MANDICA, Mark L; University of Miami, Florida: A comparison of photoperiod related activity patterns between two South Florida toads (Anura: Bufonidae)

Early natural history notes (Hamilton, 1955; Wright & Wright, 1948; and Duellman & Schwartz, 1958) described the oak toad, Bufo quercicus, as diurnal. These descriptions are postulated upon field observations, but have never been confirmed empirically. I collected adults and larvae of both B. quercicus and B. terrestris (the putatively nocturnal Southern toad) near Everglades National Park, Florida. The goals of this study were to: 1) verify these earlier accounts experimentally, 2) compare activity patterns between the two bufonids, and 3) determine if an ontogenic shift occurs in activity patterns before and throughout metamorphosis. We used time-lapse videography to sequence toad and larvae movements every 30 seconds for 24 hours (using a 12:12 light cycle). Our preliminary data indicate that B. quercicus is more active during the day than B. terrestris. However, B. quercicus also displays significant nocturnal activity, suggesting a cathemeral pattern rather than diurnal, as previously suggested.