In species with explosive breeding strategies, large numbers of individuals may congregate at a defined location for a very short period of time. Effective synchronisation in arrival at breeding sites is crucial to ensure mating success. Amphibians with explosive breeding strategies often congregate at ponds for only a few days or weeks a year. Previous research has shown that frogs and toads may use a variety of exogenous cues to initiate breeding migrations which include temperature, rainfall and lunar cues. Although the effects of temperature and rainfall on amphibians are widely studied and understood, the impacts of lunar phase are poorly known and vary by species and location. In this study, we examined the effects of lunar phase on the numbers of common toads (Bufo bufo) and common frogs (Rana temporaria) migrating to breeding ponds at 43 sites across the UK over 4 years. Our findings show that peak migration of both common toads and common frogs coincides with the waxing phase of the moon, peaking around the full moon. Temperature and rainfall also had an effect on peak migrations with the highest numbers of common toads and common frogs occurring on warm and damp evenings close to a full moon. Our results have implications for amphibian conservation initiatives such as ‘Toads on Roads’ as they will help inform conservationists on the most effective timing to help toads and frogs across roads.

在具有爆炸性繁殖策略的物种中，大量个体可能会在很短的时间内聚集在指定的位置。有效到达育种地点的同步对确保交配成功至关重要。具有爆炸性繁殖策略的两栖动物通常一年只聚集几天或几周。先前的研究表明，青蛙和蟾蜍可能会使用各种外来线索来引发繁殖迁徙，包括温度，降雨和月球线索。尽管温度和降雨对两栖动物的影响已得到广泛研究和理解，但月相的影响却鲜为人知，并且会因物种和位置而异。在这项研究中，我们检查了月相对普通蟾蜍（Bufo bufo）和普通青蛙（Bufo frogs）数量的影响过去4年，Rana temporaria）迁移到英国43个站点的繁殖池塘。我们的发现表明，普通蟾蜍和普通青蛙的迁移高峰与月亮的上蜡阶段相吻合，并在满月附近达到峰值。温度和降雨也影响峰值迁移，在接近满月的温暖和潮湿的夜晚，蟾蜍和青蛙的数量最多。我们的研究结果对诸如“道路上的蟾蜍”这样的两栖动物保护计划具有重要意义，因为它们将帮助告知保护主义者最有效的时机，以帮助蟾蜍和青蛙穿越道路。