Diet composition of three syntopic, ecologically divergent frogs (<Euphlyctis>, <Minervarya>, <Polypedates>) from paddy fields of Kohima, Nagaland, India

Monitoring indicator species like amphibians is crucial to assess habitat health. The diet of 129 anurans belonging to the three most abundant species found in the paddy fields of Kohima district in Nagaland, northeastern India—the aquatic Euphlyctis adolfi, the terrestrial Minervarya nepalensis and the arboreal Polypedates himalayensis—was studied. Results revealed 302 intact prey items belonging to 11 prey categories, gleaned through the stomach-flushing method. While Coleoptera was the most abundant prey found in all three species; Clitellata (terrestrial earthworms), Diptera, and Orthoptera were also important prey items. The high degree of overlap in the dietary niche of the three species despite their diverged microhabitat associations, could be the result of abundant prey items and the segregation of microhabitats. Lastly, as these frogs share a common prey base, they evidently segregate their foraging microhabitats to avoid competition.