AMBIENTUM BIOETHICA BIOLOGIA CHEMIA DIGITALIA DRAMATICA EDUCATIO ARTIS GYMNAST. ENGINEERING EPHEMERIDES EUROPAEA GEOGRAPHIA GEOLOGIA HISTORIA HISTORIA ARTIUM INFORMATICA IURISPRUDENTIA MATHEMATICA MUSICA NEGOTIA OECONOMICA PHILOLOGIA PHILOSOPHIA PHYSICA POLITICA PSYCHOLOGIA-PAEDAGOGIA SOCIOLOGIA THEOLOGIA CATHOLICA THEOLOGIA CATHOLICA LATIN THEOLOGIA GR.-CATH. VARAD THEOLOGIA ORTHODOXA THEOLOGIA REF. TRANSYLVAN
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Authors: OCTAVIAN CRAIOVEANU, CRISTINA CRAIOVEANU, MIHAI-IACOB BENȚEA, CRISTIAN-OVIDIU COROIAN, VIOARA MIREȘAN.
DOI: 10.24193/subbbiol.2021.2.01
Published Online: 2021-12-20
Published Print: 2021-12-30
pp. 5-20
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Article history: Received 2 June 2021; Revised 21 October 2021;
Accepted 29 October 2021; Available online 20 December 2021.
One of the major difficulties of frog farming is providing adequate food in the first few weeks after the metamorphosis. This is a critical time frame, with rapid growth and high mortality. The established feeder insect species used throughout this delicate stage (cricket and mealworm larvae, adult fruit flies) are suitable from a trophic perspective, but present challenges and difficulties that influence the production costs. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of an alternative feeder species – Alphitobius piceus – with a simpler production technology and a lower production cost. Two species of feeder insect were used: the conventionally used Acheta domestica larvae as control species, and Alphitobius piceus larvae as experimental species. As model anuran we used the European common frog, Rana temporaria. The experimental insect species was easily accepted and produced a strong feeding response in the post-metamophic frogs. There were no significant differences between the control and experimental groups in terms of body condition index and mortality, however survival was better in the experimental group. This similarity indicates a high potential of Alphitobius piceus as feeder species for the newly metamorphosed frogs and also a good economic opportunity for frog farms.
Keywords: Frog farming, live prey, feeding response, juvenile frogs.
