Observations of Foothill Yellow-legged Frog predation by a native frog, snake, and giant water bug in a central California intermittent stream

Authors

Robert A. Leidy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco, CAFollow
Rachael Ryan, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, BerkeleyFollow
Hana Moidu, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, BerkeleyFollow
Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, BerkeleyFollow
Michael T. Bogan, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZFollow
Stephanie M. Carlson, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, BerkeleyFollow

Keywords

Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Predation

Abstract

During the summers of 2015 and 2018, we observed predation on Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs (Rana boylii) by a giant water bug (Abedus indentatus), a California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii), and a Diablo Range Gartersnake (Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus) adjacent to 3 separate isolated pools along intermittent reaches of Coyote Creek, Santa Clara County, California, USA. To the best of our knowledge, our observations provide the first published record of California Red-legged Frog and giant water bug preying upon Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs. As pool habitat contracts over the course of the dry season, locally abundant Yellow-legged Frogs may be increasingly vulnerable to predation from a suite of aquatic and terrestrial predators.


Durante los veranos de 2015 y 2018, observamos tres eventos de depredación sobre individuos de rana patiamarilla (Rana boylii) por parte de una chinche acuática (Abedus indentatus), una rana de patas rojas californiana (Rana draytonii) y una culebra acuática (Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus) en 3 pozas aisladas a lo largo de un río intermitente (Coyote Creek, Santa Clara County, California, USA). Hasta donde sabemos, estas son las primeras observaciones publicadas sobre Rana draytonii y Abedus indentatus depredando individuos de Rana boylii. Nuestras observaciones sugieren que Rana boylii podría ser más vulnerable a depredadores tanto acuáticos como terrestres conforme la estación seca avanza y el hábitat acuático disponible disminuye.

Recommended Citation

Leidy, Robert A.; Ryan, Rachael; Moidu, Hana; Rodríguez-Lozano, Pablo; Bogan, Michael T.; and Carlson, Stephanie M. (2019) "Observations of Foothill Yellow-legged Frog predation by a native frog, snake, and giant water bug in a central California intermittent stream," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 79: No. 2, Article 14.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol79/iss2/14