A Predation Deterrent in Larvae of the Bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

Abstract Larvae of the striped chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata), plains leopard frog (Rana blairi), northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens), and spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus bombifrons), were readily accepted as food by three fish predators (largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides; green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus; and the black bullhead, Ictalurus melas). In contrast, tadpoles of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), were accepted only rarely by bass and sunfish and not at all by bullheads. Preference experiments demonstrate that bass prefer Rana blairi larvae to Rana catesbeiana larvae, and if provided with sufficient numbers of Rana blairi larvae, almost totally refuse bullfrog tadpoles. The data suggest existence of an inverse relationship between the permanency of larval frog habitat and larval frog palatability.