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Anuran vocalizations transmit relevant information that aids in individual recognition and sexual selection by females. When studied over time, vocalizations can help us to understand reproductive phenology. Here, we used an automated recording system to obtain calls of 4 anurans in southeastern Mexico, described the calling phenology of the species and tested its relationship with environmental variables. We performed Generalized Linear Mixed Effects Models (GLMM’s) to explore possible relationships between calling and environmental variables. The hylid species ( Agalychnis callidryas, A. moreletii and Dendropsophus ebraccatus ) showed a clear calling pattern; they began calling in April/May and increased in their intensity during the rainy season, from June to September. Craugastor loki showed, contrarily, no clear patterns of calling, preferring to call almost continuously throughout the year. Among the environmental factors tested, only minimum temperature and the amount of days without rain had an effect (positive and negative, respectively) on calling activity of the hylids, but we found that calling from other species had greater positive effects within the group. There was a strong phenological overlap in the calling behavior of these species, which may suggest that competition for site of calling or acoustic niche partitioning can be present in the community.

Trade offs between life-history traits are well studied; however, most studies examine only two life-history traits at a time. For instance, in invertebrates, there is much evidence for the trade-off between reproduction and immunity but no studies that consider how investment in attractiveness might mediate this trade-off. In this study, I test two hypotheses. First, attractive male crickets (Gryllus texensis) have acquired larger resource pools than unattractive males and can invest more in all life-history traits. Attractive males should therefore have better body condition and show a less pronounced trade-off than unattractive males. Second, that attractive and unattractive males start with similar sized resource pools and allocate these resources differently. Since attractive males have invested some of their limited resources on sexual attractiveness they should have fewer resources left at their disposal than the unattractive males and should have worse body condition and show a more pronounced trade-off between reproduction and immunity than unattractive males. I tested these hypotheses by comparing body condition and testes size in attractive and unattractive males and injecting them with saline or LPS and examining their behavior. Attractive and unattractive males did not differ in their body condition or testes size. Attractive males increased their calling activity when immune-challenged. These results support the hypothesis that attractive and unattractive males have similar sized resource pools and attractive males invest in sexual attractiveness at the expense of immune-competence.

Nasutixalus yingjiangensis sp. nov. Holotype. SYS a005802, adult male, calling from inside a small tree hole on a small tree (Tetradium glabrifolium, ca. 13 cm in diameter at breast height) in a montane evergreen broadleaf forest at Tongbiguan Town, Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province, China (24°37'21.59'' N, 97°37'13.29'' E, 1610 m above sea level), collected on 20 April 2017 by J.H. Yang. Paratypes. SYS a005803, adult male; SYS a005804, adult female, both from the same locality as holotype, collected on 10 June 2017 by J.H. Yang, Shen-Pin Yang, Li-Yan Wang and Rong-Jia Li. Etymology. The specific name “ yingjiangensis ”, is a Latinized toponymic adjective in reference to the type locality of the new species, Yingjiang County of Yunnan Province, China. For the common names, we suggest “Yingjiang Tree-hole Frog” (English) and “Yíng jiāng léng bí shÙ wā” (Chinese). Diagnosis. The new species is assigned to the genus Nasutixalus by the possession of the following morphological characters considered to be diagnostic for the genus: medium body size; outline of snout truncate in dorsal view, semi-circular in ventral view, slightly vertical in lateral view; snout not protruding; canthus rostralis obtuse and raised prominently, forming a ridge from nostril to anterior corner of eyes; webbing rudimentary on fingers and well developed on toes; dorsal skin relatively smooth, scattered with small tubercles; iris with a weak “X”-shaped, light colored marking (Biju et al. 2016; Jiang et al. 2016), and on the basis of molecular analyses (see above and Fig. 2). Nasutixalus yingjiangensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of following morphological characters: medium body size (SVL 39.5–40.0 mm in adult males, 47.5 mm in a single female); tympanum indistinct and covered with tubercles; disc diameter of third finger greater than tympanum diameter; dorsal skin relatively smooth, scattered with small tubercles, those on head and anterior dorsum of body more dense and more prominent; light brown above with a dark brown marking between eyes and two broad dark brown lateral strips on the dorsum; iris with a weak “X”-shaped, light colored marking; interorbital distance shorter than the upper eyelid width; comparatively short foot (mean TFL/SVL ratio 67.0% and 62.9% in males and a single female respectively). Description of holotype (measurements in mm). SYS a005802 (Fig. 3 & 4), adult male, medium body size (SVL 40.0), body habitus moderate; head width (HW 15.4) slightly greater that head length (HL 13.8); snout length (SL 5.8) nearly equal to horizontal diameter of the eye (ED 5.4); snout truncated in dorsal view, semi-circular in ventral view, and nearly slightly vertical in lateral view, not protruding; canthus rostralis rounded and raised noticeably, forming a ridge from nostril to anterior corner of eye; loreal region slightly concave; interorbital distance (IOD 3.7), slightly shorter than width of the upper eyelid (UEW 4.0), and internasal distance (IND 4.0); nostrils notably anterolaterally protuberant, oval, slightly closer to tip of snout (NS 2.4) than to eye (EN 2.6); tympanum barely distinct and circular (TD 2.2), 0.42 times of eye diameter, distance from eye (TED 0.7) by about one third of its own diameter; vomerine ridge distinct, obtuse, closer to choanae than each other; vomerine teeth absent; tongue deeply emarginated without median lingual process; supratympanic fold distinct and gently curved ventrally, extending from behind the eye, over the tympanum to axilla. Forelimbs moderately long, robust, lower arm and hand length (LAHL 20.6) about half of body length; relative length of fingers IColoration of holotype in life. Dorsal surface pale brown with a moderate-sized dark inverted triangular- shaped blotch between the eyes extending to the upper eyelids, and two relatively broad dark lateral stripes that extend from above scapular region to groin; the two dark stripes on dorsum not in contact and anteriorly separated from the dark interorbital blotch between eyes; dark brownish broad transverse bands present on dorsal surface of fore and hind limbs: three on the lower arm, three on the thigh and tibia; a dark line extends from snout, through nostril and along canthus rostralis to the anterior corner of eye; a short and narrow light yellow stripe present on tip of snout; a dark blotch present on upper lip under the eye; a distinct small dark spot present on between anterior corners of eyes; supratympanic fold and tympanic region slightly darker; a relatively large dark blotch present on above axilla; lower flanks scattered with irregular dark marbling. Ventral surface immaculate, violet-grey in color. Iris dark blackish, with light golden pigmentation relatively scarce on anterior, posterior, upper and lower corners, forming an indistinct X-shaped golden marking (Fig.3D). ……continued on the next page Coloration of holotype in preservative. Greyish brown above, dark patterns on dorsum and bandings on limbs still visible; venter uniform grey, without distinct dark spots or marking; throat greyish white (Fig. 4). Light golden pigmentation of iris coloration fades to greyish white. Variation. The male paratype SYS a005803 and female paratype SYS a005804 match the overall characters of the holotype (for measurements of the type series see Table 3). The two broad dark stripes in contact with each other anteriorly and separated from the dark marking on head in male paratype SYS a005803, while the female paratype SYS a005804 has the two broad dark stripes extend anteriorly and connect with the dark marking on head (see Fig. 5). A narrow, light yellowish stripe borders the anterior edge of the dark interorbital blotch in the female paratype SYS a005804 (Fig. 5C). In preservative, the ventral surfaces of body, thigh and tibia of male paratype SYS a005803 are dull white and scattered with distinct, small dark brown spots and marbling, while the female paratype SYS a005804 has an immaculate, dark brown venter. Comparisons. For the two known members of the genus Nasutixalus, N. yingjiangensis sp. nov. differs from N. medogensis by having a relatively smaller body size (males SVL 39.5–40.0 mm vs. 45.0 mm), interorbital distance shorter than the upper eyelid width (mean male IOD/UEW ratio 87.9% in the new species vs. 110.3% in N. medogensis), a relatively shorter foot (mean male TFL/SVL ratio 67.5% in Nasutixalus yingjiangensis sp. nov. vs. 72.7% in N. medogensis), dorsal surfaces of head and the anterior part of body with dense and prominent tubercles (vs. relatively smooth in N. medogensis), and a different coloration pattern in life (dorsum of body and limbs without light green patterns in the new species vs. light green patterns present in N. medogensis). Nasutixalus yingjiangensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from N. jerdonii by having interorbital distance shorter than the upper eyelid width (mean male IOD/UEW ratio 87.9% in the new species vs. 121.2% in N. jerdonii), a relatively shorter foot (mean TFL/SVL ratio 67.0% and 62.9% in males and female respectively in the new species. vs. 70.6% (N=11) and 66.5% (N=1) in N. jerdonii), tympanum indistinct and covered with tubercles (vs. tympanum fully exposed and smooth in N. jerdonii), and nuptial pads only present on dorsal surface of finger I (vs. present on dorsal surface of finger I and finger II in male paratype of N. jerdonii, refers to Biju et al. 2016). Finally, the new species is distinct from all currently recognized species of Nasutixalus in the fragments of the 12S and 16S rRNA mt DNA genes examined (p > 7.1%). Distribution and natural history. Nasutixalus yingjiangensis is currently only known from its type locality in Yingjiang County, western Yunnan, China. The type locality is a small, isolated patch of mature montane evergreen forest with an average canopy height of 30 m (Fig. 6); this forest remnant is surrounded by a mosaic of farmland, orchards, Betula alnoides timber plantation, and recently-cleared forest land. The male holotype SYS a005803 was found calling inside a small tree hole on a Tetradium glabrifolium tree at 21:30 h on 20 April 2017 (Fig, 6B); it has rained during the day. The tree hole was about 4.5 m above the ground; the opening was small and oval in shape (ca. 18 mm in width and 25 mm in length), and the tree hole cavity had conical shape and was about 100 mm in depth, 30 mm at the widest and 15 mm at its narrow end. The single female paratype SYS a005804 was found and collected from inside a large tree hole which was about ca. 5 m above ground during the day survey on 11 June 2017; the opening was about ca. 80 mm in diameter, while the tree hole cavity was about ca. 120 mm in depth. The other male paratype SYS a005803 was also found and collected from inside a small tree hole which was about ca. 2 m above ground during the day survey; the opening was about ca. 40 mm in diameter, while the tree hole cavity was about ca. 80 mm in depth. These observations suggest that the new species is a phytotelm-breeder, similar to N. jerdonii (Biju et al. 2016). We conducted four field surveys at the type locality between July 2016 and June 2017. Many males were heard calling from the canopy (mostly ca. 4 m above ground) during summer surveys on 5 May 2016, 20 April and 10 June 2017; no male calls were detected during the winter survey on 8 December 2016. This indicates the new species breeds during the rainy season starting from mid-April. Calling activity was highest from dusk until midnight. Sympatric rhacophorid treefrogs recorded in the forest fragment during the surveys include Rhacophorus maximus Günther, Rhacophorus rhodopus Liu & Hu, Raorchestes longchuanensis (Yang & Li), Kurixalus odontotarsus (Ye & Fei) and Polypedates cf. braueri (Vogt). No eggs and tadpoles of Nasutixalus yingjiangensis were found during the survey. Advertisement call. The call series contains a single, pulsed call of 0.297– 0.391 s duration (mean 0.344 ± 0.035 s, N=12). The intercall-interval is of 3.527– 6.150 s (mean 4.195 ± 0.770 s, N=11). Calls are repeated in series at a rate of 13.3 times per minute on average. All calls contain a fundamental frequency and a dominant frequency. The dominant frequency range is of 1.56–1.64 kHz, whereas the fundamental frequency is of 0.76 kHz. A third harmonic is weakly present at 2.32–2.41 kHz (Fig. 7). To the human ear, the advertisement call of the new species is a short and low-pitched “uh”. Remarks: measurements of N. jerdonii and N. medogensis obtained from Biju et al. 2016 and Jiang et al. 2016 respectively., Published as part of Yang, Jian-Huan & Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok, 2018, A new phytotelm-breeding treefrog of the genus Nasutixalus (Rhacophoridae) from western Yunnan of China, pp. 191-206 in Zootaxa 4388 (2) on pages 194-204, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4388.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1187923

