Acoustic ecology of an anuran assemblage in the arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil

Differences in advertisement calls and calling sites are important mechanisms that regulate interactions in anuran assemblages. Individuals might have preferences for ranges of acoustic parameters and calling sites that reduce overlap and ensure coexistence. Herein, acoustic and ecological data were used to investigate the relationships among 12 anurans that co-occur in temporary ponds in the Caatinga, Cabaceiras municipality, Paraíba state, Brazil. Anurans exhibited calling activity correlated with rainfall, but were also spatially dispersed. High overlap levels in calling microhabitats and acoustic parameters were observed, especially among pairs of closely related species. Analysis of null models showed a lack of structure in the spatial and acoustic niche, indicating the lack of detected competition. Results suggest that the calling activity of the species is strongly influenced by rainfall, moreover, the temporal partition appears to ensure coexistence. Finally, strong historical effects were detected in Leiuperinae, Leptodactylidae and in the partition Hylidae–Leptodactyliformes.     

Temperature responses and habitat sharing in two sympatric species of Okanagana (Homoptera: Cicadoidea)

Okanagana striatipes and O. utahensis are species synchronous in location of activity and utilization of host plants. They possess similar acoustic behavior. Analysis of calling songs shows that calls overlap in frequency but differ in temporal pattern. Based on characteristics of the cicada auditory system and the species recognition mechanism, the potential for acoustic interference exists. Both species are ectothermic behavioral thermoregulators. Measurements of thermal preference and body temperature during singing show that although thermal preferences are similar, O. utahensis sings at a significantly higher body temperature. Differences in body temperature required to coordinate singing in the 2 species provide a partial temporal separation of acoustic signaling. We suggest the physiological mechanisms that permit synchronous utilization of a habitat by the 2 species are the production of calling songs of different temporal patterns and the presence of different thermal requirements, which may permit and/or facilitate temporal separation of the acoustic environment during the day.     

The bioacoustics of the burrowing frog Heleioporus (Leptodactylidae)

Summary

The frog Heleioporus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) calls from a burrow. This paper examines the acoustic properties of the burrow by experimentally actuating plaster casts taken from five species: H. eyrei, H. psammophilus, H. albopunctatus, H. inornatus and H. barycragus. These findings are correlated with the properties of both natural calls of the frogs from the burrow and calls induced from the frog outside of the burrow. The morphology of the burrow enhances the principal frequency component of the call by resonance. Frogs call from a slight bulge beneath the burrow entrance. This calling site corresponds to the optimum position for generating a sound pressure maximum within the burrow. This was determined experimentally in an artificially constructed burrow with a complex internal sound source. In addition to optimizing the acoustic properties of the burrow the frog, in this position, has an open visual field from the burrow entrance. We conclude that the burrow system may compensate for the lack of a vocal sac in these frogs.     

Vocalizations of the Brazilian torrent frog Hylodes heyeri (Anura: Hylodidae): Repertoire and influence of air temperature on advertisement call variation

In this study we analysed the acoustic activity of Hylodes heyeri in areas of Atlantic Forest, in southern Brazil. Observations were made in November 2001 and from January to April 2002, at Estação II Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, municipality of Morretes, State of Paraná. Males displayed three different vocalizations: advertisement calls, territorial calls, and courtship calls. Temporal and spectral parameters of advertisement and territorial calls were analysed, along with call intensity. The duration of the advertisement call showed a negative correlation with air temperature, with males decreasing the duration of advertisement calls at higher temperatures. Male body size was not correlated with any of the acoustic parameters. Details on habitat use, distances to nearest vocalizing neighbour, and daily calling activity are also included.     

