Clutch Characteristics in the Southern Leopard Frog From Northeastern Arkansas

Communal Egg Masses

(larger females produce larger eggs) As body size increases, mean ovum mass increases (larger females produce larger eggs)

As body size increases, clutch size increases (larger females produce larger ovarian egg clutches)

As the number of eggs per egg mass increases, the egg diameters tend to decrease (larger masses have smaller eggs…laid by smaller females)

As the number of eggs per mass increases, the mass per egg tends to decrease (larger masses tend to have smaller eggs…laid by smaller females)

Larger females partition clutches into smaller masses As the mass of egg masses increases, the number of eggs per mass eventually increases above 2000 eggs per mass (larger masses have larger numbers of eggs…laid by smaller females)

Conclusions Smaller females produce smaller eggs Smaller females oviposit their entire egg clutch Larger females produce larger eggs Larger females produce multiple clutches with smaller egg numbers, but eggs are larger