Age-related changes in fertility of female Batura toads, Bufotes baturae (Stöck, Schmid, Steinlein and Grosse, 1999), under laboratory conditions

The work is devoted to the study of age-related changes in reproductive parameters of female Batura toads, Bufotes baturae , under laboratory conditions. The material for the study were clutches obtained from toads aged 2 to 7 years. The highest fertility (1830±298.6 eggs) was observed in 5-year-old females. The peak of reproductive activity is between 3 and 6 years of age, after which fertility decreases statistically significantly. Other reproductive parameters (egg diameter and spawn cord width) did not show any age-related changes. The results obtained will be useful in planning laboratory and conservation projects for breeding Batura toads. Based on the results of the studies, we recommend to form a reproductive nucleus from animals aged 3-6 years.