Age structure, growth pattern, sexual maturity, and longevity of Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in temperate wetlands

Abstract

We present the first data on age structure, growth pattern, and lines of arrested growth (LAG) forLeptodactylus latransin temperate wetlands. Based on these data, we estimate LAG periodicity, age, size at sexual maturity and longevity for this species. We also tested for differences of these parameters between sexes. The age was determined through skeletochronology. Female maturity was determined by presence of differentiated ova, while male maturity was assessed through histological analysis to evaluate spermatozoid production. To establish whether this species marks one LAG per year, eight individuals were kept one year in captivity. For each specimen, LAG was compared for different phalanges of the same toe clipped at start and end of captivity.Leptodactylus latransmarked one LAG per year, indicating a growth rhythm adjusted to a seasonal environment and mainly driven by genetic factors. Longevity was five years for both sexes and frogs reached sexual maturity during the first year, exhibiting a reproductive lifespan of four years. Sexual maturity was related to a minimal size of 60 mm or a body mass of around 33 g. There was no difference in either size or growth pattern between sexes. The von Bertalanffy growth model showed thatL. latransgrows fast after metamorphosis and their growth rate strongly decreases at about three years, probably due to the increased allocation of energy to reproduction. The high growth rates and early sexual maturation ofL. latranswould allow an elevated rate of population renewal.

Modelling the growth of the brown frog (Rana dybowskii)

“…Recent frog studies frequently used the basic unit of year ( López et al, 2017 ; Sarasola-Puente et al, 2011 ), and research based on days-old or weeks-old animals are rare ( Sarasola-Puente et al, 2011 ; Tessa et al, 2017 ) even though this scale is very important to studies of froglet growth. However, skeletochronological methods have many deficiencies in terms of studying the growth of amphibians based on days or weeks and many animals must be sacrificed and the work is too difficult and time-intensive.…”

Reproductive Cycle, Size and Age at Sexual Maturity, and Sexual Dimorphism in the Stream-Breeding Frog Crossodactylus schmidti (Hylodidae)

“…Las restricciones energéticas en los machos reproductivos causados por la inversión en los llamados de advertencia, defensa del territorio y el bajo consumo de alimento pueden afectar el tamaño del cuerpo en especies con periodos reproductivos prolongados. En el caso de los machos, las tasas de crecimiento rápido y la madurez sexual temprana reportada en Leptodatylus latrans permitiría una tasa elevada de renovación de la población (López et al, 2017).…”

Reproductive cycle, sexual maturity and longevity of Odontophrynus americanus (Anura: Odontophrynidae) in South Brazil

“…Although males and females of O. americanus did not differ in age at sexual maturity, females had, on average, a larger body size than males. However, as for O. americanus , simultaneous sexual maturity between males and females has also been evidenced for other species of anurans (Baraquet et al., 2018; Kyriakopoulou‐Sklavounou et al., 2008; López et al., 2017; Otero et al., 2018; Sinsch & Dehling, 2017; Tessa et al., 2017), including Odontophrynus cf. barrioi, in Argentina (Quiroga et al., 2015).…”