Diplopoda, de Blainville in Gervais, 1844

Nicholson, Daniel J., Tapley, Benjamin, Jayson, Stephanie, Dale, James, Harding, Luke, Spencer, Jenny, Sulton, Machel, Durand, Stephen & Cunningham, Andrew A., 2017, Development of in-country live food production for amphibian conservation: The Mountain Chicken Frog (Leptodactylus fallax) on Dominica, West Indies, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 149) 11 (2), pp. 59-68 : 63

Diplopoda

Millipedes ( Fig. 2H ) are very common on Dominica and comprise 7% of the known diet of wild L. fallax ( Brooks Jr 1982) . Millipedes were, therefore, chosen for culture at the start of the project but this was soon abandoned as high numbers were readily available in the immediate area of the captive breeding facility. They were, therefore, collected from the wild and presented as a prey source shortly after capture. The different millipede species obtained were not identified to the species level.

Provisioning of L. fallax

Up to 11 L. fallax were housed in the facility at any one time. The captive L. fallax were fed three times per week. Provisioning took place at night as this species is nocturnal ( Adams et al. 2014). Night-provisioning increased the likelihood of successful predation and this allowed staff to monitor the behavior, feeding rate, and health of individual frogs. Prey items were placed in a plastic bag and dusted with a multivitamin and mineral supplement high in calcium and containing vitamin D 3 Nutrobal® (Vetark Professional, Winchester, UK) before being released into the frog pens. The amount of prey offered at each feeding event varied depending on the condition of the frogs. Individuals with lower than expected body weight for their size were given more food items to encourage weight gain. Also, before and during the breeding season (February‒September, Davis et al. 2000) the number of prey items offered was increased to provide for the additional energy expenditure associated with vocalizing, fighting (males), egg production, and nesting. During this period, 5‒6 large prey items (cockroaches) or 10‒12 small prey items (crickets) per frog were provisioned. The number of invertebrates offered to the frogs was reduced by 30% during the non-breeding season (October–January).

Figures

Fig. 2. Cultured species at the CBP in Dominica. (A) Gryllodes sigillatus. (B) Gryllus assimilis. (C) Caribacusta dominica. (D) Blaberus discoidalis. (E) Zophobas atratus. (F) Veronicella sloanii. (G) Pleurodonte dentiens. (H) Leptogoniulus sp. Photos: D. Nicholson.