SIZE VARIATION IN BUFO MELANOSTICTUS FROM JAVA AND BALI (AMPHIBIA)

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by  Chruch, Gilbert

SIZE VARIATION IN BUFO MELANOSTICTUS FROM JAVA AND
BALI (AMPHIBIA)

by

GUSERT CHURCH
Departovant af Biologieal Sefences
Mediout Macally Tniversity of Indwsesi,

sata,

Introduetion

Although #ifo melomstictus SCHNEIER ’s distribated widely and
abuncantly from India snd the Timalayas to Southern China, and south
into the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago (Roununcsk, 1912; van Kamen,
io attempt at anelysis of loeal populations of Uhis species has been
nnertaken. Its neglect can almost be measured by its prevalence, as
though its ubiquity made il unimportant in the eternal search for new
gpecies in new geographical arcas. Among later writers, for example,
Suri (1930) has wo:hing to add to the description of the species wiven by
BoULSNCER (1912); ard Liv (1950) mizht just as well have emitted it
eaticely from bis study. Yot because of ite commonness, its ability to in-
vade and succeed in almost all habitats, and Vie ease with which il can
be volleeted, melenstictos offers an opportunity for a siudy of variation
wilhin populations of a single species from different localities whieh i

ugidue among tke Amphibia,
This report presents the resulis of analyses of snoul-vent measure-

rents of 3,998 male and ferle #. reelencstictus from sixteen dif:
Iecul populations on the islands of Java and Beli, Figteen series were col-
Jectoe in localities ranging from the weetern to the eastorn extremities
c¢ Java; ane one serias was collected in West Bali in an area to which
the species has seen found hy CAURCH (195% to be limited. Lt is hoped
that an opportuuity lu extend the study to Sumalca, Burnes end the Malay
Peninsula will presenb itself ix the fulere.

The writer wishes to acknowledge the aclp in inking theze collec
tions of bia two rescarth assistants, STE Kran Tyone aud Taloz Day Yone
the kindness of Eis Highness TroKoRDA AGUNG Gog SUKAWATI of Ubud
and Dr, JN, Post of Negara, Bali; and Dr, D, A, Tievs Amupyasa and
‘De, CHRISTOR ZELLER of Bandung. ‘the enthusiasm and optimism of Mr.
A.M.R, Wenxer, Zoological Museum, Bogor, is ulways a source of inspi-

ent

3
a TRIO Fon Be

ration, ‘The study was supported
TMeitfes Research Foundation of N
Board,

4 grant from tio Gastar aud Loui
ew York City and uke China Medical

Materials and meth

Generel Deseription, — A detaited deseription of Hef me
{eriaaticbus ScuNRIDER trot the Talo Aussralinn aon Jnnelago is given by Van
Kean (1928) and aecd not bo vepeated usin Perhaps beesuse of is
ritinclive Black eveste, meloanetictes is easily here ified aud vavely if
toe pease ‘with any other spocice, As is wanally: tine case in Bufo,
pie Patelesd glands age large snd in this specie a eor-less oblate: the
ineek anc sides are couspicuously eovusred with black warts, Geo
at sean is found with white or yellowish exeste and wa bat this
has sewn savertained to he 1. treasient condita that oceurs whea the
skin is shed. & povsistent eharcvteristie iy the species ow Java end Bl:
bt whieh seems lo have heen overioale. in the descriptions given tw
PoUENCs CLA snd Van Kasven (1996) te He Heesenee of Gye lay
fuck searbe Ioca‘ed close toguiher on the dozsn median Tine just. shove
the jumeture of the eraviuis sith “ive ties Werlebrs, This landicark is
extremists useful in pithiog antinals ae il indiewns the paint st waiek the
needle should be incerted

