Abstract
In aquatic systems, many prey animals, including anuran tadpoles, predominantly use chemical cues to assess predation threat. In such systems, an array of chemical cues (e.g., kairomones, alarm, dietary) affects the behavioural responses of the prey tadpoles. The study on the behavioural responses of tadpoles belongs to the family Microhylidae to predators are very less hence the outcome of this study will provide a novel information in the field of behavioural ecology of anuran tadpoles with reference to prey-predator interactions. The behavioural responses of tadpoles of Indian painted frog Uperodon taprobanicus (Microhylidae) to its naturally co-existing predatory tadpoles of the Indian bullfrog Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (Dicroglossidae) were studied in the laboratory. The predator’s kairomones (water conditioned by a starved predator) was used to simulate predation threat. The results of the experiment showed that U. taprobanicus tadpoles exhibited strong antipredator behavioural responses, i.e. drastically reduced swimming movements and overall time spent in swimming as well as had a higher burst speed in response to kairomones of predators. Thus, U. taprobanicus tadpoles consider H. tigerinus tadpoles as potential predators. This may be because of long ecological co-existence of U. taprobanicus tadpoles with sympatric carnivorous tadpoles, H. tigerinus may have led to the evolution of antipredator defence strategies in response to kairomones of these predators. In summary, tadpoles of U. taprobanicus perceive predation risk by detecting kairomones emanating from the predator H. tigerinus and showed appropriate antipredator behavioural responses.