3528
New Zealand Journal of Ecology (2023) 47(2): 3528
Post-metamorphic body growth and remarkable longevity in Archey's frog and Hamilton's frog in New Zealand
Research Article
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
Abstract:
Post-metamorphic body growth and longevity of two archaic terrestrial frogs (Anura: Leiopelmatidae) endemic to New Zealand are described using data from long-term capture-recapture studies and measurements of snout-vent length. Population studies of Hamilton's frog (Leiopelma hamiltoni) on Te Pākeka/Maud Island, Marlborough Sounds, have been undertaken since 1976 and Archey's frog (L. archeyi) in the Coromandel Ranges since 1982. The expectation-maximisation algorithm was used to fit von Bertalanffy growth curves to the data, providing maximum-likelihood estimation of parameters associated with frog growth. New Zealand endemic frogs take at least 4–7 years to reach breeding maturity in the wild and have maximum life spans of at least 39 years in L. archeyi and 45 years in L. hamiltoni. Amongst a small sample of 26 Hochstetter's frogs (L. hochstetteri) at the Coromandel site, the oldest individual was at least 18 years old.