The sub-family Conocephalinae constitutes one of the richest groups of katydids in terms of diversity and distribution. Tropical katydids especially in India have largely escaped academic attention. Here, we record and describe call patterns for six conehead katydids from India: Conocephalus melanus, Conocephalus sp X, Euconocephalus indicus, Euconocephalus mucro, and Euconocephalus sp Y from North-Eastern Himalayas and Euconocephalus pallidus from the Western Ghats. All the species showed broadband frequency spectra (10.5–42.4 kHz), and three of the six species showed high rates of calling (289–453 syllables/s). We observed that the co-occurring call types never called at the same time or from the same location. We hypothesized this partitioning between call types is due to similarity in their calls; we used non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) to investigate patterns of temporal or habitat-partitioning that some of the co-occurring call types exhibited during the course of study. The co-occurring Euconocephalus sp Y and E. mucro with high degree of overlap and similarity in their calls exhibited partitioning on a spatial scale. Conocephalus sp. X and C. melanus with distinct calling activity peaks formed separate clusters based on temporal call structures. As females rely heavily on spectral qualities, we speculate partitioning on temporal scale to avoid heterospecific interference due to similar spectral properties between the two call types.

Acoustic segregation is a way to reduce competition and allows for species coexistence within anuran communities. Thus, separation in at least one acoustic niche dimension is expected, which also contributes to achieving effective communication among frogs. Here we studied an assemblage of five terrestrial egg-laying anuran species, all in the genus Eleutherodactylus, in a montane rainforest in eastern Cuba. Our aim was to determine if partitioning exists between these species in any dimension (time, signal frequency or space) of the acoustic niche. The studied assemblage had the following characteristics: (1) there was one diurnal species, two species with calling activity throughout the day and two species that call at night; (2) only two species overlapped in call frequencies and most had different calls, both in terms of dominant frequencies and in temporal characteristics; and (3) males of the species that overlapped in vocalizing time or signal frequency used different calling microhabitats or heights. This study provides evidence for the acoustic niche hypothesis in anurans, showing low probabilities of interference in sound communication among these frogs. The five species were separated in at least one of the three acoustic dimensions (calling time, frequency and site) as it occurs in mainland communities with more sympatric species of several genera. Conversely, species in single-genus communities studied in Puerto Rico overlapped completely in calling times. This seems to be due to the higher number of sympatric species at our site.