Breeding behaviour of Bokermannohyla nanuzae (Anura: Hylidae) at an Atlantic Forest site in southeastern Brazil

We studied the breeding activities of Bokermannohyla nanuzae at an Atlantic Forest site in southeastern Brazil from August 2010 to April 2012. We described courtship behaviour, acoustic parameters of calls, egg clutch features and the egg-laying site, and characterized the reproductive mode. We recorded calling males and gravid females almost year-round, except for a few months in the dry season. We observed the interaction of five male–female pairs that exhibited stereotyped behavioural sequences including visual and tactile signals. We identified three different types of calls that we considered as the advertisement call and two types of courtship calls. Egg clutches were placed in rocky crevices with water or in streamside puddles, among rocks, that would be likely to be flooded as stream water level raises, which characterizes a reproductive mode different from the one previously recognized for this species. The breeding biology of B. nanuzae is complex, with elaborate courtship behaviour and signalling.     

Elucidating the diel and seasonal calling behaviour of Elachistocleis matogrosso (Anura: Microhylidae)

ABSTRACT

Acoustic monitoring provides the opportunity to study ecological processes that are difficult to assess with traditional surveys. Elachistocleis matogrosso is an anuran species, described in 2010, for which limited biological information is available. This study investigated the calling activity of the species in the north-eastern portion of the Pantanal, Brazil, a wetland area with marked seasonality between the dry and wet seasons. The calling activity of E. matogrosso was monitored using automated digital recorders in combination with automated signal recognition software over two different annual cycles. The species was vocally active only during the wet season (October – April), with a peak in November-December during the 2013–2014 annual cycle and in February-March during the 2015–2016 annual cycle. The peak calling activity occurred at dusk. This species has nocturnal habits and an explosive breeding activity. The detection of the species was intermittent, which suggests that environmental predictors or site-specific conditions might play an important role in species detection. Moreover, this intermittent occupancy indicated that surveys that employ traditional field techniques would likely fail to detect this species. We describe an effective protocol for detecting E. matogrosso with acoustic monitoring, which requires recording during 20 days in February from 17:01 to 05:00. Our procedure would be easy to adapt to other anuran species, and it could be used for investigating new localities and assessing population changes over time.     

XXXII.—Nouveaux Bruchidæ

The bush cricket Psorodonotus illyricus is indigenous to the Balkans. Singing males of this species are highly mobile. The acoustic factors which might influence the locomotion were investigated in the field. The mobility of the males results in an often random distribution pattern. Interactions between the males are purely acoustic, and the duets are characterized by periods of good and poor alternation. Playback experiments, field observations and tape recordings of duetting males indicate that singing rate and sound intensity affect alternation behaviour and locomotion. However, the effect of the two song parameters is related to the time of the day, a phenomenon which might be due to (a) changes in the sound field around a singing male, and (b) altering microclimatic factors during the activity period of the insects.     

The advertisement calls of three South American poison frogs (Amphibia: Anura: Dendrobatidae), with comments on their taxonomy and distribution

The advertisement calls of three species of dendrobatid frogs from Bolivia and Peru are described. For each species we present a characteristic audiospectogram and oscillogram. We also provide numerical information about the spectral and temporal features of the calls. Our recordings of these species are compared with previously described calls of the same species from other locations. Comparisons between the calls of three different populations of Colostethus from Peru and Bolivia support their conspecificity. Characteristics of the call of a Peruvian population of Epipedobates differ from those of E. hahneli, suggesting that further taxonomic research is needed. The distribution of the genus Colostethus and Epipedobates in Bolivia is reassessed.     

Reproductive site selection in the leaf-frog Phyllomedusa azurea Cope, 1862 (Anura: Hylidae) in altered areas of the Brazilian Cerrado

The selection of reproductive sites by anurans may be associated with each species’ behavioural restrictions, reproductive modes, morphology and physiology. We investigated the use of reproductive sites by Phyllomedusa azurea in an area of Cerrado, Central-Western Brazil, which has been modified by agricultural and cattle ranching. Reproductive activity was studied during the peak of the rainy season in two consecutive years. No correlation was found between male body size and position of the calling site, and calling sites did not vary among ponds. Conversely, the height and distance from the water margin where clutches were found varied among ponds. Phyllomedusa azurea used mainly Brachiaria sp. and Brachiaria humidicola grasses as calling sites and the grass Brachiaria sp. and the shrub Melochia villosa (Malvaceae) as oviposition sites. Calling males used the vegetation according to its availability; however, individuals seemed to exhibit significant preferences regarding the type of vegetation used for oviposition.     

