The consumption of the white-lipped frog (Leptodactylus macrosternum Leptodactylidae: Anura) in the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon

The consumption of anurans by subsistence hunters in the Brazilian Amazon is unrecorded. Given this scenario, the objective of this study is to present the first record of white-lipped frog consumption by subsistence hunters in the Amazon region of Rondônia. The data were collected through interviews with two migrant hunters from the state of Espírito Santo, currently residing in the municipality of Itapuã do Oeste in Rondônia. The hunters used to consume white-lipped frog (possibly Leptodactylus latrans) in their state of origin, and after locating a similar species (Leptodactylus macrosternum) and confirming the possibility of consumption with the mother through WhatsApp, they started consuming the frog. This record demonstrates how certain habits related to the consumption of wild animals can be maintained in new locations and how instant messaging tools can collaborate with information exchange about game species.


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The consumption of the Leptodactylus macrosternum in the Amazon Both interviewees reported that when they entered the state of Rondônia they continued their hunting activity, which did not include white-lipped frogs as a target species. One year after arriving in the state, they found a mud puddle in the pasture with several individuals of Leptodactylus macrosternum ( Figure 2). This species can be found in the most diverse environments with different levels of preservation in the state of Rondônia (CALDERON et al., 2009), facilitating its location and capture. Unsure if they were the same white-lipped frogs consumed in Espírito Santo, they took a picture and sent it via Whatsapp to the oldest hunter's mother so she could confirm the species. Based on visible traits, the description of the capture site and the season of the year, the mother confirmed that the frog could be eaten without any problems or aggravation.
After the confirmation, they started consuming the frog, only at the height of the flood period in the region (corresponding to months from October to April). The only cooking preparation used by the interviewees was frying, which was recommended by the mother to avoid any kind of contamination. According to the 38-year-old interviewee, it was necessary for the animal to be well fried since the hot fat kills all possible pathogens.
The interviewees were asked if this consumption habit was shared with the other eleven workers in the locality. They affirmed that they were the only ones in the region who did this type of hunting and that everybody else observed it with strangeness, due to the fact that white-lipped frogs are not edible animals in the state of Rondônia, and are considered repulsive, which is

The consumption of the white-lipped frog
Leptodactylus latrans is recorded in the state of Espírito Santo (FERREIRA; FERREIRA, 2019), and this is possibly the species previously consumed by the interviewees. Although there are no records of frog consumption in the Amazon region, this practice is observed in the Caatinga, not only as food, but also in traditional medicine (FERNANDES-FERREIRA et al., 2013;ALVES et al., 2017;CAMPOS et al., in press).
Social instant messaging networks have gained prominence in conducting research (VAN VLIET et al., 2017;MCCUBBIN, 2020) and exchanging information on occurrence and recording of biodiversity (SUPRAYITNO et al., 2017), but their participation in the exchange of traditional ecological knowledge associated with hunting and about the possibility of animal consumption is not yet investigated.
We emphasize that the present paper presents the first record of white-lipped frog consumption in the state of Rondônia. This record demonstrates that certain habits of wild animal consumption can be maintained even when new species are available due to preference, and that electronic messaging apps favor the exchange of information about new hunting habits. We suggest that future studies to investigate: 1) the species added to their hunting spectrum and which were already hunted in their place of origin among immigrant hunters and 2) the role of instant messaging apps in exchange of traditional ecological knowledge associated with hunting.