Ameerega shihuemoy sp. nov. (Figures 1–3, 6) Cryptophyllobates sp: Chaparro & Ochoa 2005 p.7 (MHNC 4779 collected on 0 7 December 2004 by J. C. Chaparro & J. A. Ochoa at Erika Lodge, Departamento Madre de Dios). Ameerega gr. pictus: Chaparro et al. 2016 p. 2 (from Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, Departamento Madre de Dios). Ameerega sp1: Whitworth & Villacampa 2014 p. 3 (from Manu Learning Centre, Departamento Madre de Dios). Holotype. MHNC 15488 (Fig. 1), an adult female, from near Cupudnoe river, 440 m elevation, Peru (Coordinates: 12°47'26.70" S, 70°58'21.30" W), Distrito Madre de Dios, Provincia Manu, Departamento Madre de Dios, collected on 25 April 2010 by R. C. Gutiérrez. Paratopotypes. Seven specimens: Five adult females (MUSA 3178, MUSA 3180–3182, MHNC 12988), and two immature females (MUSA 3177, MUSA 3 179), collected with the holotype by R. C. Gutiérrez. Paratypes. Fifteen specimens, all from Provincia Manu, Departamento Madre de Dios, Peru. Two adult females (MHNC 10406–10407), and one adult male (MHNC 10408), from the Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri, 32 km east of Huepetuhe, near the headwaters of Colorado river, 846 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°59'59.25'' S, 70°50'31.32'' W), collected on 0 7 November 2010 by J. Delgado and J. G. Estrada. Two adult females (MHNC 10525–10526), and two adult males (MHNC 10536, MHNC 10542), from the Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri, 21.5 km southwest of Shintuya, near Azul river, 480 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°48'50.8'' S, 71°06'07.8'' W), collected on 23 May 2011 by J. Delgado. An adult male (MHNC 15863), from the Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri, Pad A, Lote 76, near Dahuene river, 530 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°58'38.47'' S, 71°01'30.73'' W), collected on 20 July 2016 by R. Coronel and G. Valencia. Two immature specimens (MHNC 10806, MHNC 10811), from 3.5 km south of Shintuya, near Serjali river, 450 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°42'49.02'' S, 71°15'17.51'' W), collected on 20 January 2011 by J. G. Estrada. Two immature specimens (MHNC 10816, MHNC 10826), from 10 km southwest of Itahuania, near Shilive river, 450 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°43'02.93'' S, 71°09'07.56'' W), collected on 26 January 2011 by J. G. Estrada. An immature female (MHNC 14561; Figs. 2A, B), from the Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri, Pad A, Lote 76, near Colorado river, 825 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°59'17.97'' S, 71°0'52.67'' W), collected on 0 4 February 2015 by T. Gregory. An adult specimen (MHNC 5012), from Aguas Calientes, 2.75 km east (downstream) from Shintuya, (Coordinates: 12°40'7.27" S, 71°16'12.20'' W), collected on 0 9 July 2014 by S. J. Serrano. An immature specimen (MHNC 4779; Figs. 2 C, D), from Erika Lodge, 500 m elevation, (Coordinates: 12°45'23.53" S, 71°22'48.68" W), collected on 0 7 December 2004 by J. C. Chaparro and J. A. Ochoa. Referred specimens. Five specimens: MUSM 31611, MUSM 31664, MUSM 31691, MUSM 31692 and MUSM 31730, from Manu Learning Centre Research Station, 460 m elevation, Peru, (Coordinates: 12°47'21.849" S, 71°23'28.06" W), Distrito Manu, Provincia Manu, Departamento Madre de Dios, Peru, collected on 12 February, 0 5 July, 21July, and 25 July 2012, and on 0 3 February 2013, respectively, by A. Whitworth. Etymology. The specific name shihuemoy (English pronunciation: shee-way-moy) corresponds to the Harakmbut word for "poison dart frog". The Amarakaeri are aboriginals from Amazonian Peru and their language belongs to the Harakmbut linguistic group. They coexist with the new species. Diagnosis and comparisons with other species. Following Grant et al. (2006), the new species is assigned to the genus Ameerega on the basis of the following characters: dorsal skin finely granular; Finger I> Finger II when adpressed; toe and finger webbing absent; presence of bright flash marks and absence of ventrolateral line. This is a medium species of Ameerega with an adult SVL of 23.3 ± 2.7 (19.3–30.4 mm, N = 25). Vocal slits present; snout subacuminated, short and protruding. The head and dorsal surfaces are blackish with bronze-brown shades. The flanks are black with metallic bluish-green blotches, with a distinct bright orange or coral stripe extending from groin to above the eye and forward along the canthus rostralis to join around the snout. A flash spot is observed on the hip and upper surface of thighs, and a pale orange spot is located on the anterodorsal base of the thighs. It lacks concealed axillary and calf spots. The ventral surfaces have black reticulations with blue. The maxillary arch has teeth and the dentigerous process of vomers is lacking. The choanae are partly concealed by the palatal shelf of maxilla. The finger discs are weakly to moderately expanded, and when adpressed the first finger is slightly longer than second, and the fourth is shorter than first and second fingers, while the third is longer than all others. The finger discs are weakly to moderately expanded. The finger disc of the third finger of adults is about 1.2 times wider than the immediately adjacent part of the finger. The third finger shows no sexual dimorphism. Basal webbing is present on toes II–IV. Morphologically, divergence of A. shihuemoy from other species is supported by a unique combination of characters: the lack of the conspicuous axillary, thigh and calf flash marks, characteristics of many other species of Ameerega; black granular dorsum with cream to light orange dorsolateral lines, metallic blue venter and underside of extremities with black reticulations and spots. Within Ameerega, it shows the general appearance of A. altamazonica Twomey & Brown 2008, A. boliviana (Boulenger 1902), A. hahneli (Boulenger 1883), A. ignipedis Brown & Twomey 2009, A. petersi (Silverstone 1976), A. picta (Bibron 1838), A. pongoensis (Schulte 1999), A. pulchripecta (Silverstone 1976), A. simulans (Myers, Rodriguez & Icochea 1998), A. smaragdina (Silverstone 1976), and A. yungicola (Lötters, Schmitz & Reichle 2005), with which it shares a granular black to brown dorsum, a light labial bar, a conspicuous dorsolateral line running from the snout to the groin, and a metallic blue belly and underside of arms and hind limbs. From all these species it can be distinguished by lacking flash marks on the axillae, thighs, and calves (absent only in A. boliviana, A. simulans, A. smaragdina, most A. petersi, and some A. pongoensis), by having bright cream to orange dorsolateral stripes (white, pale yellowish-green, intense yellow, or green in all other species but A. picta), and by its blue belly reticulated with black (bluish white and black in A. boliviana, green and blue with black marbling in A. petersi, and green and blue lacking black marbling in A. smaragdina). Measurements (in mm) of the holotype. The female holotype (Fig. 1) has SVL, 25.7; TL, 12.3; GBW, 8.2; HW, 7.9; HL, 8.0; ED, 5.2; IOD, 3.0; TSCN, 2.0; NED, 2.6; IND, 2.9; EL, 3.3; HDT, 2.0; MTD, 0.8; HaL, 7.0; WTFD, 0.7; WTF, 0.5; WTTD, 0.8; WTT, 0.4; WFTD, 0.9; WFT, 0.4. Description of the type series. External morphology: A small to medium-size Ameerega, with adult males attaining approximately 19.2–21.8 mm SVL and adult females approximately 21.5–25.7 mm SVL (measurements and proportions summarized in Table 1). Dorsal skin of head, body, shank, thigh, and hind limbs coarsely and conspicuously granular; skin smooth or nearly smooth on forelimbs, and smooth on sides of head, body and on ventral surfaces. Head slightly wider between jaw articulations than between outer edges of upper eyelids; head usually narrower than body or about as wide. Head width between jaws 29–33% of SVL. Snout sloping, bluntly pointed or rounded in profile, truncate to rounded (usually) or bluntly pointed in dorsal and ventral view. Nares situated near tip of snout, directed slightly posterolaterally; nares visible from front and from below but not from above. Canthus rostralis short, protruding; loreal region nearly vertical, slightly concave to flat. Interorbital distance wider than upper eyelid. Eye shorter than snout length; distance from center of naris to eye 60–87% of eye length. Tympanum 35–65% of eye size. Hand (Fig. 1 F) moderately large, its length 23–28% of SVL and 74–90% of head width between angles of jaws. Relative lengths of adpressed fingers IV> I> II> III; fingers I, II, and IV approximately similar in size when adpressed, with overlapping discs; adpressed first finger varies from slightly shorter to slightly longer than second. Finger discs weakly to moderately expanded; third finger disc 1.2–1.8 times wider than distal end of adjacent phalanx. A large outer metacarpal (= palmar) tubercle on the base of the palm and a smaller inner metacarpal tubercle on the base of first finger, these being relatively small, with rounded surfaces. One subarticular tubercle on fingers I & II, and two subarticular tubercles on fingers III & IV; subarticular tubercles well developed and prominently raised, although distal one on finger III and both in IV sometimes weaker; supernumerary tubercles, finger keels, and outer metacarpal fold absent; tibia length 47–54% of SVL; relative lengths of adpressed toes, IV> III> V> II> I; first toe usually reaching base of subarticular tubercle of second toe; basal webbing on toes II–IV; toe fringes absent; outer metatarsal fold absent; a large inner metatarsal fold located on the distal half of tarsus and extended near the inner metatarsal tubercle (Fig. 1 G); ventrolateral side of tarsus relatively smooth, not especially rugose or tubercular; toes with moderately expanded discs, wider than finger discs (Fig. 1 G); one to three moderately raised subarticular tubercles (one each on toes I & II, two each on III & V, and three on IV); two large metatarsal tubercles with low, rounded surfaces; inner metatarsal tubercle slightly larger than outer metatarsal tubercle; supernumerary tubercles absent. Color pattern in life. (Based on living specimens and photographs; Figs. 2, 3). The noticeably granular body is blackish with bronze shades middorsally, turning black and blue dorsolaterally. The flanks are mostly black with metallic bluish green, with a distinct bright orange, coral, or cream stripe extending obliquely from groin to above the eye, and forward along the canthus rostralis to join around the snout. A pale whitish-bronze labial stripe commences between naris and eye, and extends posteriorly under the eye and tympanum to the base of the upper arm. A bright orange to coral spot is present on the hip and upper thigh; there is no calf spot and no pale markings in axilla or groin. The limbs are bronze-brown with shades of green and black. The ventral surfaces are overall blue with variable black reticulation, while in some individuals the ventral surfaces are overall black with blue reticulation. Color in preservative (Fig. 1). The bright orange and coral colors fade to pale grey; the blue ventral surfaces fade to grey in a dark reticulum of variable distinctiveness. Vocalization. Recordings of three A. shihuemoy males were taken at the Manu Learning Centre reserve. The advertisement call of this new species can be characterized as a series of chirp-like, pulsed notes. Notes are repeated at a rate of 0.8–1.0 notes per second (0.9 ± 0.1), duration of individual notes range from 84–109 ms (98.4 ± 6.8 ms), spaced 969–1196 ms apart (1042.5 ± 186.6 ms), with eight pulses (8.2 ± 0.8) per note. Dominant frequency ranges from 4478.9–4909.6 Hz (4672.72 ± 251.0 Hz) and is not frequency-modulated. Calling activity happens most frequently in the early mornings between 05:00 to 09:00 and late afternoon between 16:00 to 18:00. We also recorded a second call in A. shihuemoy consisting of three notes in quick succession (within 174.9 ± 16.6 ms of each other), repeated once every four to five seconds. The three notes in this call have different duration; the first note (87.2 ± 2.5 ms) typically has a longer duration than the second (69.4 ± 2.6 ms) and the third note (72.8 ± 2.8 ms). This three-note call seems to function as an aggressive or territorial call. We compared the call of the following species with Ameerega shihuemoy: two recordings of A. simulans (74 advertisement calls) by J. M. Padial from Marcapata, Quispicanchis Province, Department Cusco, Peru, were obtained from Fonoteca Zoologica (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales 2016); two recordings of A. boliviana (45 advertisement calls) by J. Bosch & I. De la Riva from Correo-Apolo, La Paz, Bolivia; one recording of A. yungicola (30 advertisement calls) by M. Pacheco-Suarez from Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia obtained from “Guía fotográfica de los anfibios de la region de las yungas Bolivia ” (Pacheco-Suarez 2015); two recordings of A. hahneli (46 advertisement calls) by J. Serrano-Rojas from Shintuya, Madre de Dios, Peru; two recordings of A. picta (63 advertisement calls) by J. M. Padial from Madidi National Park, Northern Bolivia and from Paractito, Cochabamba Department, Central West Bolivia deposited at Fonoteca Zoologica (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales 2016); two recordings of A. macero (55 advertisement calls) by J. Serrano-Rojas from Manu Learning Centre, Madre de Dios, Peru. The advertisement call of A. shihuemoy is easily distinguished (Fig. 4) from the morphologically similar Ameerega species of the Ameerega picta group (for measurable call parameters and intra- and interspecific variation see Table 2). Parameters A. shihuemoy A. simulans A. picta A. hahneli Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Calls/N° of individuals 80/3 - 74/2 - 63/2 - 46/2 - Notes/min 52.8 5.4 79.2 3.6 130.2 6.0 511.8 4.2 Notes/s 0.9 0.1 1.3 0.1 2.2 0.1 8.5 0.1 Duration of the note (ms) 98.4 6.8 104.9 10.2 45.8 2.4 13.4 2.8 Break between calls (ms) 1042.5 186.6 691.4 162.7 429.9 44.6 107.4 12.6 Fundamental frequency (Hz) 4237.0 281.9 4060.9 74.6 3770.7 76.7 2516.8 83.7 Dominant frequency (Hz) 4672.7 251.0 4460.3 157.7 4044.2 94.7 4550.0 49.1 continued. Parameters A. boliviana A. yungicola A. macero Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Calls/N° of individuals 45/ 2 - 30 - 55 /2 - Notes/min 72.0 4.2 313.2 0.0 519.4 2.2 Notes/s 1.2 0.1 5.2 0.0 8.7 0.0 Duration of the note (ms) 80.9 8.6 47.8 4.7 37.6 1.3 Break between calls (ms) 783.2 88.6 148.1 7.3 76.1 2.7 Fundamental frequency (Hz) 3416.1 68.2 3475.7 43.5 3353.7 38.1 Dominant frequency (Hz) 3846.0 46.3 3703.7 0.0 3617.6 0.0 The note duration of the new species (84–109 ms) is longer than A. hahneli (11–18 ms), A. macero (36–40 ms), A. picta (41–52 ms) and A. yungicola (40–57 ms), but similar to A. boliviana (75–94 ms) and A. simulans (91–118 ms). The space between calls in A. shihuemoy is longer than in the other six species. The number of notes per second in the advertisement call of A. shihuemoy is lower than the other six species. The call of the new species has a higher fundamental frequency than all other species but similar to A. simulans, and a higher dominant frequency than all other species but similar to A. hahneli and A. simulans, except the latter species has pronounced upward frequency-modulated notes by about 950 Hz (Fig. 5). It is important to take into consideration that this comparison was performed on recordings from three individuals of A. shihuemoy from a single location. Tadpoles. Ontogenetic variation of 11 characteristics measured for 16 tadpoles in stages 24–46 (Gosner 1960) are summarized in Table 3. The tadpole of A. shihuemoy sp. nov. belongs to the exotrophic ecomorphological guild, benthic type as defined by Altig & Johnson (1989). This description is based on a tadpole (MHNC lot 12987) at developmental Stage 25 (Gosner 1960; Figs. 3 A, C) and measuring a total length 17.2 mm; body length 6.2 mm; maximum width 4.1 mm; depth 3.0 mm; internarial distance 0.6 mm; eye to nares distance 0.5 mm; eye diameter 0.6 mm; interorbital distance 1.0 mm, oral disc width 1.2 mm; tail length 11.0 mm. The body is globular, compressed in lateral view, and ovoid in dorsal view. The snout is rounded in dorsal view (Figs. 6 A and C). The mouth is located anteroventrally and is surrounded by a small oral disc (Figs. 6 B and D). Papillae are laterally emarginated, simple and conical. Marginal papillae absent on anterior labium, present in one complete row on posterior labium. Anterior jaw sheath has a medial indentation with reduced serration, posterior jaw sheath Vshaped and has serration throughout. Lateral processes long, extending well past lower jaw. Labial Tooth Row Formula (LTRF) is 2(2)/3(1). A-1 complete, A-2 with medial gap, same width as A-1. P-1, P-2, and P-3 complete; P-1 and P-2 equal width, P-3 shorter. Nares are oval, small, without projections and inflexions, and are located dorsolaterally. Eyes are small and oriented dorsolaterally. The spiracle is single, sinistral, and located just before mid-body. Fins are concave and the posterior end is rounded, reaching their maximum height at the last third of the tail; the dorsal fin does not extend onto the body. The maximum tail height is reached at about the end length and is as high as body height. In preservative, the body is dark grey, the belly is translucent with intestines slightly visible; caudal musculature creamy white with small, irregular grey flecks and slightly translucent fins. In life, the body is dark brown with black spots, the belly is transparent but slightly pigmented posteriorly, intestines well visible through skin, caudal musculature poorly pigmented and transparent tail fin with melanophores in small and irregular clusters along the tail. Gosner stages In addition, we described observations in the field following Gosner (1960). We found two clutches of eggs in small rocky cavities; they were monitored every two days in order to take notes about the development of eggs. The first set was found on 25 June 2013, with 22 eggs at stage 13; a stage in which the neural plate develops on the dorsal surface, and eggs were covered by a transparent orange mucilage. After nine days, eggs become tadpoles, where they reach stage 17 (tail bud). The same embryos were abandoned by the father after two days on 0 5 July 2013. The embryos were getting dirty and dry, and inside we could observe the larvae of an insect, which could likely prey upon the embryos. The second set was found on 10 July 2013, containing 25 eggs in stage 13 covered by a transparent orange mucilage. After ten days, eggs were observed at stage 19 (heart beat), which is represented mainly by the development of the gills and tail. Seven days later tadpoles were at stage 21 (cornea transparent), in which the tail becomes increasingly transparent. Finally, three days later (30 July 2013) only five tadpoles were found at stage 22 (tail fin circulation); we assumed that the father was carrying the rest of tadpoles. One year