‘the pacolois glands and ckin exude a <t chy macusctilee substance
Tuck, sector Jandling isu’ animals, covers wae’. lands sad ig diftieul,
ii Teimove. fn spite oF the taet that there ea wg pread belief tiroughout
Jaa and Bali that toads will produce various harulial effects if touched
nothing untoward was noted during che stay schich might have beens
sliributed to the effects uf this secretion, Nowe 881) reports that the
engcons of Bigio cause sevious ‘nZlammantinn at the e903 OF hivber yer
“brates, bo! on tw occasions the saratenn etions oF melanesticiue
srioet, eaetcently iatrsduced inl the ayes of the author without i)
effect. Nevertheless, these glands ns donte Brovite some protection, per
hare by produetny an unpleasant tate because dogs aml eat and other
‘omncstica ul human kubirations leave chem alone
Os mclavawbictes sithout being harmed,

i is extremoly variable,
ranging ty, K. At tight they tend lo be lighten
in eo. ack warts, Erennerily speckiod with grew ne
“Hels ie Ube daytine, hawever, wamutimes
become darker and 2 Y anpear to be grey sr black. Mulew in ante
G Guts:

veristion in Cute mebsostictie us

exus aave ofton Deen auled to be lyhter in color than usual. Secondary
x characteristics are marked in mules and they can always be easily
entitied by the redness of the ckiu under the jaw. and hy the black
aptial pads on the Fest two fingers (Ciorem & THE 1958), The third
ger on occasional specimens exhibits faint piznuertation, but it is not
e general rule aa in China (Lau, 1936), (he redness found under the jaw
weadually Jost when the snimale are preserved in formalin, Data for
ali ave incomplete, Lut on Java the males xre known to désplay secondary
x characteristies at all times of the year,

Eeclogieal Notes, — With the exception of Tour localities, the
Vunals were all eollected at sea level. Banduny. however. is eight hundred
eters above sea level: Sukehurai is six hundred; Malang is ndlrec
ad Bogor is Lnece hundred, Thers arc andoubledly variations in the
aly temperature ranges between thes four cities and those at sea level,
xl the growth of the animals in these four regions may hnve been affected
+ the lower temperatures, However, no data at presenl available would
www this to be so, Although Bogor receives more rainfall than other
sis of Java, the condizions of humidity and precinitation in the sixtees
ealities axe comparable, Presumably there is a constant Lud supply
sailable. Stomachs of animals examined from the Djakarta crea showed
ntinuors supply of food throughout the year, the contents cansistisue
sinly of insevts anc the grabs of beetles (Curzcm, 1958)

‘The local habilats cf this specfes in cach town where they were vol
eted iF not idencieal, Open places, espevially without grasa
ch as school yards in which night lights were burning, opsn areas around
\umpon houses. slong the strecis and under the street lights, open play
# fivkls, under trees. amongst trash and decaying vegetation, in warden.
1d in some easee, even in houses, offered the most likely places to find
tem. They were rarcly found in flooded rive paddies, cn swampy ground
e along the ellges of rivers or streams, no> did they appear to inhabil
stonaively fields with tall grass, ‘They were Trequently found in dramage
es in standing ox slow-moving water, and in Solo a large member o:
ales were collected around Lhe pond in the zoclogical garden. They ob-
ously prefer areas of human habitation,

‘The preference of melanastictus foe a particular hab‘tal wes: most
early demonstrated ix the lowlands just north uf Djakarta belwoen Ke-
tajoran and Tandjang Priok, The area is givea over entiroly to rive
wahe extent For native kamponge set in il like islands. ‘Thess oases of
tm habitation are about one kilometer apart and are cumnected by
ns Tienma Ve

paths troush the flonded sawahs. Whon wullectirg in this aves, few if
aay melanostictes were encountered in Uke sawahs although there were
many Rane, but they ocemmmd in great almmdanee it tac open, ar:
spaces around the houses wi the kempones where they enjayed » free ramise
vahingered by auy other species,

