Diet Composition and Determination of Total Mercury in the Gut of Fejervarya cancrivora (Gravenhorst, 1829) (Anura Dicroglossidae) in Gango, Libona, Bukidnon, Philippines

Abstract

Mercury toxicity is believed to be a widespread environmental dilemma that has been creating tremendous damages not only to humans, but also to wildlife. Owing to its sensitivity to mercury toxicity, F. cancrivora was subjected for the determination of total mercury (THg). The food intake of frogs is claimed to influence mercury concentration on its body, thus its stomach content was also subjected for analysis. The analysis on the gut contents of F. cancrivora revealed ten (10) food items in which the insect parts got the highest percentage of occurrence (74.19%). In addition, the total mercury concentration found on the gut of F. cancrivora is below the detection limit of <0.02 ug/g which passed USEPA standard of 0.50 ug/g implying that the detected mercury level is still acceptable. This study would like to recommend control and prevention of mercury contamination in the mining area. ABSTRACT