Exposure of female cabbage looper pupae, Trichoplusia ni, to gamma irradiation at 0 to 72 hr before eclosion resulted in significantly reduced moving and calling activity of the adults. The effects were dose-related from 10 to 40 kR. Generally, irradiation in a nitrogen atmosphere slightly reduced deleterious effects, but fractionation of the radiation dose did not. Four-day-old irradiated females contained significantly more sex pheromone than untreated females, indicating that loss of pheromone is positively correlated to the amount of calling activity. Males exposed to 20 kR or 40 kR in nitrogen were not affected in their flight response in an olfactometer to a level of synthetic pheromone ca. equal to that released by a calling female or to 0.1 x this level. The response of males exposed to 40 kR in air, however, was significantly decreased at the lower pheromone concentration. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG VERANDERUNGEN IM VORKOPULATIONSVERHALTEN UND IN DER PHEROMONBIOLOGIE BEI GAMMABESTRAHLTEN TRICHOPLUSIA NI (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) Puppen von Trichoplusia ni wurden 0–72 Stunden vor dem Schlupfen der Falter einer Gamma-bestrahlung ausgesetzt. Die Bestrahlung betrug 10–40 kR und erfolgte entweder in Luft (ununterbrochen oder fraktioniert) oder in einer Stickstoffatmosphare. Die Effekte der verschiedenen Behandlungen auf das Rufverhalten der Weibchen (CB), die Bewegungsaktivitat (MA) und den Pheromontiter wurden beurteilt. Die Reaktion bestrahlter Mannchen auf das synthetische Sexual-pheromon (Z-7-Dodecen-l-ol-azetat) wurde gemessen bei einer Konzentration, wie sie von einem Weibchen erzeugt wird. und bei einem Zehntel dieser Menge.

Daily calling of Anthrenus flavipes females, in a 16:8 LD photoperiod, was found to take place in the 1st 4 h after light-on with peak activity occurring from 1-1½ h after onset of light. The peak of female calling activity coincided with the peak in daily pheromone productivity. Photoperiod entrainment of female calling rhythm was demonstrated by a phase-shift experiment. When insects were transferred to continuous darkness, the calling rhythm was shown to be endogenous and circadian. Daily calling activity correlated with diel periodicity of mating activity and males' responsiveness towards female sex pheromone. The synchronization of sexual activities by photoperiod probably contributes to successful propagation of this insect.

1. During their annual activity period the toads have 2 or 3 separated calling seasons. The calling activity depends upon the water temperature. The lower limit of the calling activity of the fire-bellied toad is 12.5-13.5°C, the upper limit 30-34°C. The limits of the calling activity of the yellow-bellied toad are lower, the lower limit being 11.5-12° C and the upper limit 26-30° C. 2. According to the fluctuations of the water temperature, the toads demonstrate three different types of calling activity in the course of the year. During the first calling season they croak predominantly in the daytime, whereas they exhibit calling activity in the morning and in the evening or only in the evening during the following calling seasons. 3. Male calling toads occupy circular teritories. The territories of fire-bellied toads have a radius of 1-1.5 meters, whereas those of the yellow-bellied toads have a radius of only 0.5-0.75 meters. In both species the mating calls are territorial in function. 4. The fire-bellied toad has 5 different calls, the normal mating call, the modified mating call, the clasping call and the release calls of first and second order. Not having the release call of first order, the yellow-bellied toad has only 4 calls. The calls consist of harmonically related frequencies and are produced by forcing the air out of the oral cavity through the larynx and into the lungs. In toads the lungs are functional vocal sacs. 5. The mating calls of both species are related to environmental temperature. The repetition rate of calls of both species and the fundamental frequency of the calls of the fire-bellied toad are directly proportional to increasing water temperature. The duration of calls, however, decreases logarithmically with rising temperature. The increasing basic frequency of the yellow-bellied toad's call follows none of the above described patterns. 6. The mating calls of both species also change when the toads grow. Larger animals have a lower fundamental frequency and a longer duration of calls than smaller ones. On the other hand, the number of calls does not depend on the size of the toad and represents the most reliable differential characteristic of toad species.

Predators efficiently learn to avoid one type of warning signal rather than several, making colour polymorphisms unexpected. Aposematic wood tiger moth males Parasemia plantaginis have either white or yellow hindwing coloration across Europe. Previous studies indicate that yellow males are better defended from predators, while white males have a positively frequency-dependent mating advantage. However, the potential frequency-dependent behavioural differences in flight between the morphs, as well as the role of male-male interactions in inducing flying activity, have not been previously considered. We ran an outdoor cage experiment where proportions of both male morphs were manipulated to test whether flying activity was frequencydependent and differed between morphs. The white morph was significantly more active than the yellow one across all treatments, and sustained activity for longer. Overall activity for both morphs was considerably lower in the yellow-biased environment, suggesting that higher proportions of yellow males in a population may lead to overall reduced flying activity. The activity of the yellow morph also followed a steeper, narrower curve than that of the white morph during peak female calling activity. We suggest that white males, with their presumably less costly defences, have more resources to invest in flight for predator escape and finding mates. Yellow males, which are better protected but less sexually selected, may instead compensate their lower flight activity by ‘flying smart’ during the peak female-calling periods. Thus, both morphs may be able to behaviourally balance the trade-off between warning signal selection and sexual selection. Our results emphasize the greater need to investigate animal behaviour and colour polymorphisms in natural or semi-natural environments.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), displays lek mating, where searching females actively choose among aggregated males that produce visual, acoustic, and olfactory signals within the tree canopy. Recent studies demonstrated that treated males exposed to the aroma of particular plant compounds (α-copaene) or oils (orange, manuka, and ginger) gain a mating advantage over control, nonexposed males. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of another plant compound, α-humulene, on the mating success of male C. capitata. Prior work showed that α-humulene was not attractive to either sex but elicited a strong electroantennal response in males. Field cage tests showed that males exposed to the aroma of α-humulene obtained significantly fewer matings than control (nonexposed) males as long as 3 d after exposure. Exposed males exhibited lower signaling (pheromone calling) activity than control males, which presumably contributed to their reduced mating success. Despite thi...

In polyandrous insect species, males may transfer substances to reduce sperm competition by affecting female sexual receptivity. In this study, we determined the incidence of polyandry in females of Western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and investigated the influence of both previous female and male mating history on the duration of mating, the female refractory period, and subsequent calling behavior of females under controlled laboratory conditions. The mating status of WBC males influenced mating duration, with copulations involving previously mated males taking longer, possibly related to the time required to produce an ejaculate. The duration of the female refractory period and the onset time of recalling during the scotophase were both affected by female mating history, but not by that of the males. Females had a shorter refractory period and resumed calling activity earlier after their second and third matings than after their first mating. The earlier onset of calling by previously mated females could reduce competition with virgin females and their shorter refractory period could explain the high incidence of polyandry observed in nature.

There are several remote-sensing tools readily available for the study of nocturnally flying animals (e.g., migrating birds), each possessing unique measurement biases. We used three tools (weather surveillance radar, thermal infrared camera, and acoustic recorder) to measure temporal and spatial patterns of nocturnal traffic estimates of flying animals during the spring and fall of 2011 and 2012 in Lewes, Delaware, USA. Our objective was to compare measures among different technologies to better understand their animal detection biases. For radar and thermal imaging, the greatest observed traffic rate tended to occur at, or shortly after, evening twilight, whereas for the acoustic recorder, peak bird flight-calling activity was observed just prior to morning twilight. Comparing traffic rates during the night for all seasons, we found that mean nightly correlations between acoustics and the other two tools were weakly correlated (thermal infrared camera and acoustics, r = 0.004 ± 0.04 SE, n = 100 nights; radar and acoustics, r = 0.14 ± 0.04 SE, n = 101 nights), but highly variable on an individual nightly basis (range = -0.84 to 0.92, range = -0.73 to 0.94). The mean nightly correlations between traffic rates estimated by radar and by thermal infrared camera during the night were more strongly positively correlated (r = 0.39 ± 0.04 SE, n = 125 nights), but also were highly variable for individual nights (range = -0.76 to 0.98). Through comparison with radar data among numerous height intervals, we determined that flying animal height above the ground influenced thermal imaging positively and flight call detections negatively. Moreover, thermal imaging detections decreased with the presence of cloud cover and increased with mean ground flight speed of animals, whereas acoustic detections showed no relationship with cloud cover presence but did decrease with increased flight speed. We found sampling methods to be positively correlated when comparing mean nightly traffic rates across nights. The strength of these correlations generally increased throughout the night, peaking 2-3 hours before morning twilight. Given the convergence of measures by different tools at this time, we suggest that researchers consider sampling flight activity in the hours before morning twilight when differences due to detection biases among sampling tools appear to be minimized.

Periodical and age-related variation in female calling, sex pheromone titres, and male responsiveness were studied in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata. The results showed that females initiated calling on the first night after eclosion and called mainly on the third to fifth hour during scotophase. The percentage of calling increased from 1- to 3-day-old females and decreased from 3- to 5-day-old females. The quantification of the hexane extracts of pheromone glands by gas chromatography (GC) revealed that the titre of (E,E)-10,12-hexadecadienal (E10E12-16Ald), in pheromone glands was well synchronized with female calling at different ages. The titre of the primary sex pheromone component peaked at the fourth hour into the scotophase. The sensitivity of male antenna to primary sex pheromone E10E12-16Ald (10 ng/µl) varied considerably with age, but no time-dependent difference in electroantennographic responses was found. The temporal pattern of male M. vitrata responding to sex pheromone gland extracts in the wind tunnel demonstrated that males became sexually mature on the third night, which also paralleled the calling activity of females. This study indicated that there existed distinct periodical variations in female calling, titre of the primary sex pheromone component, and male responsiveness in Maruca vitrata during scotophase. These three parameters were well synchronous and age-dependent.

We conducted studies on the reproductive ecology of an undescribed species, here referred to asAdenomeraaff.hylaedactyla, in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará, Brazil. Active sampling took place over a whole year, while searches for underground chambers were also made every two weeks during one reproductive season. The reproductive pattern was seasonal, with breeding occurring only in wetter months (January to May) and peak activity in April and mainly at night. Calling activity of males was influenced by air humidity, temperature and rainfall. The species showed a reproductive pattern consistent with that described for the genusAdenomera, whose main features of reproduction are underground chambers and foam nests.Adenomeraaff.hylaedactylahas no aquatic stage of tadpole development, consistent with reproductive mode 32, which encompases foam nest construction in subterranean chambers and complete development of endotrophic tadpoles in the chambers. These natural history data not only contribute to the understanding of reproductive strategies in anurans, but also provide information for developing effective conservation strategies.

