[Animals] The first pollinating frog could live in Rio de Janeiro

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Researchers have obtained unprecedented records of a pollen-covered tree frog after feeding on nectar, which could indicate a key ecological role for this amphibian in the wild.

The X Truncata frog is one of the few amphibians in the world that feeds on fruits, flowers and nectar, which would allow it to act as a pollinator. In the photo, a specimen of the frog feeds on the nectar of a flower and comes out covered in pollen.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HENRIQUE NOGUEIRA

 

What do frogs and bees have in common? On the coast of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), these two animals may be part of an essential process for the survival of native vegetation: pollination.

This is indicated by an unprecedented record made by Brazilian researchers, who observed one of the few amphibians in the world that actively feeds on fruits, flowers and nectar. The finding was published as an article in the scientific journal Food Webs.

According to Carlos Henrique Nogueira, a veterinarian from the Institute of Biosciences of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, the main author of the work and who disclosed the fact on his Twitter account, the photographed species is Xenohyla truncata, a perereca endemic to sandbank areas. fluminense. In the record, the animal appears covered in pollen after feeding on the nectar of a flower.

 

According to the researchers, the tree frogs end up destroying the small flowers by eating them. But, in the case of large flowers that support the size and weight of the frog, it manages to enter the floral structure to feed on the nectar, getting dirty with pollen in the process.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HENRIQUE NOGUEIRA
"It would be the first record (of pollination) for the amphibian group, and this possibility is too amazing!" Nogueira said on his social networks.

According to the article entitled Between fruits, flowers and nectar: the extraordinary diet of the frog Xenohyla truncata, the observation of this species of amphibian can be revolutionary because pollination and seed dispersal (determinant processes for plant survival ) usually have the help of mammals and birds.

However, frogs, toads, and tree frogs are not expected to play a role in these interactions, as almost all species are carnivorous, primarily insectivorous.

(Also read: How to save harlequin frogs?)

 

In the case of Xenohyla truncata, according to Nogueira, all that is known about its frugivorous and nectarivorous diet comes from the analysis of the stomach contents. "No one, in fact, had recorded feeding by this insect until now," he explained.

Left:
The X Truncata frog feeds on a small flower of the Cordia taguahyensis plant, known as the milk fruit.

Right:
These are the first photographic records of the feeding of the tree frog X Truncata. Until then, what was known about their diet was derived from analyzes of the stomach contents of these animals.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY HENRIQUE NOGUEIRA
With the new observations, the researchers learned more about the feeding habits of this tiny tree frog. During the expedition to the sandbar, the team saw the frog eating different structures of the Cordia taguahyensis plant, known as the milk fruit, including the fruits, flower structures, and nectar. "Apparently, they destroy the small flowers, but in the case of the large flowers, which support the size and weight of the perereca, it enters, feeds on the nectar and still leaves all the dirty pollen," said the biologist on his social network. .

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With this, the researchers considering the tree frog as a potential pollinator, which can help maintain this plant species, or even other plant species with a similar floral structure. This, according to the work, would make the perereca have a unique and differentiated ecological role from all other living amphibians.

As the scientific article points out, the observations not only renew knowledge about the diet of this species of amphibian, but are also relevant to provide more information about the natural history of this endemic endangered parrot.

 

Currently, the Xenohyla truncata is considered a vulnerable species by the Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), an organization dedicated to researching, studying and protecting the fauna and flora of Brazil.

 

Link: https://www.nationalgeographicla.com/animales/2023/04/la-primera-rana-polinizadora-podria-vivir-en-rio-de-janeiro