A similar tendency on the part of melanasticteis ta oneuay @ particular
habitat was also found te be the ease ir Jogiekarta and espectslly in
S.abeja where these toads compete with B bipareatus tor Lebenar
(Cuter, 1959). Lilie Woot Java, wherr hipurentas is rarely found, (only
ton o¥ sp were Joand in collection of cver two thossand ancnals taken
uroand DJakarta}, the two species in Togjekarta and Swabaja oxist i
shmos. equal minders. But thengh Shey were found in closely neiglinoring
areas, Diporcatus preterring — gerhaps not by ehoive bu. hy accessity —
Uke more moist sawahe aac river banke cul melanaatictus the open areas
around buildings, saey were not often found tagester. Evidence from
asl Bali, however, wheve meluwistietye apparently deca not occur. the
rea thereby boing given over te biporeadies, demenstretes thet iporaatus
Will also invade the habitat oveferred by metunosticlus if welonostiolas
wal peescn” In Ubud anid Den Pasar, East Bali, for exancple, bipureintns
‘as ubserved in grea? aimrdance not oly in their vsual moist habitats
bet aiso 7 gardens and around hnuses, the tyoieal places te exrees bo fird:

‘imclunostictus. ‘The same was sl true at Kareng Avera, a Lown am the
most lin af Bali. On the other hand, in Nozara. Wesr Bali, where

clus has prascmably recently been intredaced (CuuRes,, 1959),
melonoatiove has become the dominant specizs cf the two andl hae puehad

iporeatus aside, recucine iss nmmb

as compared with Rist Bali, an
creating the same conditions of sepavaivd locul Fabitate for the lwo ape:
ofes as oxiat in Jogjakerla and Surabaia.

Cellecting Not A tatal ul 8,908 melcaneticine were used
ix: thig study. Tae majority of the sperimeas were cclleeLea by the author
und his assistants. Those from lac to Djakarts. areas, Montene and Kr-
Majoren, which represent Ube two laswest sories, were ecllented aver a
riod of a yeax, Lroin September, 1957, to September. 1958. ‘Those from
Kampong Kanuing, a yurai area about ten miles south of Djakarta, wei
lssted over s period of three months. from Denetnbor, L057 to February.
1858. AM of these animals were uliTied in other uxporinental std
which led to considerable mutiletinn, so they were uot preserved.

Lae specimens from Serang. Pelevulun nia, Solo, Surabe.ia, Malai,
Madjalengka, Panickasan (Madura), Bunjuwangi snd Negera Bali) were
G. Cimanr: S20 ©

in Bufo taelamontiohes ur

collected in one evering in each town, Those from Juxjakarta were ecl-
lected ou three suocessive evenirys, and those trom Rogor were collected
oer a period of weeks, The animals from Sukabumi aud Bandung were
ccllected on different veeasious twa or more months apart. Except for the
animals (rami Rancung and Madzalengka waieh were kept alive far forty-
eight hours after cap-nre, all of (hy animals were killed within twen!
hours aller being colleeted, and tae snout-vent measurements made with
veruier eelipors vo the nearest millimeter Vefore jing preserved in for
malian,

The elaye of tax meon aflected tke calleetions somewhat, During the
time cf the Call mon, more famuaics than ma‘es wore ound. And when
there was ao mean, the malee were more abundant. In Suto, ‘n ene evening
Waen there was no muua, 107 males and 28 ferzles were collected Co!
lecling noes from: Vond, Kali, during a two-week period when the moon
wes waxing, revealed a gradual increase in the number o! . Biporeatuo
tomales caught every evening, until finaly the ratio of males to females
‘out 50-59. Something similar ean be said of certain species of Bana.
wings, which are in keeping with the rhythmic ovulation evel
described for welonsatictve by Cuveca (1958), would alsa indicate that
the Inner eyele may exert some influence on all amphibians in, this area

Results

‘The statistiea! deta portaining to she snoul-vent mensnremerts made
va the sixteen series of . melonosticius are suminarized in Table T, A
reeap'tulation of the entire eollessicn is also given.

