Chinese fire-bellied toad

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Chinese fire-bellied toad
Chinese fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis)

Chinese fire-bellied toad ( Bombina orientalis )

Systematics
without rank: Amphibians (Lissamphibia)
Order : Frog (anura)
Superfamily : Disc tongue i. w. S. (Discoglossoidea)
Family : Toads and barbour frogs (Bombinatoridae)
Genre : Toads ( bombina )
Type : Chinese fire-bellied toad
Scientific name
Bombina orientalis
( Boulenger , 1890)

The Chinese fire-bellied toad ( Bombina orientalis ), also known as the oriental fire-bellied toad , is an East Asian frog from the primitive family of toads and barbour frogs (Bombinatoridae).

Characteristics, reproduction

The four to six centimeter long toad is bright green on the top - especially in northern, Russian specimens, but also gray-brownish - colored and drawn with irregular black dots, on the underside bright blood red (sometimes also yellow-orange) and marbled black. The fingertips also have an intense red color. The back is covered with clearly raised, very rough warts. The pupils are triangular in shape. The male has no vocal sac and therefore calls relatively quietly. During the mating season (May to mid-August) it forms black oestrus on the two inner fingers of the hands / forearms and, like all species of Archaeobatrachia, inguinally clasps the female in the lumbar region . The spawn is released in small portions of 3 to 45 eggs at intervals of several hours to days and attached to aquatic plants, among other things. A female spawns three to four times a year and produces 38 to 257 eggs per spawning period. Embryonic and larval development takes about two months.

Spread, habitat

The Chinese fire-bellied toad occurs naturally in the extreme south-east of Siberia (northernmost, naturally only very sporadic distribution: 48 ° 40'N at 137 ° 12'E), in north-east China and in Korea . It is a lowland species with a maximum height distribution of 500 m.

It lives diurnally mostly near various standing or flowing water types, such as streams, pools and ditches. The species needs relatively warmth, so that its period of activity is correspondingly short, especially in the Siberian occurrences (hibernation from late September / early October to late April / early May). In late summer, these toads often switch to a terrestrial way of life and inhabit mixed forests , wet meadows and other biotopes . As a rule, wintering takes place there in frost-proof shelters.

In Europe you can occasionally find specimens abandoned by animal keepers, which, however, will probably not survive the winter here, as the intensely brightly colored individuals, which are particularly popular with terrarium keepers, come from the south of the distribution area. The fire- bellied toad ( Bombina bombina - see there also further descriptions of way of life and behavior), native to some regions of Central Europe, is usually less conspicuous in color than Bombina orientalis and less warty.

Reputation and reproduction behavior

The investigations were carried out on Chinese red-bellied toads from the Kyongiu region, Korea. The animals lived in large, plant-rich terrariums with a central water basin. In the course of the year they showed calling and propagation behavior at the beginning of February, April, June and the end of July.

Call behavior

The males call persistently during the night, and during the day if there is high reproductive activity, although less persistently. When calling, they stay in the same place for several hours. If there are changes in position, these are usually triggered by the actions of other males. Often two, mostly neighboring males practice alternating or alternating calls. The males place their calls exactly in the intervals of the partner. With alternating calls, the call sequence is faster and more precise than with individual calls. The alternating calling usually lasts a few minutes, after which each male calls again in his own rhythm.

In preparation for calling, males draw air into their lungs and oral cavity. As a result of the ingested air, the calling animals lie on the surface of the water, up to two thirds of their bodies are outside the water. With their front legs pointing forward and slightly sideways, they hold on to plants, stones or other objects. The hind legs are free in the water. The longitudinal axis of the body, the thigh, the lower leg and the foot are approximately perpendicular to each other.

When making a call, the males contract the muscles of the floor of the mouth, so that air flows from the mouth through the larynx into the lungs. This creates a reputation. Immediately afterwards, the air flows voicelessly back into the mouth. The male is again ready to make a call. Since the calls are formed by the air flow that corresponds to the inhalation, they are referred to as inspiratory calls, the method as inspiratory call formation. The males only call in a certain temperature range. The lower call threshold is 12–13 ° C, the upper one at 31–33 ° C water temperature.

Calls

The males have five types of call: mating call, modified mating call, bracket call, first and second order liberation call.

Mating call

The calls represent sounds and consist of the fundamental tone and up to four overtones. The males make the mating calls in long series. Several call characteristics are correlated with water temperature and height. If the water temperature rises, the repetition rate of the calls and the pitch increase, while the duration of the calls decreases. For a male 47 mm long and a water temperature of 18.0 ° C, the call rate is an average of 56 calls per minute, the base frequency is 572 Hertz and the duration of the calls is 198 milliseconds. When the water temperature rises to 28.5 ° C, the ringing rate increases to 122 calls per minute, the pitch to 617 Hertz, and the ringing duration drops to 112 milliseconds. With increasing body size, however, the pitch decreases while the duration of the calls increases. The repetition rate remains unaffected by the animal size.