Social mammals and birds have a rich repertoire of communication calls. Some call types are uttered rarely but in specific contexts while others are produced in large numbers but are not linked to a specific context. An example for the latter is the “stack” call that zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) utter thousands of times per day in a seemingly erratic manner. We quantified this calling activity of captive zebra finches by using on-bird telemetric microphones that permitted a precise temporal resolution. We separated the calling interactions into the reactive and the self-contained calls. Despite a large dynamic range in the succession of calling events, the temporal distribution of the reactive and the self-contained callings was characterized by a power-law with exponents ranging between 2 and 3, which implies that all calls in that scale have similar dynamic patterns. As birds underwent physiological (water availability) and social (separation from the reproductive partner) changes, their calling dynamics changed. Power-law scaling provided an accurate description of these changes, such that the calling dynamics may inform about an individual’s physiological and/or social situations state, even though a single “stack” call has no predetermined meaning.

Cane-toads (Bufo marinus) are introduced to Australia to negate the insect pests. However, cane-toad population is out of control, and has highly affected native frog species for its great reproductive capacity. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor cane-toads and control their population. Recent advances in acoustic sensors make it possible to monitor cane-toads over long periods. In this paper, we present a novel approach to analyze cane-toad calls for long-term monitoring. Specifically, recorded acoustic data is first transformed into spectrogram using short-time Fourier transform. Then, cane-toad calls are recognized with an oscillation detector. Next, recognized cane-toad calls are annotated for further analysis. Initial analysis of our method demonstrates promising results, with 71.36% true positive rate. With the oscillation detector, cane-toad calling activity is investigated over the whole year.

Elevated androgens and glucocorticoids displayed by males during the reproductive season have been proposed to mediate a possible trade-off between reproduction and immunocompetence. Anurans living in arid and semiarid environments display a strong seasonal reproduction, which could accentuate the variation in physiological, immunological, and behavioral parameters. We studied covariation between steroid plasma levels, morphometric variables associated with body condition and immunity, leukocyte profile, parasite load, and response to an immunological challenge across different phases of the annual life-history cycle of three anuran species from a Brazilian semiarid area. Our results showed a seasonal pattern of covariation among leukocyte parameters, kidney mass, and steroid plasma levels, with higher values measured during the reproductive season, particularly when males were sampled during calling activity. Moreover, these anurans showed a stronger response to an immunological challenge during the reproductive period. The immunosuppression during the dry period was particularly evident for the species that aestivate, indicating that the availability of energetic resources might be an important factor determining seasonal variation in inflammatory response. Intensity of the helminth infection was associated with eosinophil count but showed a more complex pattern with regard to androgens levels. These data emphasize that variations in the intensity of helminth infection might be more closely related to specific aspects of the immune response than to the general seasonal patterns of variation in steroid plasma levels, total circulating leukocytes, and inflammatory response.

Vocalizations of cetaceans form a key component of their social interactions. Such vocalization activity is driven by the behavioral states of the whales, which are not directly observable, so that latent-state models are natural candidates for modeling empirical data on vocalizations. In this paper, we use hidden Markov models to analyze calling activity of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) recorded over three years in the Vestfjord basin off Lofoten, Norway. Baseline models are used to motivate the use of three states, while more complex models are fit to study the influence of covariates on the state-switching dynamics. Our analysis demonstrates the potential usefulness of hidden Markov models in concisely yet accurately describing the stochastic patterns found in animal communication data, thereby providing a framework for drawing meaningful biological inference. Postprint

Group coordination, when ‘on the move’ or when visibility is low, is a challenge faced by many social living animals. While some animals manage to maintain cohesion solely through visual contact, the mechanism of group cohesion through other modes of communication, a necessity when visual contact is reduced, is not yet understood. Meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ), a small, social carnivore, forage as a cohesive group while moving continuously. While foraging, they frequently emit ‘close calls’, soft close-range contact calls. Variations in their call rates based on their local environment, coupled with individual movement, produce a dynamic acoustic landscape with a moving ‘vocal hotspot’ of the highest calling activity. We investigated whether meerkats follow such a vocal hotspot by playing back close calls of multiple individuals to foraging meerkats from the front and back edge of the group simultaneously. These two artificially induced vocal hotspots caused the group to spatially elongate and split into two subgroups. We conclude that meerkats use the emergent dynamic call pattern of the group to adjust their movement direction and maintain cohesion. Our study describes a highly flexible mechanism for the maintenance of group cohesion through vocal communication, for mobile species in habitats with low visibility and where movement decisions need to be adjusted continuously to changing environmental conditions.

This paper presents a novel approach for detecting fraudulent activities in mobile telecommunication networks by using a possibilistic fuzzy c-means clustering. Initially, the optimal values of the clustering parameters are estimated experimentally. The behavioral profile modelling of subscribers is then done by applying the clustering algorithm on two relevant call features selected from the subscriber’s historical call records. Any symptoms of intrusive activities are detected by comparing the most recent calling activity with their normal profile. A new calling instance is identified as malicious when its distance measured from the profile cluster centers exceeds a preset threshold. The effectiveness of our system is justified by carrying out large-scale experiments on a real-world dataset.

Temporal and environmental variation in vocal activity can provide information on avian behaviour and call function not available to short-term experimental studies. Intersexual differences in this variation can provide insight into selection effects. Yet factors influencing vocal behaviour have not been assessed in many birds, even those monitored by acoustic methods. This applies to the New Zealand kiwi (Apterygidae), for which call censuses are used extensively in conservation monitoring, yet which have poorly understood acoustic ecology. We investigated little spotted kiwi Apteryx owenii vocal behaviour over 3 yr, measuring influences on vocal activity in both sexes from time of night, season, weather conditions and lunar cycle. We tested hypotheses that call rate variation reflects call function, foraging efficiency, historic predation risk and variability in sound transmission, and that there are inter-sexual differences in call function. Significant seasonal variation showed that vocalisations were important in kiwi reproduction, and inter-sexual synchronisation of call rates indicated that contact, pair-bonding or resource defence were key functions. All weather variables significantly affected call rates, with elevated calling during increased humidity and ground moisture indicating a relation between vocal activity and foraging conditions. A significant decrease in calling activity on cloudy nights, combined with no moonlight effect, suggests an impact of light pollution in this species. These influences on vocal activity provide insight into kiwi call function, have direct consequences for conservation monitoring of kiwi, and have wider implications in understanding vocal behaviour in a range of nocturnal birds

Calling behaviour is an essential component of gaining access to mates, and calling site selection may be an important component of effective communication. Environmental factors like microclimate, or the presence of competitors and predators often show seasonal or spatial variation, and behavioural plasticity that allows the caller to adjust to this variation may be adaptive. Prompted by the observation of across-season variation in elevated calling site use in our grey treefrog population, we formulated three hypotheses about their calling site choice and tested them using field observations and behavioural trials in the lab. We found that calling site selection is largely determined by local temperature regimes, and suggest that this temperature-based plasticity in calling site selection is adaptive because it allows males to increase their metabolic efficiency and mate attraction effectiveness. The mere presence of heterospecific competitors and predators did not affect calling site selection at the pond, but close proximity to a predator during behavioural trials did reduce calling activity. This suggests that grey treefrog males attend to the presence of predators, that they can assess the degree of risk associated with predator proximity, and that they can adjust calling behaviour adaptively to reduce the chances of being detected by a predator.