Taser 1. VaRistiO" IN ENOUTRNT MEASEREMERTE OF SnXIHER xoRULATIONS 4
tcnovtietuy 2WaE USNS AND MALY. TW P2KAY. COUCMN FR
TST MKAN OP A POPULATION {SD THAT CF THE StasDAnD Is sinhinscust

Place Sex Number of punee Mane SE + > stellar dit
Serany sg 82 fea tin
* cs
0 4
H 8
F ang
wR ise -
u 145
F ire S
Mee tec SN +
1 ‘Paria Vor. 25, 0988 Past 4

Number

ze st . significane a
Place See inimatn 80 rt aifieant
Raman 18 eau
‘eam fee See
Rogue

Bukola

Maudjeler ae

Lgjaharia
Sole
Smrataja a 308s

F voe

Mir Bee
Alans ’ 2

F im

Mt 0
“ttetare, at 48

* it

mt eT
Ranjowangi Ce oe

dese Sab
rs +

Negara, Bar 2 sue

F Hee

crea) Bite =
Eaves M4308 3308
Collection 2308 5-710

MF Sous a8 Lo
©, Simone: Bice variation di Muto welanosretun aa

Ax can be seen from Table T, tac range in size of females generally
exeeuls that of males, Nevertheless, the averuye sizes for males and fe
siiles ave almost the same in all bul thice populations. Oxly the series
fvon: Kumpong Kameng, Solo and Negara show a statistically significant
differenze between the means of Lhe tyro sexes, However, eansidering the
small number of femsles in the Solo series, the difference between Uns
means of the msles und females ig probably not accurate, and measire-
ments on a larger number of females would no dowat shew Ihem to be on
the everage about the aeme size g¢ the mac

When (he means “or the enl:re collection are eonsicered, the similavily
h average sizc between the wo sexes becomes even more marked, The
average sncul-vent size for all of the mules and all of the females towcther
is TL mm; that for all of the males ix 69 mm; end for all of tue fomales,
7 vata. Even chong, females ave found which are larger than tke larwes
males, the Findings Gemonsirate that there is no marker] sexual dimoxphiem,

shecies as far as snont-vent size Is concerned un Java, as there
is on Bali, and as Try (1936) reports to be the ease in China, Ii. is inne.
restitig to role, however, that the author has never found « male in am.
with a smuller fone. Th nating pairs the female is invariably
er, ana were ane to compare Lhe sexes by this criterion alone, one
would be ‘ed to asaume chat a marked sexual dimorphism d:d -ndeos wx'st
in size,

The Jergest mule meusured 101 mm; Lhe largest fomale measured
210 mm. One enormeus female which measured 120 mm was collected in
Togjakarta, but it was net included hecunse its xtreme size put iv in a
classs by its?

Both the snuliest male and Lae smallest fomale measured 85 ann,
Whether animals of this size are capable of muting is unknown. Viable
sperm have bcon found iu the leslos of males of thig oréer (CauReH & THR,
1988), but Lie emaliest female fownd wilh marure eggs in the ovaries me
ssured 40 mm (CpoReM, 1958)

The mens of tae snout-veat lenaths of the sixteer populations varied
from 60 mux in Banjuwangi we 85 mm at Kampong Kamans: (Djakarta).
Taking the averaye snoutwent measurement of TL mm for the entire co
Twetion as a slanlard, 10 populations showed differences belween the
means of more (han three cimes the sum of the standard erore which
would indicete different pupstations. A comparison of the means of the
Aiffevent series with the mean of the en:ive collection ig shown wrepaically
in fig. 1
Nii er Sie
eee

og a amy pie

neat

toon ay B39

unpoore>
pine utat

Pasr 1

‘resunra Vou. 25, 1959

120
G. CHURCE: Siss umvietien o Bife welawetietee ne

Anaruls from populations with sneans
than the overs: average #

hich wore significantly larger
cof 71 mm were found ty veer in smaller
humbers ard they were on the yhole more getive than their ems” er coun
lornarts from other ress, Conversely, in areas where the moan of the
bupulations was found to be smaller than the overall average size of Tt
tam, the londe were present in great s.bunsanee and were

