Age and Body Size of the Endemic and Critically Endangered Frog Species Rana tavasensis (Baran and Atatür, 1986) in Türkiye

Abstract

This study used skeletochronology to assess the relationships between age and body length among individuals in a population of the Tavas Frog (Rana tavasensis), located in the & Ccedil;ak & imath;roluk plateau, Tavas district, Denizli province. The age varied from 3 to 12 years in both adult males and females. The age was 2 years in two subadult males, while it was 1 year in one juvenile specimen. The mean SVL and age of the adult individuals of the & Ccedil;ak & imath;roluk population were 62.75 mm and 6.70 years in male specimens and 58.04 mm and 6.12 years in female specimens. A positive correlation was found between body size (SVL) and age in adult female and male individuals of the species. Because the number of individuals of the species is rapidly decreasing, species protection measures, based on knowledge related to the age structure and breeding features of these frogs, must be put into action urgently.