Phlugis ocraceovittata and its ultrasonic calling song (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phlugidini) JULIANA CHAMORRO-RENGIFO 1 & HOLGER BRAUN2, 3 1 Laborat��rio de Sistem��tica de Diptera, Centro de Ci��ncias Biol��gicas e da Sa��de, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul. Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. E-mail: julianachamorro@gmail.com 2 Divisi��n Entomolog��a, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/N��, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. E-mail: braun@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar 3 Corresponding author Abstract Some observations on the small predatory katydid Phlugis ocraceovittata Piza 1960 from southern Brazil are presented. A male was calling both day and night, producing long uniformly structured sequences with maximum energy between 40 and 60 kHz. According to anecdotal and indirect evidence the species is not exclusively predacious and can live partly also on vegetable food. Key words: bioacoustics, Brazil, predatory katydids Introduction The neotropical genus Phlugis comprises almost forty species distributed from southern Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. They are small and slender light green katydids with spiny forelegs. In particular the ventral margins of the fore tibiae are equipped with usually five pairs of long opposing spines, enabling the legs to be used as a catching basket to grab small arthropods. So far of only three unidentified Phlugis species the male���s calling song is known (see discussion). Here we describe the song of Phlugis ocraceovittata, along with some observations on activity and predation. Individuals of this species were found at night on understory vegetation near the Base de Estudos do Pantanal, a field station of the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul located in the Pantanal region of southwest Brazil (municipality Corumb��), between 11 and 13 December 2015. Methods One of two collected males was accommodated for about a month in a cubic mesh screen cage with 30 cm edge length (BioQuip Products), furnished with a linden twig standing in a small container with water. The cage was situated close to a window and half of it received sunlight in the afternoon. The katydid was provided daily with fresh cucumber or apple pieces and sometimes small live insects. Its calling activity was monitored occasionally with a heterodyne ultrasound detector D 200 (Pettersson Elektronik). Sound recordings were made (from December 19 to 25) with an ultrasound detector D 1000 X (Pettersson Elektronik), using sample frequencies of 100, 200 and 300 kHz. Temperature was measured with a small digital multi-function instrument Highgear AltiTech 3. Sound analysis was done with Avisoft-SASLab Pro (Avisoft Bioacoustics). The stridulatory file was photographed with a Micrometrix digital camera mounted on a Nikon SMZ 1000 stereomicroscope, using the focus stacking software Combine Z 5. Recordings and larger photographs are available on Orthoptera Species File Online (Eades et al.), in the following abbreviated as OSF. Results Identification: The specimen is identical to the four male syntypes of Phlugis ocraceovittata Piza 1960 (photos in OSF). They are from Piracicaba in the State of S��o Paulo, about 1000 km ESE from the new locality (map in OSF). The specimen has an eponymous ochre median stripe on the pronotum, darkly annulated antennae, and a conspicuous subgenital plate with a dorsal tooth on each apical lobe (Fig. 2 A,B,C,E). Measurements coincide well with the original description, only the tegmina seem to be slightly shorter (15 mm vs. 16���18 mm). Stridulatory apparatus: The functional stridulatory file on the base of the left tegmen is exceedingly short, considerably less than 1 / 2 mm (Fig. 2 D). No more than 30 toothlets are discernible on various photographs taken through the stereomicroscope. The mirror on the base of the right tegmen is oval and measures approximately 0.5 x 0.8 mm. The harp���s dimensions are 0.4���0.5 mm x 1.5 mm. Song: The male called very continuously, sometimes up to three or four minutes without interruption. Mostly the uninterrupted calling sequences were shorter, from a few seconds up to about one minute. During activity periods they were repeated with pauses of some seconds up to several minutes. This continuous calling is composed of calls with a constant repetition rate (9 calls per second at 25 ��C), each call consisting of three syllables (tegmina moving cycles), and a syllable being a short crescendo of distinct and rapidly decaying impulses, most probably corresponding to individual tooth-scraper impacts (Fig. 3 A,B). The calling song of this species is entirely in the ultrasound, with a fairly broad carrier frequency spectrum between 40 and 60 kHz (Fig. 3 C). The male was calling about equally frequently at day and night, intermittently from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (no monitoring occurred between 1: 30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.). Observations: Most of the time the katydid remained quietly on one spot. A few times it was observed moving slowly around, sometimes with horizontal movement of the anterior portion of the body. Also at night it changed the spot between calling bouts. When disturbed (e.g. renewing provisions) it was able to move very swiftly, half jumping, half flying. Once it was found with a leafhopper held in its forelegs, later this insect was found on the cage floor with the sternum eaten away and hollow thorax. A second leafhopper was found in the same condition. Both insects were 11 mm long (including wings). Small grasshopper nymphs, beetles, flies and moths were not attacked. When a stalk with part of an aphid colony was brought into the cage, the insects dispersed and walked through the entire cage for 1���2 days, without the Phlugis seeming interested. Once the katydid was seen standing on an apple piece. Discussion Bioacoustics: The continuous song with high carrier frequency of Phlugis ocraceovittata is somewhat similar to the ones of two unidentified Phlugis species from Trinidad (Suga 1966). One species produces series of 700���800 ms long call sequences, in the other length of sequences varies between 400 ms and 3 seconds, in both cases consisting of regularly repeated ungrouped syllables. Frequency spectra are 44���50 kHz and 40���70 kHz respectively. The first species was calling from late morning to sunset, and the second seems to be diurnal as well. The carrier frequency of another unidentified species of Phlugis from Colombia peaks at 48 kHz (Montealegre-Z. et al. 2006). Very few other songs of Phlugidini are reported. The male of Asiophlugis thai from Thailand produces a courtship song in the presence of females, which seems to be fairly continuous, with a frequency spectrum of 30���50 kHz (Helfert & S��nger 1998). Among three Australian species, Austrophlugis malidupa could be heard calling with an ultrasound detector at day and night (Rentz 2001), Indiamba malkini only during the day (Rentz 2001) and Lucienola pitti as well (Rentz 2001, Rentz 2010). Males of Phlugidia usambarica from East Africa produced uninterrupted call sequences of more than one minute up to 8 minutes, with a carrier frequency peak between 40 and 50 kHz, calling only during the day (K.-G. Heller & C. Hemp unpubl.). Other Phlugis species have slightly longer stridulatory files than Ph. ocraceovittata, ranging in twelve species (mostly from Peru) from 0.49 to 1.23 mm, with tooth numbers between 37 and 82 (Nickle 2003, 2005). The high carrier frequency is certainly related to the overall small dimensions of the stridulatory apparatus and the small number of teeth on the file (Montealgre-Z. 2009). Alimentation and behaviour: Apparently Phlugis ocraceovittata is not exclusively predacious. It seems impossible that the katydid could have lived for more than five weeks feeding on only two small leafhoppers. On a photograph taken at night in the wild it looks like the katydid is feeding on grass seeds (Fig. 1). When moving inside the cage during the day, the male sometimes showed a conspicuous left to right movement of the anterior portion of the body, which is also reported for the Phlugis species from Trinidad, there prior to jumping 20���30 cm from one leaf to another (Suga 1966). So the katydids seem to use triangulation to estimate the distance to something, perhaps also to potential prey items. However, Phlugis teres from Suriname is reported to be a sit-andwait predator, lurking on the underside of leaves in the sun, where the shadow of landing insects tells the katydid their size and suitability as a meal, in which case it will launch itself swiftly from under the leaf onto the victim (Naskrecki 2013). The big eyes (Figs. 1, 2 C) indicate excellent vision., Published as part of Chamorro-Rengifo, Juliana & Braun, Holger, 2016, Phlugis ocraceovittata and its ultrasonic calling song (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phlugidini), pp. 439-443 in Zootaxa 4107 (3) on pages 439-442, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4107.3.12, http://zenodo.org/record/258234, {"references":["Piza Jr., S. D. T. (1960) Duas novas especies de Listrocelidae do Brasil (Orthoptera, Tettigonioidea). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 9,33 - 35.","Suga, N. (1966) Ultrasonic production and its reception in some neotropical Tettigoniidae. Journal of Insect Physiology, 12 (9), 1039 - 1050.","Helfert, B. & Sanger, K. (1998) Phlugis thai sp. n., a new Phlugidini (Insecta: Ensifera, Tettigoniidae, Meconematinae) from Thailand. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, 100 B, 61 - 68.","Rentz, D. C. F. (2001) The Listroscelidinae, Tympanophorinae, Meconematinae and Microtettigoniinae. A Monograph of the Tettigoniidae of Australia. Volume 3. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 524 pp.","Rentz, D. C. F. (2010) A Guide to the Katydids of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 214 pp.","Nickle, D. A. (2003) New neotropical species of the genus Phlugis (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research, 12 (1), 37 - 56. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1665 / 1082 - 6467 (2003) 012 [0037: NNSOTG] 2.0. CO; 2","Nickle, D. A. (2005) Additional notes on the genus Phlugis (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) with the descriptions of two new arboreal species from Costa Rica. Journal of Orthoptera Research, 14 (1), 57 - 62. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1665 / 1082 - 6467 (2005) 14 [57: ANOTGP] 2.0. CO; 2","Naskrecki, P. (2013) The amazing Glass Katydid. The Smaller Majority (photo blog). Available from: http: // thesmallermajority. com / 2013 / 11 / 05 / the-amazing-glass-katydid (accessed March 2016)"]}

