GROWTH AND METAMORPHOSIS OF RANA-PEREZI LARVAE IN CULTURE - EFFECTS OF LARVAL DENSITY

Intensive culture of frogs is one of the most complicated forms of aqu aculture, Standard management techniques for laboratory or commercial culture are being developed. Tadpole density is one of the most import ant factors to consider when rearing anurans. The experiment was perfo rmed on Rana perezi tadpoles to test the effects of density on growth and metamorphosis. Effects of larval density were examined by subjecti ng tadpoles to four different densities (1, 5, 10 and 20 larvae l(-1)) . Density affected growth rate, weight at metamorphosis, survival and duration of larval stage. Results agree with previously known relation ships for ranids: at higher densities developmental time is longer, me an size at metamorphosis is smaller, and mortality is higher. There ar e clear benefits in rearing R. perezi larvae at low densities (5 larva e l(-1)).