Age and body size of the toad Bombina maxima in a subtropical high-altitude population
We used skeletochronology to determine age and body size of large-webbed bell toads (Bombina maxima) from a subtropical, high-altitude population in southwestern China. Mean age did not differ between the sexes. Minimum age at sexual maturity was two years for both sexes, and
maximum longevity was six years for males and five years for females. Males were larger than females, also when accounting for the effect of age. A significant relationship between age and body size was only found for males. Sex showed no interaction with age, and age-size relationships did
not differ between the sexes. These results suggest that longevity is an important factor accounting for differences in body size between the sexes.
Keywords: AGE STRUCTURE; AGE-SIZE RELATIONSHIP; CHINA; LONGEVITY; SKELETOCHRONOLOGY
Document Type: Short Communication
Publication date: 01 October 2013
- The Herpetological Journal is an international scientific journal that publishes papers on the natural history of amphibians and reptiles. Experimental, observational and theoretical studies are published along with reviews and book reviews. Faunistic lists, letters and results of general surveys are not published unless they shed light on herpetological problems of wider significance.
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Submit a Paper
- Subscribe to this Title
- Membership Information
- Information for Advertisers
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content