e.g. blindsnakes) may be possible. We also present some limited data on intestinal parasites occurring in D. melanostictus.


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