Distribution of bisexual and unisexual species in the aphid genus Colopha Monell (Aphididae: Eriosomatinae), with the description of a new species in Japan

Aphids of the genus Colopha are represented by three bisexual and three unisexual species. The bisexual species are associated with two Ulmus species that are most closely related, being distributed disjunctively in Europe and eastern North America on the host plants. A new unisexual species of Colopha, collected from Setaria chondrachne (Poaceae) in Japan, is described under the name Colopha setaricola sp. nov. The distribution of the three unisexual species is discussed in relation to aphid‐plant associations and historical changes in the distribution of the host plants. It is suggested that these unisexual species have persisted on the secondary hosts through parthenogenetic reproduction since the extinction of the primary host plants, Ulmus species section Blepharocarpus. Therefore, the unisexual species in Colopha exemplify Mordvilko's hypothesis that unisexual species on the secondary host plants have remained as relics in the region where the primary host was once distributed but then became extinct.     

Reproductive behaviour and development dynamics of Odontophrynus cordobae (Anura,Cycloramphidae)

We provide detailed information on breeding sites, release call, satellite behaviour, courtship, and embryonic and larval development of Odontophrynus cordobae. Field observations were carried out during two breeding seasons (2004–2005 and 2008–2009). Clutches were raised in captivity (artificial ponds) to analyse the development of embryos and tadpoles. Breeding sites were represented by streams and their backwaters, as well as temporary and permanent ponds of varying sizes. Operational sex ratio was male-biased varying between 0.154 and 0.25. Acoustic activity started about 8–10 pm and ended between 2 and 4 am the next day. Distance among calling males was approximately three metres. Male satellite behaviour was observed. Amplexus attempts among males were common. Release calls were structurally similar although shorter than advertisement calls. Courtship and formation of amplexus were documented.     

Reproductive features of three maternal-caring species of Leptodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) with a report on alloparental care in frogs

We describe aspects of the reproduction of three shoaling/maternal-caring Leptodactylus species (Leptodactylus aff. latrans, Leptodactylus podicipinus and Leptodactylus aff. leptodactyloides), pointing to the relevance of the female to tadpoles and describe a case of alloparental care in frogs. Females of the three species connected water bodies by digging channels to their tadpoles. Leptodactylus aff. latrans females often expelled predatory snakes and conspecific males that approached shoals to prey upon tadpoles. In water bodies containing predatory teleosts, tadpoles of L. aff. latrans only reached metamorphosis in the presence of guardian females. Channel digging can provide tadpoles with access to new feeding grounds and prevent predation and desiccation. We found brood mixing and alloparental care between L. aff. latrans and L. podicipinus which, as in some Teleostei, may be regarded as the result of identification mistakes.     

First host records for the rogadine genera Rogasodes Chen and He and Canalirogas van Achterberg and Chen (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with description of a new species and survey of mummy types within Rogadinae s. str.

The parasitic wasp genus Rogasodes is recorded for the first time outside mainland China, based on a new species, R. scytaloptericola Quicke and Shaw sp. nov., from Java. Rearing data and host remains associated with the type specimen show that it is a parasitoid of the palm‐feeding drepanid moth, Scytalopteryx elongata (Snellen). Canalirogas sp. aff. balgooyi van Achterberg and Chen is recorded from an unidentified lymantriid on clove trees in Indonesia (Sumatra) and illustrated. Both of these are the first host records for the genera. Rogas spilonotus Cameron is transferred to Canalirogas. A survey of mummy sclerotization and adult emergence holes in the subfamily Rogadinae sensu stricto is presented. The data suggest an early shift to a posterior emergence position, with a strictly dorsal position being largely characteristic of the common genus Aleiodes. Only Aleiodes and a few apparently closely related taxa, including Hemigyroneuron, typically form heavily sclerotized mummies.     

