Abstract
The food habits of two sympatric Ranids were investigated for diet composition and tested for the existence of ontogenetic prey changes. Onehundred-thirty-one Southern Leopard frogs, Rana sphenocephala, and 71 Bronze frogs, Rana clamitans clamitans, were collected during June, July, August, and September of 1995 from a seasonally-flooded, mixed-hardwood, bottomiand in Tyler Co., TX. Prey items were obtained through stomach flushing and volumes measured Using the formula for the volume of a cylinder. Both frogs were positively correlated for average prey volume compared to the average snout-to-vent (SVL) length (p=0.0004 and p=0.03). Neither frog showed positive correlation for the number of prey ingested to the average SVL (p= 0.22 and p= 0.39). Diets overlapped by 60.3% and Gastropods made up the bulk of both diets. Temporal patterns in the frequency of ingestion were demonstrated by the Orders Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, and Diplopoda.
McKnight, Jenna L (1996). Ontogenetic prey change and food habits of two sympatric Texas Ranids: the Southern Leopard frog, Rana sphenocephala, and the Bronze frog, Rana clamitans clamitans. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1996 -THESIS -M335.