Predation on Xenophrys zhangi (Anura: Megophridae) by Heteropoda sp. (Araneae: Sparassidae) in Nepal

Abstract

Anurans in post-metamorphic stages are highly vulnerable to predation, and many are preyed upon by invertebrates such as spiders and aquatic insects (Menin et al. 2005, Toledo 2005, Luria-Manzano et al. 2020). Zhang's Horned Frog, Xenophrys zhangi (Ye and Fei, 1992), is the smallest frog among three species in the genus Xenophrys found in Nepal and can be identified b a or s aped mar on its dorsum (Bhattarai et al. 2020). It occurs near small streams in moderately disturbed secondary forests and is widely distributed in central and eastern Nepal between 500 and 1,000 m a.s.l. Juveniles are mostly found near rocks close to the water channel (Schleich and Kästle 2002,