Monday, September 25, 2017

[Herpetology • 2017] Preliminary Estimation of Home Range Size for Meristogenys orphnocnemis, A Common Bornean Ranid, in An Altered Forest Ecosystem using Radiotelemetry


Meristogenys orphnocnemis (Matsui, 1986)

[upper] Female Meristogenys orphnocnemis showing transmitter and attachment belt.
[lower] Section of stream in SAFE Project experimental site, known as logged forest edge (LFE) stream, where all radiotracking occurred.

RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 65

Abstract

 We tracked six female Meristogenys orphnocnemis for 17 ± 4.3 days (11.5–22 days) in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo to determine core area (home range size) and movement patterns. We found that the core usage area was 3351.0 ± 963.4 m2 . Mean distance of each female from the stream during tracking was between 4.9–29.3 m and median distance from the stream for individual females was 4–20 m. Net distance between first and last observation was 80.6 ± 24.5 m, and there was no relationship between number of days tracked and total distance traversed or core area size, nor between body size and core area size, though our sample sizes were likely too small to detect such patterns. We suggest additional radio-tracking to determine differences in movement ecology between sexes and across species, to better predict impacts on anurans from logging and fragmentation in Southeast Asia.

 Key words. behaviour, radio-tracking, frogs, Malaysia



Fig. 1. Section of stream in SAFE Project experimental site, known as logged forest edge (LFE) stream, where all radiotracking occurred.

 Jennifer A. Sheridan, Nicolas Rakotopare and Rachel Mebberson. 2017. Preliminary Estimation of Home Range Size for Meristogenys orphnocnemis, A Common Bornean Ranid, in An Altered Forest Ecosystem using Radiotelemetry. RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY65; 539–544.