Direct development of the bush frog Raorchestes longchuanensis (Yang and Li 1978) under laborary conditions in Southern China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Many frogs undergo direct development, in which the embryo develops within the egg and lacks a tadpole stage, being hatched morphologically similar to the adults. Such reproductive behaviour ensures the evolutionary success of their lineages without the limitation of needing a moist substrate for egg deposition. The species in the genus Raorchestes are characterised as small-sized frogs that undergo terrestrial direct development. However, observations of the reproductive behaviour of many species in Raorchestes are lacking. Here, we report the first examination of bush frogs, Raorchestes longchuanensis, from southern China undergoing direct development. Under laboratory conditions, we found that R. longchuanensis can lay two clutches in a single month (as two were laid in the month of June). Only 10–12 eggs were laid per clutch. The hatching period of R. longchuanensis was 25–30 days.