Feeding Habits of Rana ridibunda Pallas 1771 (Anura, Ranidae) During Winter at Thermal Sources from Bihor County (Romania)

Severus Daniel Covaciu-Marcov, Ioan Ghira, Diana Cupşa, István Sas

Abstract


Our study refers for the first time to the knowledge of the trophic spectrum of some Rana ridibunda populations, active during winter in three thermal habitats from western Romania. The populations feed all winter, but as weather gets colder, one could notice a pronounced decrease in the number of prey taxa consumed and in the average number of consumed preys, along with an increase in the number of empty stomachs, and of stomachs containing only vegetals. Most of the preys identified belong to terrestrial taxa, but aquatic taxa become majoritary during months with temperatures below zero. However, terrestrial prey (Araneide, Formicide), are not completely absent during December and January, indicating that they are also active during winter in the close vicinity of thermal waters.

Keywords


trophic spectrum; winter; thermal habitats; Rana ridibunda

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2005-12-2-87-93

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