Modified mating call

This call occurs irregularly and mostly individually in the sequence of normal pairing calls. It differs from these in the gradual increase in volume and in its duration, which is 14-16 milliseconds longer than normal pairing calls. The differences between the two types of calls are clearly audible.

Bracketing call

Males make these calls when they swim towards another toad and clasp it.

Call of liberation 1st and 2nd order

Both males and females give the first order call of liberation. The calls of the females are quieter than those of the males. With these calls, males defend themselves against attempts to clasp other males. Females emit them when the grip of one male is incorrect or when multiple males grip it. The calls are mostly given in series. The 2nd order liberation call differs from the 1st order call in that it lasts longer and has a slightly different frequency profile. Males defend themselves against prolonged clasping of other males.

Pair formation and oviposition

Females ready to mate swim towards the calling males, remain in their immediate vicinity and create water waves through leg movements or they swim up to the males and touch them. Both of these lead to immediate clutching, in which the males clutch the females in front of their hind legs. The females release the eggs individually or in small packets and usually attach them to plants.

Neural control of alternating calling

A pacemaker (oscillator) located in the brain sets the pace for the call sequence. The way it works is temperature dependent.

Spontaneously calling males were played the calls of a partner in the form of electronically simulated calls, the duration and sequence of which were changed and were played into the call sequence of the males at any chosen time. The following results result from the reactions of the toads: 1. Immediately after the start of a toad call, a refractory phase begins, which lasts about 100 milliseconds. If simulated calls fall within this period, they do not trigger any reaction. 2. The refractory phase is followed by the excitation phase lasting around 400 milliseconds. If a simulated call falls into this phase, the toad will answer the call after 300 to 600 milliseconds. 3. This is initiated by the activation phase of around 80 milliseconds, which the calling male needs to prepare for his own call. If a simulated call hits the toad during this time, it is ineffective as in the refractory phase.

If the sequence of simulated calls is rapid, the toads only respond to every second signal; if the sequence is slow, the toads make two calls until the next simulated call follows. After completing an experimentally triggered alternating call, the toads return to their own calling rhythm within four to five seconds.

Systematics

The call behavior and calls of another group of Chinese red-bellied toads, whose place of origin is not known, were also analyzed. With the calls of these toads, the repetition rate and the frequency of the calls are higher, the call duration is shorter than with the toads from Kyongiu. For example, the call rate at 18.0 ° C is an average of 70 calls per minute, at 28.5 ° C 135 calls per minute compared to 56 or 122 calls per minute for the toads from Kyongiu and the same water temperatures (see above). The call systems operate in the same way in the two groups, because the regression lines calculated for the two groups run parallel. All statistical results are highly significant and therefore lead to the conclusion that there are geographical differences in the Chinese fire-bellied toad that may lead to new species. Since the mating calls are innate, they represent specific features that are helpful to clarify questions of systematics, as has already happened with tree frogs of the genus Hyla and water frogs of the genus Pelophylax.

A comparative analysis of the mating calls was carried out for the yellow-bellied toad subspecies: Bombina variegata variegata from the Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia), Bombina variegata kolombatovici from two locations in the valley of the Cetina near Omiš, Croatia, and Bombina variegata scabra from Chalkidiki, Greece. Results from other studies were also included in the comparison: Bombina variegata variegata from Tübingen, Southwest Germany, Bombina bombina from the area of ​​Lake Neusiedl, Austria, Bombina orientalis from Kyongiu and the results of the hybrids from Bombina bombina ♀ x Bombina variegata variegata ♂. The number of calls per minute, call duration, basic frequency and overtones, as well as the influence of water temperature and animal size on the call characteristics were examined. Although the mating calls of the subspecies of Bombina variegata show an intraspecific variability, the mating calls are similar to one another and can be summarized in the Bombina variegata complex. Due to the characteristics of the mating call, Bombina orientalis is very close to the Bombina variegata complex, despite the great distance of the distribution areas. The mating call of Bombina bombina has special characteristics that do not show any close relationship to the Bombina variegata complex and to Bombina orientalis. The mating calls of the hybrids are intermediate compared to the calls of the parent species. The values ​​calculated from the regression equations for the repetition rates of the pairing calls at 18 ° C and 28.5 ° C water temperature are given as illustrative examples. Bombina variegata variegata (Tübingen): 74 and 134 calls / minute, Bombina variegata variegata (Plitvice): 78 and 130 calls / minute, Bombina variegata kolombatovici: 61 and 116 calls / minute, Bombina variegata scabra: 71 and 117 calls / minute, Bombina orientalis: 56 and 122 calls / minute, Bombina bombina 23 and 41 calls / minute, hybrids: 42 and 74 calls / minute. The call rate is particularly suitable for a comparison, as the animal size does not have any influence.

