Body Size, Reproduction and Growth in a Tropical Toad, Bufo melanostictus, with a Comparison of Ovarian Cycles in Tropical and Temperate Zone Anurans

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Abstract
In the Bangalore[India] population of Bufo melanostictus the ovarian cycles in individual toads are characterized by synchronous growth of the vitellogenic oocytes and by asynchrony with respect to stage in the ovarian cycle among the toads. However, late ovarian cycles predominated during the period of August-October. The incidence of atresia, as observed in the ovaries sampled throughout the year, suggests that about two thirds of the toads preparing for spawning are primiparous, leaving only one third to represent iteroparity within the population. Body size varied greatly at first maturation, when somatic growth declined or stopped. The greatly varying body size is consistent with a seasonal timing of sexual maturation preparing for the main breeding season, which coincides with the height of the monsoon rains during August-October.