New record and dietary ecology of a poorly known frog, Amolops shihaitaoi Wang, Li, Du, Hou & Yu, 2022 (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae), from Ha Giang Province, Vietnam

Abstract

Background The Hekou Torrent Frog (Amolops shihaitaoi) was recently discovered from southern China and northern Vietnam in 2022. The knowledge about natural history and feeding ecology of this species is virtually lacking. New information Based on our recent fieldwork in northern Vietnam, we report a new population of A. shihaitaoi from Ha Giang Province. In this study, we provide novel data on the diet of A. shihaitaoi, based on stomach content analyses of 36 individuals (17 males and 19 females). A total of 36 prey categories with 529 items, comprising 515 items of invertebrates and 14 unidentified items, were found in the stomachs of A. shihaitaoi. The dominant prey items of the species were Hymenoptera (Formicidae), Orthoptera (Acrididae), Lepidoptera (Lepidoptera other), Mantodea (Mantidae) and Araneae. The importance index (Ix) of prey categories ranged from 7.1% to 11.5%. Hymenoptera (Formicidae) had the highest frequency of prey items, found in 36 stomachs.