COMPARATIVE STUDY ON ECOLOGY AND BREEDING BEHAVIOUR OF TWO ANURAN SPECIES OF RANID (EUPHLYCTIS HEXADACTYLUS) AND RHACOPHORID (POLYPEDATES MACULA TUS) IN NORTH ODISHA

Abstract

Ranids are restricted to permanent ponds rich with hydrophytes or thick vegetation. Polypedates maculatus is arboreal in nature and frequently hided near human habitation. Euphlyctis hexadactylus is restricted to permanent ponds rich with hydrophytes which are the major source of food for the species. Ranid amplecting pairs move and eggs are laid in scattered manner and adhered to aquatic plants. Foam nest in rhacophorid is adhered to twigs above the water level. Smallest female of Euphlyctis hexadactylus have more number of eggs than some larger female. There is lack of correlation between body size and clutch size. The snout vent lenght (SVL) is not a key determining factor for clutch size in case of Ranid species but in case of rhacophorid the number of eggs in a clutch increases with increase size of the female. Variation in pigmentation or characteristic colouration are observed in tadpoles of ranid and rhacophorid.