The number of tadpoles consumed by the nymphs of the giant water bug Kirkaldyia deyrolli under laboratory conditions
2008
Ōba, Shin'ya
Giant water bug Kirkaldyia (=Lethocerus) deyrolli (Belostomatidae: Heteroptera) nymphs consume many individuals of anuran larvae (tadpoles) before they reach adulthood. However, no quantitative data on the number of tadpoles consumed have been made available until now, despite the importance of this data for the conservation of this species. The number of tree frog, Hyla japonica (Hylidae: Anura), tadpoles consumed by nymphs of K. deyrolli was examined under laboratory conditions. The number increased according to the developmental stage of the nymphs; the fifth instar nymphs were the highest consumers. The total numbers consumed by the nymphs throughout development were 155.0 ± 12.8 (average ± SD) and 172.8 ± 9.6 for the males and the females, respectively. Thus, it might be important to maintain high densities of frogs in fields to conserve the population of K. deyrolli into the future.
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