Uperoleia mahonyi sp. nov. Mahony���s Toadlet Figs. 3 & 4 Holotype. SAMA R66193 (male), collected in an ephemeral swale on sand at Oyster Cove, NSW (-32.7394, 151.9557) by S. Clulow on 12 February, 2008. Paratypes. SAMA R66187, SAMA R66188, SAMA R66189, SAMA R66190, SAMA R66191, AMS R185691 and AMS R185692 (adult males), collected at type locality, NSW (-32.7394, 151.9557) on 4 October 2007; SAMA R66192 (adult female), collected at type locality, NSW on 31 March 2007; SAMA R66194 (adult male), collected at the same locality and date as the holotype; AMS R185695 (adult male), collected at type locality, NSW on 12 October 2009; AMS R185701 (adult female), collected at type locality, NSW on 1 March 2013; SAMA R66186 and SAMA R66195 (sex not determined), collected at type locality, date not recorded; AMS R185693 (adult male), collected in an artificial dam on sand at Nelson Bay Golf Course, NSW (-32.7294, 152.1511) on 5 October 2009; AMS R185697 and AMS R185698 (adult males), collected in a sand dune swale behind Stockton Beach, NSW (-32.8293, 151.8825) on 1 November 2009; AMS R185696 (adult male), collected in an ephemeral swale on the Tomago sandbed, NSW (-32.7939, 151.7880) on 22 October 2009; AMS R185694 (adult male), collected in a Melaleuca swamp off Masonite Road, Tomago, NSW (-32.8026, 151.7646); AMS R185699 and AMS R185700 (adult females), collected in pit traps on a sand dune at Wyrrabalong National Park ~ 400 m from a coastal hind dune swamp (-33.2970, 151.5503) on 28 May 2012. Diagnosis. Distinguished as a Uperoleia by a combination of small body size (males 20���30 mm), large parotoid glands covering tympanum, unwebbed fingers, vomerine teeth vestigial or absent, inguinal colouration present, and presence of inner and outer metatarsal tubercles. Distinguished from all other Uperoleia by a combination of ventral pigment (ventral surface completely covered with black and white marbling), presence of maxillary teeth, toes unwebbed, lack of colour patch below the knee, and a ���squelch��� as a call. Holotype measurements. Measurements (in mm): SVL���22.2; TibL���9.3; HW���9.0, E���2.6; E-N���1.9; IN���1.7; T���3.3; CP���1.9; CP-K���1.4; CP-V���3.4. Measurements of series. Mean �� standard deviation in mm. Adult males (n = 11): SVL���25.2��3.1; TibL��� 10.0��0.4; HW���9.9��1.1, E���3.1 ��0.6; E-N���2.1��0.3; IN���1.7��0.2; CP���3.2��0.9; CP-K���1.5��0.3; CP-V��� 3.7��0.4. Adult females (n = 3): SVL���29.3��2.5; TibL���11.1��1.2; HW���10.7��1.5, E���3.1 ��0.4; E-N���2.3��1.8; IN���1.8��0.2; CP���3.9 (n = 1); CP-K���1.0 (n = 1); CP-V���5.1 (n = 1). Description of species. Body is robust and moderately large for a Uperoleia, with males up to 30mm SVL and females up to 32 mm SVL. Head is short, snout rounded from above and in profile. Canthus rostralis well defined and slightly protruding; loreal region slopes steeply to jaw and is very slightly concave. There is a moderately sharp medial projection (synthesis of mentomeckelian bones) of the lower jaw that matches notch on upper jaw. Nostrils directed upward and outward; nares with slight rim. Tongue oval and elongate. Maxillary teeth present; vomerine teeth absent. E-N larger than IN (E-N/IN = 1.2 for males and 1.3 for females). Tympana hidden; covered by skin and parotoid glands. Eyes with horizontal iris. Vocal sac unilobular. Arms and hands slightly built. Fingers long, slender, slightly fringed and unwebbed. Finger length 3>2���4>1. Tubercles under fingers well developed; one on first and second, two on third and fourth. Well-developed, prominent outer palmar tubercle on distal portion of wrist; well-developed inner palmer tubercle on medial portion of wrist. Legs relatively short (TL/SVL = 0.4 for both males and females) and moderately built. Toes slender, unwebbed and fringed. Toe length 4>3>5>2>1. Tubercles under toes well developed and slightly conical in shape; one on first and second, two on third and fifth, and three on fourth toe. Inner metatarsal tubercle long and conical, aligned along the first toe. Outer metatarsal tubercle spade-shaped and prominent, oriented in the direction of the fifth toe. Dorsum smooth to moderately rugose, with scattered fine tubercles on back, head and limbs. Ventral surface weakly granular. Cloacal flap present and fimbriated. Parotoid glands large and prominent, appearing hypertrophied and usually wider than high. Inguinal glands occasionally discernible but not well-developed and rarely obvious. Coccygeal glands indistinct. Mandibular gland moderately developed but small in most, present at corner of the jaw. Colouration. In life, dorsum patterned with irregular patches of pale, tan, chocolate or dark brown (verging on black) and occasionally greys throughout. In some darker specimens the colour can appear almost uniform. The dorsal colouration usually merges into patterns of bluish grey and dark brown onto the lower flanks. Dorsal tubercles often (but not always) tipped with a pale yellow-orange to rust-orange, which can also occur on the parotoid glands. Many individuals have a lighter brown triangular patch on head from between the eyes to tip of snout, although this can also contain small patterns or flecks of darker brown. Ventral surface entirely pigmented, black with suffusions of irregular patches of small off-white/bluish-white dots. The patches of white dots appear as solid patches to the naked eye, especially on the legs. The patterns of black and white patches appear marbled, more similar to the bellies of Pseudophryne spp. rather than simply stippled as commonly observed in Uperoleia spp. (see Figs 3 & 5). Inguinal and femoral colour patches orange in all specimens observed. Femoral colour patch irregular in shape and large and always closer to knee than vent. Throats of calling males may have dark anterior margin, sometimes covering most of the chin. Advertisement call. The advertisement call is a single audible ���squelch��� sound of about one third of a second duration, repeated on average 25 times per minute (range observed is between 15 and 33 calls per minute from 9 individuals). This ���squelch��� comprises 24 to 37 pulses, pulsed at 96 pulses per second on average. The mean dominant frequency is 2.37 kHz. Mean values of call characteristics from six individuals from the type locality (over two separate occasions) and one individual from each of three other localities are given in Table 2, along with the call properties of other eastern Uperoleia that are known or potentially occur in sympatry. A representative oscillogram and spectrogram of a single call of Uperoleia mahonyi sp. nov. is presented in Fig. 6. Embryos and tadpoles. Embryos. Breeding is known to occur in autumn (March) and spring (October��� November). The total number of eggs laid by one female is unknown. The eggs are laid singly and although only observed in the laboratory and not in the field, under natural conditions they are likely to be attached to thin strands of submerged vegetation and substrate such as leaf litter similar to all other members of this genus (Anstis, 2013). Eggs laid in the laboratory in autumn and preserved at stages 7���8 were slightly misshapen when examined in 2015, and the jelly had lost some rigidity, but the capsule is small with a single jelly layer and thin, adhesive outer coating, mean diameter 2.8��0.18 (n=8). The top one-third of the animal pole is brown, vegetal pole white. Mean diameter 1.7��0.06 (n=9). Hatchlings. Hatching occurred 5���6 days after the eggs were laid. One preserved recent hatchling is at stage 20, with brown pigment over head, vertebral region and tail muscle and a white yolk sac, fins not arched. Preserved embryos at stage 22, seven days after eggs were laid, have clear, slightly arched fins, expanded operculum, increased dorsal pigment and discernible, partly pigmented eyes. Mean TL of five hatchlings at stages 20���22 was 7.0��0.48, BL 2.8��0.08. One live embryo at about stage 24 examined about three days after hatching, measured TL 7.1, BL 4.5, Fig. 7 C). The body wall is entirely transparent with an expanded operculum. In lateral view, dorsal one-third of body and tail muscle very dark, yolk white below this and remainder of tail muscle unpigmented. Dorsum and dorsal tail muscle very dark, dissected by a distinct transparent pale brown broad band down centre of body tapering onto tail muscle. Tadpoles. Tadpoles were found in a large swale at the type locality where they were observed on a sandy substrate among leaf litter, often in the shallow verges of the water. Material from the type locality is listed in Appendix 1 and morphometric measurements in Table 3. Maximum length 35.0 mm, BL 12.4 mm (stage 41, Fig. 7 B). Almost fully grown by stage 28. Figure 7 shows an embryo, tadpoles in life and the oral disc. Body: Small, plump and oval to rounded, abdomen wider than deep. Snout narrowly rounded in dorsal view, rounded in profile. Eyes dorsolateral with anterodorsal tilt. Nares narrowly spaced, moderately large and cavernous with a narial flap; open dorsally, maximum diameter 0.5mm. Spiracle long, opens lateroposterally just above body axis about two-thirds along body (Fig. 7 A). Vent tube dextral, very short, opens midway up from edge of ventral fin. Dorsum of tadpoles at stage 26���30 golden brown to dark brown over almost black layer beneath which shows through in small patches. Lighter brown vertebral stripe bordered on both sides by very dark brown with transparent stripe on either side of this over head, and from between nares to tip of snout. Light brown stripe extends behind each eye. As tadpoles grow, the body is usually dense, dark mottled brown, with the lighter stripes mostly obscured. Iris golden mainly above and below pupil, with gold ring around pupil. Sides of body mostly transparent with numerous gold clusters. Venter transparent with numerous copper-gold clusters, increasing in density in later stages. Tail: Dorsal fin begins from just onto base of body, arches slightly or moderately over midpoint of tail and tapers to a rounded tip. Ventral fin similarly shaped, but slightly less arched. Muscle moderate, tapers to a narrow point. A specimen at stage 41 photographed soon after capture has large dark blotches scattered mainly along edges of both fins to tip, and finer melanophores between (especially on dorsal fin), increasing towards tail tip. The tail muscle has a mostly continuous, dark stripe along dorsal and ventral edges (non-pigmented stripe between), with scattered dark blotches. Specimens raised in captivity were similar, but the tail blotches were not as prominent. Oral disc (Fig. 7 G): Type 14, ventral (Anstis, 2013). No papillae around anterior margin. Very narrow posterior medial gap in single row of marginal papillae. Two upper and three lower tooth rows; A2 has a distinct medial gap and P1 has either a very narrow gap or is entire. P3 is the shortest row (about one third length of P2) and sits on edge of flexible ridge. Jaw sheaths slender; upper broadly arched with long sides. LTRF = 2(2)/3(1). Metamorphosis. Tadpoles collected at stage 41 in autumn metamorphosed six days later. Tadpoles collected at stages 26 and 27 in October and raised in captivity metamorphosed 58 days later in December. Larval life span in spring/summer is therefore likely to be about 3���4 months. One specimen a week after metamorphosis (Fig. 7 E, F) has a dark brown dorsum with darker spots, a light brown crown on the head and light brown on some tubercles on upper back and on very small parotoid glands. A dark inverted triangular patch mirrors pale crown on head posterior to eyes. Upper arms lighter brown. Sides of body dark grey. Ventral surface of body and limbs whitishgrey with numerous black spots. Ventral surface of a specimen just metamorphosed at stage 46 is dark grey with a dense layer of very fine white spots which are more distinct and spread out on the darker chin and limbs. SVL, 10.1 mm (stage 45), and SVL of another two at stage 46, 10.2 and 13 mm. Habitat. Current observations indicate the species is a habitat specialist, inhabiting coastal ephemeral and semi-permanent swamps and swales, and occasionally man made dams, in heath or wallum habitats almost exclusively on a substrate of white/leached sand. Commonly associated with acid paperbark swamps. Females have been caught in pit or funnel traps up to 400m away from these water bodies at several localities. Water bodies containing calling males ranged from ca. 70m x 20 m up to 300m x 500m in size, and from ca. 10���50 cm in depth. Water salinity recorded at two sites ranged up to 0.1 parts per thousand at two water bodies and dissolved oxygen between 4.53 and 6.24 mg /L. Vegetation communities in which the frog has been found include wallum heath, swamp mahogany-paperbark swamp forest, heath shrubland and Sydney red gum woodland. Terrestrial vegetation associations include the tree species Melaleuca quinquenervia, Eucalyptus robusta, Angophora costata, Acacia longifolia and Banksia spp. (including B. serrata and B. aemula). Shrub and herb species include Geebung (Persoonia lanceolata), drumsticks (Isopogon anemonifolius), heathy parrot pea (Dillwynia retorta), bracken (Pteridium esculentum), mat rush (Lomandra longifolia), heathy Platysace (Platysace lanceolata), sweet scented wattle (Acacia suaveolens), blady grass (Imperata cylindrical), swamp water fern (Blechnum indicum), harsh ground fern (Hypolepis muelleri), zigzag bog rush (Schoenus brevifolius), native rush (Baloskion pallens), Leptocarpus tenax and Gahnia clarkei. Aquatic vegetation associations include Shoenoplectus spp., Baumea spp., Typha orientalis and Lepironia articulata. Distribution and frog species associations. The species appears to have a highly restricted distribution, found to date only throughout the Port Stephens, Myall Lakes and northern Central Coast sand beds in a relatively small area of eastern coastal New South Wales (Fig. 1). A total of 45 sites were surveyed throughout the Port Stephens and Myall Lakes sand bed systems. Six sites in the Port Stephens sand beds were found to contain U. mahonyi sp. nov. in addition to the sites already known at the type locality at Oyster Cove (Table 4; Figure 1 c). Uperoleia fusca was observed calling in an ephemeral swale Melaeuca swamp where U. mahonyi sp. nov. was calling at one site. No sites surveyed in the Myall Lakes system were found to contain U. mahonyi sp. nov. during the formal surveys, although four sites contained U. fusca (Table 4; Figure 1 c). There were, however, records of U. mahonyi sp. nov. identified from quality photographs obtained from local biologists and enthusiasts in Hawks Nest and Seal Rocks, located at the southern and northern ends of the Myall Lakes sand beds respectively (Fig. 1 B). Uperoleia mahonyi sp. nov. was also identified from quality photographs at Wyrrabalong National Park and Norah Head on the NSW Central Coast (later confirmed from voucher specimens collected; Fig. 1 b). At sites where U. mahonyi sp. nov. were located, calling activity was generally high, with estimates of calling males ranging from ca. 6 to>25. All water bodies occupied by U. mahonyi sp. nov. occurred on a substrate of leached (often white) sand. Fourteen other non- Uperoleia species of frog were found throughout the formal surveys (Table 4). Eight of these species were found to co-exist in the same water bodies as U. mahonyi sp. nov. Etymology. Named in recognition of Prof. Michael Mahony of the University of Newcastle, for his contributions to the study of Australian amphibians. Comparisons with other species. Superficially, U. mahonyi sp. nov. most closely resembles the large, ventrally pigmented eastern U. tyleri and U. martini; although the ranges of both are geographically separated from U. mahonyi sp. nov. by several hundred kms. It can be distinguished from these and all other Uperoleia by the distinct black and white marbled pattern on the ventral surface of U. mahonyi sp. nov., formed by relatively continuous patches of white dots on a black background. The ventral surfaces of other eastern Uperoleia including U. fusca, U. tyleri and U. martini all present a more even suffusion/stippling of white or off-white pigment on a dark background, which appears more speckled than marbled (refer to Fig. 5 for ventral images of Uperoleia mahonyi sp. nov., U. tyleri and U. martini). Uperoleia laevigata and U. rugosa both lack ventral pigmentation in at least the groin region and arms (and sometimes much of the belly). Uperoleia mahony sp. nov. can be further distinguished from U. tyleri by a longer call with more pulses and a higher dominant frequency, from U. martini by a shorter call (almost half the duration) with ca. 50% less pulses, and a higher dominant frequency, and from U. fusca by having more pulses per call (Table 2). Uperoleia mahonyi sp. nov. has orange colour in the inguinal and femoral patches in all specimens observed to date, while U. martini and U. tyleri usually have yellow coloured patches. Tadpoles of all species of eastern Uperoleia can be distinguished from tadpoles of other myobatrachid genera of similar size by a combination of their characteristic blotched tail pigmentation, position of the spiracle, oral disc and larger nares. Tadpoles of Uperoleia mahonyi sp. nov. closely resemble those of other species of Uperoleia and no reliable means of separation of sympatric species was found. They do not appear to grow as large (to 35 mm) as those of other coastal species U. tyleri, U. martini, U. fusca and U. laevigata, all of which can reach a maximum of 42 mm in length and a body length of 15 mm (Anstis, 2013)., Published as part of Clulow, Simon, Anstis, Marion, Keogh, J. Scott & Catullo, Renee A., 2016, A new species of Australian frog (Myobatrachidae: Uperoleia) from the New South Wales mid-north coast sandplains, pp. 285-315 in Zootaxa 4184 (2) on pages 291-299, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4184.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/164756, {"references":["Anstis, M. (2013) Tadpoles and Frogs of Australia. Sydney: New Holland Publishers."]}

