FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS OF SCLEROPHYS MACULATUS COLLECTED FROM THE FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT

This study was based on the dietary preferences and feeding behavior of anurans, focusing on Sclerophys maculatus. This study was conducted in the Faculty of Life Sciences in the University of Benin, Benin city, Edo State, Nigeria. The samples were collected from water puddles and vegetations by hand at night using the Visual Acoustic Encounter Survey (VAES) method, between the months of November 2023 till March 2024. Fifty-two (52) specimens of Sclerophys maculatus were stomach flushed using a syringe and an infusion tube made with silicon and thereafter released. Laboratory analysis included the identification of prey items through morphological characteristics and the quantification of prey diversity and abundance in the diet of Sclerophys maculatus.  Out of the fifty-two (52) samples collected, forty-seven (47) of them had food contents constituting 90.4% of the total samples. The prey items recovered comprises of one vertebrate class (Amphibia) and three invertebrate classes (Arachnida, Crustacea and Insecta) belonging to at least eight (8) orders. A total of Two hundred and thirteen (213) prey items were recovered. Hymenoptera (Class Insecta) was the most abundant (77.0%), the most frequent (0.74) prey item and also the most preferred food (2.4). To have a better understanding of Sclerophys maculatus eating habits throughout the year, seasonal studies of its food intake are necessary.