Reproductive aspects of Leptodactytus hylaedactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae), a member of the Leptodactylus marmoratus species group,with a description of tadpoles and calls

In this paper we describe some aspects of the reproductive biology of Leptodactylus hylaedactylus from open areas of Central Amazonia, Brazil. We describe the calling site, reproductive season, daily pattern of calling activity, chamber structure, vocalizations and tadpole morphology. Males of Leptodactylus hylaedactylus called amidst grasses and bushes in open and urban areas, throughout the year, and a greater number of males were heard in the period from 16:00 to 20:00 h. The eggs are deposited in underground chambers, which are spherical or elliptical. Larval development occurs inside the chambers. Two types of vocalizations were detected, the advertisement and the territorial call. The advertisement call of the species studied herein differs from other calls described for L. hylaedactylus from other localities of Brazil, but is very similar to that described from Peru. Tadpole morphology is similar to that described from individuals in French Guiana.     

Diet and feeding behaviour of the Neotropical parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla) in northern Brazil

Specimens (289) of Leptophis ahaetulla from northern Brazil and western Maranhão were examined for the composition of stomach contents. Most prey items were tree frogs, especially those of the family Hylidae (90%). Most of the anurans identified belong to the Scinax ruber species group (27%) and Scinax sp. (25%). Prey size was significantly related to snake length but not to head length. There was no significant difference related to sex in either case. Both sexes preyed on small to medium‐sized items (3–10% of snake snout–vent length). Leptophis ahaetulla seems to manipulate captured prey before ingestion since most of the prey items (83.6%) were swallowed head‐first. Leptophis ahaetulla is primarily diurnal and semi‐arboreal, inhabits disturbed and undisturbed forest, and forages primarily on the ground and in fallen vegetation, where its prey items are likely to be found at rest.     

Bio-sketches and partitioning of sympatric reed frogs,genus Hyperolius (Amphibia; Hyperoliidae), in two humid tropical African forest regions

Sympatric reed frog species were studied in Gabon (Monts Cristal: Hyperolius mosaicus, H. pardalis, H. tuberculatus) and Kenya (Kakamega Forest: Hyperolius acuticeps, H. cf. cinnamomeoventris, H. kivuensis, H. lateralis, H. viridiflavus). For each taxon, a standardized diagnosis covering 11 aspects of adult and in part tadpole morphology as well as the sequence of a 560 bp fragment of mitochondrial DNA of the 16S ribosomal gene are provided. In addition, behavioural data are given for each species including measurable parameters of advertisement calls. The Monts Cristal Hyperolius species clearly differ in their spatial arrangement through the choice of breeding site. Hyperolius species at the Kakamega Forest share the same breeding sites but in part differ in their activity pattern throughout the year. Advertisement calls of sympatric species in both regions mainly differ in temporal parameters.     

Recent and fossil Lunulitidae (Bryozoa,Cheilostomata) 6. Lunulites sensu lato and the genus Lunularia from Australasia

The characters of the genus Lunulites Lamarck, and of some closely related genera are described and discussed. The genus Lunularia Busk is reintroduced, and three species from Australasia are described. One species, L. parvicella, is known only as an Australian Tertiary fossil, but the remaining two, L. capulus and L. repandus, have an extensive Tertiary-to-Recent Australasian distribution. L. capulus is apparently confined to Australian waters and deposits, but L. repandus has now been found in the Miocene and Recent of New Zealand, as well as off the southern and western Australian coasts.     

The Le Broc grasshopper population: further evidence of its hybrid status (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Further evidence is provided of the hybrid status of a population of grasshoppers in the southern French Alps. Both the calling and courtship songs are shown to match closely those of laboratory-reared hybrids between Chorthippus mollis and C. biguttulus. The population is also shown to be morphologically intermediate between these two species in a combination of three key male characters.