H.J. Ozemoka

The stomach of 76 tree frogs belonging to one family (Hyperolidae), two genera (Afrixalus and Hyperolius) from the Okomu Oil Palm Plantation were examined for their food and feeding behaviour. The species examined included Afrixalus dorsalis, Hyperolius concolor, H. fusciventris, H. fusciventris burtoni, and H. picturatus. More males were collected than females and they accounted for 95% of the specimens collected. The stomach contents examined showed 20 individuals with empty stomachs, 23 with prey items and 33 stomachs with already digested prey items. The diet of the 5 species consisted of insects belonging to the order Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera and members of the Araneidae. Hymenoptera constituted 16 .92% of the total prey items ingested by the tree frogs, followed by Diptera (7.69%), Coleoptera (6.15%), Araneida (4.62%) and Orthoptera (1.54%). Unidentified prey items and digested preys accounted for 12.31% and 50.77% respectively. Hymenoptera was a common diet among the Hyperolius species accounting for 75% of the prey items recovered from H. concolor, while Dipterans constituted a major portion (42%) of the prey items ingested by Afrixalus dorsalis. Although there were variations in feeding rate among these species, it was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The diet of the tree frogs in the plantation were a reflection of the prey items available rather than selective feeding