The Feeding Regime of Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath) (Boulenger, 1906) in the Equato-guinean Zone of Cameroon

Abstract

The feed preferences of Conraua goliath, an endogenous frog in central Africa were assessed in the present study. A total of 65 frogs (22 males, 22 females and 21 unspecified frogs) were obtained from hunters in 3 localities namely: Loum, Penja, and Nlonako in the Moungo division, littoral region of Cameroon. The methods of dissection, measurement, and stomach content analysis were used. The results revealed a large diversity of preys in the stomach namely: myriapods (25%), plants leaves and steems (21.19%), insects (19.56%), indigestible matters (19.56%), arachnids (4.89%), crustaceans (4.34%), mollusks (3.26%), amphibians (0.54%), annelids (0.54%) and reptiles (0.54%). The numerical percentage and the frequency of myriapods occurrence were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in males captured in the locality of Loum (100% and 35.55%) compared to the females (28.57% and 18.18%). Comparing the state of maturity, the numerical percentage and the frequency of occurrence of insects (100% and 42.85%) and indigestible matters (100% and 42.85%) were significantly higher in the youngs frogs (61.11% and 20.89%) captured in Loum compared to the adults (22.22% and 7.46%). Frogs of high weight (˃1000g) recorded significantly (P < 0.05) higher occurrence and numerical frequency of myriapods (100 and 70%), indigestible and detritus materials (100 and 40%) in low-weight frogs (<400g) and plants leaves and steems (50 and 47.36%) in medium-weight frogs (400 – 1000g). In conclusion, goliath frog is an omnivore fed on a variety of preys and plants according to their availability in the environment.