Notes on dietary habits and biology of the vulnerable species Bufo eichwaldi (Amphibia; Anura; Bufonidae) in Iran

Amphibians are opportunistic predators that feed upon numerous food resources occurring in their environment. Due to feed upon insects, this group plays an important role in biological control of pests in agricultural ecosystems. In this research, which was carried out in 2015 and 2016 at the northwest of Guilan Province in northern Iran, some biological aspects of vulnerable species Bufo eichwaldi as well as stomach contents of 57 individuals (using stomach flushing technique to determine the diet) were analyzed. A total number of 642 food and non-food items belonging to 23 orders and seven classes from four phyla, mostly from phylum Arthropoda (83.3%) were identified. Food items with the highest frequency belong to Class Insecta with 14 orders. Within this class two orders Hymenoptera and Coleoptera, were the most abundant prey items in the diet of this species. High variation of prey items is a reflection of the high ratio of invertebrate’s diversity in the study area. This species has recently been listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. Despite suitability of climatic conditions of this area for B. eichwaldi, but, habitat destruction yielded from human activity have caused a significant reduction in the populations of this species during recent years