THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

198 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium
Appearance: Length to 20 cm. Stout body,
huge, webbed rear feet for propulsion. Body
dark, gray to brown. Head triangular with
flaps of skin on the jaw. Fingers are not webbed
and terminate in star-like tipped extremities
equipped with tactile sensory organs.
Diet: Juveniles are cannibals and predators.
Adults locate food with long fingers with tactile
receptors in murky water. Adults eat fish,
worms, insects, and crustaceans.
Reproduction and Development: Males
utilize a rapidly repeated clicking sound to
attract mates. Fertilization external. Eggs are
extruded while the pair somersaults in the
water column. Female’s epidermis becomes
soft at mating; 290+ (60–100 eggs according to
another reference) eggs laid on her back sink
into her skin; within 24 hours the female’s
skin begins to swell around her eggs forming
pockets that cover over with skin. Larvae
mature through the tadpole stage within these
pockets for 12–20 weeks. Eventually emerging
as fully formed toads, though they are less
than 2 cm long.
Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by some indigenous
Amazonian people.
Remarks: Like all Pipidae, it lacks a tongue.
The clicking sound they make is produced by
snapping the hyroid bone in their throats.
Asian Horned Frog
Megophrys nasuta (Megophryidae)
Distribution: Borneo, Malay Peninsula,
Sumatra.
Habitat: Lives in relatively cool damp environs.
Optimal temperature is between 22–24° C.
Found on the rainforest floors, usually near
small streams.
Appearance: Have projections above each eye
and nasal area, hence the name Horned Frog.
Designed for camouflage; back is gray, tan,
russet, or brown and darkens toward the side
making the frog almost invisible among the
forest leaf litter. The smooth skin resembles
dead leaves. Females are about 12.5 cm and
males about half that size.
Diet: Mainly crabs and scorpions; also
arachnids, nestling rodents, lizards and other
frogs that live on the forest floor.
Reproduction and Development: Oviparous.
Little is known about natural breeding. Captive
reproduction is fairly common. Females attach
the egg clusters to the underside of waterwashed
rocks and logs. The eggs are large and
few in number. Tadpoles have very large, funnel–
shaped mouths. They cling with their mouths at
the surface while their body hangs vertically.
This helps them feed on microorganisms at the
water’s surface.
Remarks: Call is unmistakable: a loud,
resonating, metallic honk or henk, somewhat
reminiscent of an air horn. The Jahai, an
aboriginal group from northern Peninsular
Malaysia, call this frog “Kengkang,”
onomatopoeic after its call.
Oak Toad
Bufo quercicus (Bufonidae)
Distribution: Southeastern U.S. form southern
tip of Florida to southern Virginia, west to
eastern Louisiana.
Habitat: Coastal plains in moist grassy areas
near pine or oak savannahs with sandy soil.
Also in vernal pools and freshwater wetlands.
Appearance: Length from snout to vent: 1.9 to
3.3 cm. Short head with pointed nose. Flat body
is black to brown with a long dorsal stripe of
white, cream, yellow, or orange. Back has fine
bumps of red to orangish-brown. Relatively
long teardrop-shaped parotid (poison) glands
extend down the sides of the head.
Diet: Primarily terrestrial insects and other
small arthropods. Active during the day unlike
most toads of the genus Bufo.
Reproduction and Development: Sexes
separate. Males make high-pitched calls
to attract females. Breeding takes place in
shallow pools, ditches, and ponds. Eggs hatch
and tadpoles develop into adult toads in
about 2 months. No parental care. A notable
evolutionary advantage: if males are unable
to produce sperm, they have an ovary that
becomes functional, allowing them to breed
as females!
Mortality/Longevity: Predators include snakes
and larger frogs.
Conservation Status: Not listed, but numbers
are declining due to habitat loss.
Remarks: B. quercicus is the smallest toad
species in the Western Hemisphere.
Though small, it plays a significant role in
insect population control.