Hf the second day there was a heavy rain, Mlowever, animals were geno
vally difficult lo Jind on but evenings waick aay Mave been due in part
0 che incrrased activiiy af Uhat pavtienlar population
On the other hand, in Banjawangi where the average size treneu
oul ta be 66 mm. 168 ammals were cu ected tn aboat and hear and a het
in one evening. ‘The habitets, lempersiure and wee -her conditions of oth
Phases were comparubce, brt Une smaller toads of Baxjuwaugi were not
9 active and weer muca cesivr Lo eateh than those fron Jorjakurla, In
eatiagly encueh, bloud svidies being aarried ont on this apiecies indicate

ls
thal Lhe lemogiobin concentration is Figher in anials Fram populations

in which the six is generally Invger; this Linding might in past gecouat
Sor the creased aclivity acted in the Jarger-sized aninud
Data o2 the cveuzvenre of voce: slily im the male were ca lected un
sirteen populations, They are listed ‘x Teale TT, Ususlly there was only
ene opening: into the internal median yoeal seo, either tu the righk or to
the left of the madicn Tine in che floor of the moath. Taking he enlleetion
8 whole, 88% of a cotal of 886 mules bad the opening on the right;
# had the opewing ov he Het; 11% Aad Ulh riséat and left openines;
hed nov, A comparison sith posisiom of voce sli.s in males
China is alsa given ia Tae 1

Taste TL Postuoe ane reas

ig Lett Hoth Nexe Ree
a on me
at 4 ray

Remejovay 4 4 0 7%

ge: % at 6

ukchams a6 ra 8

Basdsne! au 7 w 1 a3
‘Trensia Yor, 28, 1956, Paws a
Tasse 1F ceorttnsed)
ht os ati fone ule
Fel Tot Bo Ne nuns
Jogjakanta a bs 2 1"
Sluratania a an 3 Be
Sole - 4 2 6 ney
Panache san a a8 on « *
Nelang : 2a 3 ’ 2
east 7 2 «
ra al ae a8 5 “ Bs
China (La, 188 23 38 a : 85

Discussion

‘Whe results of this study indieute that considerable variation exists
» suput-vent size belwean Ineal populations of RB, ielenwstictns oa Java
ang Bali. Probably further veriations world le found if comparigons coule
be made with populacions on other ialanés sf tae Atehipelage,

Tf the mean suoul-vent Jength o 17 mm fur uae entire collection is
taken as a standard, siyvnilicany differences can be shown to exish betwaen
Unis standard and ten of the eixteen series (Table Ti, However no pepu-
Intion differenve is of an urder lo suguest sabspecifie: distinctness, ‘Phe
population sumple fom Kampoug Kemang, for esarnzle, whose mear
differs most widely of all from the stancard of 71 rm, shows aut ovarlap
of about 20% with the standard population. This difference might be
taken to indicate separate populaticus, out it fe nol great cough to war:
rant cong‘devation of the Kun.pony Kamacg animals

At is doublful whether Uiese vari
cea m temperature and hemidity at the varions localities, esporially not
Loz Lavse populations at sea leer]. Phere ave known v. a the
richness of the gol througaoat Java whieh might produce vaaietions in
rovvishiment, bat Lae availalils soil research information cannot be earrs
jaded with the size differences of imelenowictus, Jogiakarta represents
a with gond soil. as does Fran the temperacure and Humi-
ity of borh places are comparable, IE the eri] were to affect the quality
of the mulzient intake to su as lo allor the size cf sminal
populations, ilx effect should be tho same on all populations living, i
siuilar areas, Yet in Jogjekarta the anhusls were found to bo significantly
larger than the average standard, and in Kanjuwangi they were signi-
‘icantly sraalle!