Larval development, stages and an international comparison of husbandry parameters of the Vietnamese Mossy Frog Theloderma corticale (Boulenger, 1903) (Anura: Rhacophoridae)

We describe the larval development and stages of the locally threatened Vietnamese Mossy Frog Theloderma corticale, which is endemic to northern Vietnam. Diagnostic morphological characters are provided for Gosner (1960) larval stages 1-46. This is to our knowledge the first larval staging for the rhacophorid anuran genus Theloderma in general. As guideline for further breeding engagement with Theloderma representatives in an international scale, based on the species T. corticale as husbandry analogue, we further oppose larval development, captive reproduction and husbandry management both achieved under tropical conditions at the Amphibian breeding station of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources in Hanoi (Vietnam), and in Europe, at the amphibian breeding unit at Cologne Zoo (Germany). Observed ovipositions at Cologne Zoo took place from March to September and were initiated after increase of temperatures and humidity (increased spraying) subsequent to a hibernation phase in combination with raised water levels. The developmental time observed for T. corticale at 20°C was about 4.5 months. For providing a recent captive management overview, we furthermore compare our husbandry experiences and data on the reproductive biology of T. corticale with data from the literature.