Field Observations on Arenophryne Rotunda Tyler, a Leptodactylid Frog of Coastal Sandhills.

Abstract

The leptodactylid frog Arenophryne rotunda was studied on coastal sand dunes in the Shark Bay area of Western Australia. It was active on the surface from 1850 h, overnight and shortly after dawn, travelling up to 27.6 m, then burrowed with its hands about 10 cm downwards to the interface of dry and moist sand for the day. Eggs of A. rotunda probably develop directly, with no tadpole stage. One frog was seen at the entrance of an ants' nest. Ants and small, 4 mm long, curculionid beetles predominated in faecal pellets. In one pellet there were 51, in another 34 head capsules of an ant, Iridomyrmex sp. Captive frogs tracked their prey and picked up small items by darting the very long slender tongue at them a distance of 5 to 10 mm. They did not use their hands or lunge with the body at the prey.