Species protection

In contrast to the European fire-bellied toad , the upper side of Bombina orientalis is intensely green in color

Legal protection status

  • Federal Species Protection Ordinance (BArtSchV): Specially protected species according to §1 sentence 1. The keeper of this species is obliged to report possession of the animals. This precautionary measure serves to protect the species Bombina bombina ( fire-bellied toad ) and Bombina variegatus ( yellow-bellied toad ), which are native to Germany , so that compliance with BNatSchG §40 (4) can be ensured. The release of Bombina orientalis represents a falsification of the fauna, as B. orientalis, as a neozoon, could threaten the population of the native toads (cf. also Neobiota ).
  • According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), the species according to §40 (4) as a non-native species may not be released into the wild without official approval.

Bombesin

In 1970 a peptide hormone was isolated from the skin of the animal and accordingly named bombesin , which consists of 14 amino acids and can also be detected in humans in a similar structure (27 amino acids). Bombesin causes u. a. the occurrence of a feeling of satiety , but also plays a role in the development of new types of radiopharmaceuticals .

proof

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Mamdouh Saad Ahmed Akef, Hans Schneider: Vocalization, courtship and territoriality in the Chinese fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis (Anura, Discoglossidae). In: Zoological Yearbooks, Physiology Department. Volume 89, 1985, pp. 119-136.
  2. ^ A b Stefan Mohr, Hans Schneider: Analysis of the call pacemaker of the Chinese fire-bellied toad, Bombina orientalis (Boulenger, 1890) (Amphibia, Anura), and its operation during auditory stimulation. In: Zoological Yearbooks, Physiology Department. Volume 97, 1993, pp. 215-231.
  3. ^ Hans Schneider: The effect of local heating on the calls of the fire-bellied toad, Bombina bombina (L.). In: Behavioral Processes, Volume 1, 1976, pp. 135-144.
  4. ^ Hans Schneider, Ulrich Sinsch: Contribution of bioacoustics to the taxonomy of the Anura. In: Harold Heatwole (Ed.): Amphibian Biology. Volume 7: Systematics. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton (NSW, Australia) 2007, ISBN 978-0-9803113-10 , pp. 2893-2933.
  5. ↑ Klaus Lörcher: Comparative bio-acoustic studies on the red and yellow-bellied toad, Bombina bombina (L.) and Bombina v. variegata (L.). In: Oecologia (Berlin ), Volume 3, 1969, pp. 84-124.
  6. ↑ Hans Schneider, Fawzy Hussein, Mamdouh Saad Ahmed Akef: Comparative bio-acoustic studies in the yellow-bellied toad, Bombina variegata (L.), and relationships of European and Asian species and subspecies of the genus Bombina (Anura, Amphibia). In: Bonner zoological contributions, Volume 37, 1986, pp. 49-67
  7. ↑ Hans Schneider, Helga Eichelberg: The mating call of hybrids of the fire-bellied toad and yellow-bellied toad (Bombina bombina (L.), Bombina v. Variegata (L.), Discoglossidae, Anura). In: Oecologia (Berlin), Volume 16, 1974, pp. 61-71.

literature

  • Mamdouh Saad Ahmed Akef, Hans Schneider: Vocalization, courtship and territoriality in the Chinese fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis (Anura, Discoglossidae). In: Zoological Yearbooks, Physiology Department. Volume 89, 1985, pp. 119-136.
  • Stefan Mohr, Hans Schneider: Analysis of the call pacemaker of the Chinese fire-bellied toad, Bombina orientalis (Boulenger, 1890) (Amphibia, Anura), and its operation during auditory stimulation. In: Zoological Yearbooks, Physiology Department. Volume 97, 1993, pp. 215-231.
  • Manfred Rogner: The Chinese fire-bellied toad: Bombina orientalis. 2nd Edition. Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3-937285-18-4 .
  • Hans Schneider, Fawzy M. Hussein, Mamdouh Saad Ahmed: Comparative bio-acoustic studies in the yellow-bellied toad, Bombina variegata (L.), and relationships of European and Asian species and subspecies of the genus Bombina (Anura, Amphibia). In: Bonn zoological contributions. Volume 37, 1986, pp. 49-67.
  • Law on nature conservation and landscape management (Federal Nature Conservation Act) BNatSchG 2009
  • Ordinance on the protection of wild animal and plant species (Federal Species Protection Ordinance) BArtSchV 2005

Web links

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