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Killer Love Dance- scramble competition (54)
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![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3408 W: 148 N: 4196]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (11036) | Rana holtzi (=R. macrocnemis holtzi) (Taurus Frog) [in Turk. Toros Kurbağası] #4 (Amplexus: embracing)
Dear Friends, thanks for all kind critiques/comments on my previous posting.
Many amphibians have explosive breeding periods that last only a few days. This is characteristic of many species that the breeding season is short [in Taurus Frog this time is approx 2-3 weeks]. This is critical for eggs to be laid quickly and larvae to develop before they dry or warm up, or also the falling down the water level. These conditions generally result in dense aggregations of males and females and lead to a mating system known as scramble competition. Males search the pond for mates, grabbing anything that resembles a female frog. Often, several males pile onto a single female and struggle to be the one to fertilize her eggs as you can see in my capture. These mating balls can be dangerous to females, and many are crushed or drowned by the competing males. The exact nature of this event also depends on the length of time females are available and the degree to which they are aggregated in a limited area.
Hoping that you like this shot!
Cheers,
Bayram
PS. According to me, the quality of this shot is not good :( but it is important document to show this behaviour in Taurus Frog.
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Taurus frog is known from only Karagöl Lake (Bolkar Mt, Taurus Range, Ulukışla, Niğde province). See my previous landscape shots -L1 & L2- to see the habitat of the species. This species has been on the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Species since 1996 and categorized as an Endangered (EN) species. Also it has been taken under strictly conservation by the Turkish Goverment since 1998. Now, Listed as Critically Endangered because of a drastic population decline, estimated to be more than 80% over the last ten years, based on observed declines resulting from the introduction of fish into its breeding lakes (The population of the Karagöl lake has significantly declined since the introduction of fish to the lakes in the 1990s); and because its extent of occurrence is less than 100 km², and its area of occupancy is less than 10 km², all individuals are in a single location, and there is continuing decline in the quality of its habitat and in the number of mature individuals in and around Karagöl. Karagöl is found within a popular tourist area. A road (see my previous post) has recently been completed at near the site potentially increasing the number of visitors. Also it can be report to be declining through over collection for scientific (althought the conservation rules exist, and without taking any permitance from the govermental judgements) and possibly other purposes, and the introduction of predatory carp fishes into the lakes, has led to a significant decline in the population. Some authors are accept this population as a subspecies of an another species Rana macrocnemis (Uludag Frog). However, this situation is not important. From a conservation point of view it is not absolutely important if scientists define it as a full species or a subspecies of R. macrocnemis, it is a true isolated population and an important evolutionary entity in my opinion and I think it would not be possible to replace if going extinct with other R. macrocnemis populations. I am happy that we are doing a lot of ecological and reproductive studies to extend the knowledge of this frog. A small population has been known from the Çiniligöl lakelet, which is situated approximately 150 m distance of Karagöl and about 60-70 m higher than it. However, during the past three years we could not see any frog in this lakelet.
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Taurus frog is a relatively small frog living in Turkey with a maximum snout-vent length 75 mm. Temporal stripes always present. In males skin is soft and smooth, however in females warted. Dorsolateral skin folds are obvious. There is an iner vocal sac in males. The back is yellowish dirty gren, yellowish pink or gray-green with blackish-grren, black or brownish maculations which usually have thin lighter coloured rims. The venter usually pinkish-redish, sometimes yellowish and rarely gray-white. The pinkish-redish ventral colouration is generally strongly in females than males. It feeds on insects (such as some tenebrionids, gerrids, etc.).
On its breeding biology there is no sufficient data and now we are studying this using subcutaneus (into lenfoidal spaces under the skin) minute tags readible with UV lamb. Each frog is monitoring via this tag. Breeding occurs once a year and takes place in early spring, immediately after the melting of ice and snow. They often assemble in large numbers to breed in a specialised sites (generally shallow areas riched by algs). Male develope prominent dark nuptial pads on the thumps. They grasp the female around the body behind the arms. They active by night and day at this time. Females lay small clumps of spawn usually containing 300-400 eggs, although 10-500 have been recorded by us. The clumps are generally placed shallow areas . Larval development takes place about three month. Newly metamorphosed frogs are about 1.5 cm long. This species appears relatively long lived, most frogs dying in approx. 7-10 years in normal conditions. The info on the breeding biology of the Taurus Frog mentioned above is based on our preliminary studies.
Ps. These shots was taken during a project on the population dynamics and breeding biology of R. holtzi (Taurus Frog) supported by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey).
References:
1. Göçmen, B. (Unpub. results). The results of herpetological trips.
2. Budak, A. & Göçmen, B. (2005). Herpetology. Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 194, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir, 226 pp. [2nd Edition, 2008].
3. Baran, I. & Atatür, M. K. (1998). Turkish Herpetofauna (Amphibians & Reptiles). Ministry of Environment, Ankara. 214 pp. |
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