The evolution of aposematism is linked to increased opportunities for conspicuous sexual displays since detection by potential predators is no longer disadvantageous. Therefore, phenotypic divergence in aposematic species leading to relatively cryptic forms is expected to constrain such opportunities, by restoring the trade-off between natural and sexual selection on the boldness of sexual displays. We asked if and how a derived phenotype of the poison-dart frog Oophaga granulifera that appears relatively cryptic to potential predators exhibits conspicuous sexual displays for potential mates. We used visual modeling of frog contrasts against their natural backgrounds to test if for conspecifics green frogs appear less conspicuous than red frogs as they do for birds. We conducted behavioral observations of focal red and green males to determine if green frogs adjust their display behavior to the availability of potential mates. Dorsal brightness is known to influence female preferences in at least one poison frog species. We found that, despite being less visible under some measures, green frogs may appear as bright as red frogs for conspecifics but not birds, when viewed on dark backgrounds. Additionally, green males called more intermittently than red males when advertising to distant females, but they exhibited a dramatic increase in calling activity in proximity of a female and were as active as red males in this context. Together, our results suggest that green frogs retain context-dependent conspicuousness to conspecifics despite the evolution of relative crypsis to potential predators.

We describe the advertisement and territorial calls of Hylodes meridionalis for the first time and provide observations on nocturnal calling activity for this species. The advertisement call has 36–82 harmonic notes, with duration of 2.71–5.69 s and dominant frequency on the third harmonic. Advertisement calls are separated by large intervals varying from 18.7 to 44.7 s. The territorial call has 1–3 notes, with duration of 0.039–0.567 seconds, and dominant frequency also on the third harmonic. Territorial calls are emitted at a much higher repetition rate than the advertisement call, with intervals of 1.1–1.6 s between each call. Frogs of the genus Hylodes are known to call mainly during the day, but for H. meridionalis nocturnal calling was observed on various occasions, and could occur regularly until two hours after sunset, or sporadically along the night. Descrevemos os cantos de anuncio e territorial de Hylodes meridionalis pela primeira vez e fornecemos observacoes sobre a atividade noturna de vocal...

In species-rich biomes such as tropical rainforests, the efficiency of intraspecific acoustic communication will strongly depend on the degree of signal overlap. Signal interference deteriorates detection, recognition, and localization of conspecific signals. Thus, the communication space should be partitioned sufficiently to reduce masking interference and to promote intraspecific communication. Here, we studied the community organization of a tropical cricket assemblage with respect to its multidimensional niche axes, such as song frequencies, space (horizontal and vertical), and time, affecting acoustic communication. We used the null model approach to test whether observed community patterns differed from those expected by chance. The assemblage clearly showed partitioning in the spectral domain of calling frequencies of their songs. Furthermore, the range of song frequencies occupied by species is positively correlated with the distance to the average calling frequency of its adjacent neighbors. Thus, species tended to use a greater range of frequency channels for intraspecific communication if the frequency space is available. Our results support the idea that competition for the acoustic communication channel may have resulted in niche segregation along the frequency axes. Concerning the spatiotemporal organization at the community level the spatial (horizontal) distribution appeared to be randomly structured, whereas we found a significant vertical stratification between species. At a temporal scale, the assemblage aggregated their calling activity with an observed niche overlap significantly greater than expected by chance. However, combining the spatial and temporal distribution resulted in low co-occurrence of pairwise species association, consequently reducing chances for masking events.

In anurans, the outcomes of male-male contests and female choice are often associated with body size. In some species, males evaluate an opponent's fighting ability and females evaluate male quality on the basis of male communication signals, which are thought to reflect information concerning male body size. Nevertheless, previous studies reveal that male call structure is not always correlated with body size. In the present study we investigated the relationships between body size and call structure in the large treefrog, Rhacophorus dennysi, as well as the relationship of its calling behavior with air temperature and humidity. The results show that both the dominant and fundamental frequencies are negatively correlated with body size, while inter-note intervals are positively correlated with body size, indicating that call characters could reflect body size in this species. Additionally, calling in this tropical species exhibits a circadian rhythm insofar as relatively high temperature and low humidity during the day is associated with less vocal behavior. Thus, individual variations in call structure are mainly dependent on body size while the temporal rhythm of calling activity is affected by environmental conditions in large treefrogs.

The recent description of a new vibrational mating disruption method to control the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball opened questions about its possible application to other leafhopper pests. Since the prerequisite for the method's successful application is a deep knowledge of the species mating behavior and the exact role of associated signals, we conducted behavioral assays on the green leafhopper Empoasca vitis Göthe, a pest of grapevine and other crops in Europe and Asia. Laser vibrometer recordings of single and paired individuals (male and female) during a 24-h period enabled us to detect and describe 2 male and 1 female signal. The pair formation starts when the female replies to a male call and a duet is established, then it continues through 2 different behavioral stages: Location and Courtship. The proper courtship begins only when the male locates the female. The latter is characterized by a significant change in temporal parameters that regards both the signals and the duet structure. Although the male calling activity and the female replying rate were the same during the 24 h, a lower number of matings was recorded during the night. We discuss the possible role of vision and of the species ecology as factors of reproductive success and mating strategy. Our conclusion is that the mechanical mating disruption technique seems feasible for future application to this species.

Data on habitat use and life history are essential for evaluation of the conservation status of species, and may direct policy for preservation of natural environments. Over the course of a year, we investigated populations of Hypsiboas curupi regarding (i) nighttime activity patterns; (ii) associations with climatic variables; (iii) the spatial distribution patterns of males and females with respect to microhabitat use; and (iv) variation in body size. The study was carried out from August 2010 to July 2011 in the Parque Estadual Fritz Plaumann, a seasonal deciduous forest fragment in the western region of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Calling activity was highest from August to November. The number of calling males was highest at 23h, and the frequency of occurrence was influenced by the air humidity. Calling males, non-calling males, and females differed in their distance from the bank and substrate type used. Females were significantly larger and heavier than males. Our results indicate that H. curupi is highly dependent on bank vegetation, and that changes in riparian vegetation structure due to human activity can result in the loss of sites for calling and oviposition, and may reduce availability of food and shelter. Keywords: life history, riparian forest, stream-dwelling amphibians, seasonal deciduous forest, microhabitat use.

In frogs, acoustic signals are the most important communication mechanism, since they may be used in several social contexts. In many anurans, the dominant frequency of calls is negatively related to body size, and in such species, this spectral parameter may be considered a good predictor of fighting ability. We experimentally investigated the vocal behavior of 30 male Hypsiboas goianus in central Brazil to answer the following questions: (1) Do males change the acoustic parameters of their calls in response to conspecific intruders? and (2) Does the acoustic behavior of H. goianus depend on the simulated body size of their opponent? We used playback of synthesized calls with high (3573 Hz) and low (3123 Hz) dominant frequency to simulate small and large males, respectively. Males reduced the rate of advertisement calling in response to playback but did not change vocal behavior in response to low-frequency and high-frequency playback. So, while males adjust their calling activity in response to simulated conspecifics, there was no evidence that they assess the fighting ability of their opponents through acoustic interactions., We acknowledge CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, process 476800/2011-0) and ICMBio (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade) for the financial and logistical support, respectively. R.P. Bastos (process 304363/2010-3) and M.N. Siqueira are grateful to CNPq and A.R. Morais to CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) and PAPPE/IF (Programa de Apoio à Produtividade em Pesquisa – IF Goiano) for fellowships. ICMbio is thanked for providing collecting permits. Call analyses and archiving in Fonoteca Zoológica (www.fonozoo.com) are partly funded by projects TATANKA (CGL2011-25062) and (CGL2010-09700_E) from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain (PI. R. Márquez).

Surveying and monitoring bat populations by recording their calls with stationary detectors has become increasingly popular. This study tested the hypothesis that placing stationary detectors at water bodies yielded more species than in other habitat types in a temperate landscape (settlement, forest, open land). The number of species was significantly affected by habitat type, and sampling at water bodies yielded approximately 50% more species than in open land, the habitat type which was second in species richness. In contrast, bat calling activity was not significantly related to habitat type. With the exception of the northern bat

The Puerto Rican coquí frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui, is a directly developing frog that exhibits male territoriality and paternal behaviors. Male frogs also produce advertisement and aggressive vocalizations or calls. Territorial males emit advertisement calls to delineate territories and attract mates. Paternal males guard and brood the directly developing embryos during embryogenesis and up to five days after hatching; advertisement calling is normally absent or infrequent during paternal care. Territorial and paternal males commonly produce aggressive calls during agonistic situations. The neuropeptide, arginine vasotocin (AVT), has been shown to promote calling in anurans, including E. coqui. The objective of this study was to determine if exogenous AVT promotes calling and territorial behavior in paternal males and if it promotes males to abandon their offspring. Injections (IP) of AVT were given to paternal males immediately before the scotoperiod. Frogs were monitored for at least four hours after the injection and the following morning for calling activity and abandonment of egg clutches. AVT-injected males showed a dramatic and significant increase in aggressive calls compared to control males (saline injections). Exogenous AVT did induce advertisement calling in some paternal males but did not significantly elevate paternal males to territorial status nor did it significantly induce abandonment of eggs/embryos. In conclusion, the type of vocalization that AVT activates in E. coqui depends upon the reproductive state of the male and the social environment that surrounds the male.

Calling behavior is often used to infer breeding patterns in anurans. We studied the seasonal and diel calling activities of anuran species in a wetland in central Korea to determine the calling season and to evaluate the effects of abiotic factors on male calling. Acoustic monitoring was used in which frog calls were recorded for a full day, once a week, throughout an entire year. Using acoustic monitoring, we identified three frog species in the study site. Males of Rana dybowskii called in late winter and early spring; we thus classified this species as a winter/spring caller. The results of binary logistic regression showed that temperature, relative humidity, and 1-day lag rainfall were significant factors for male calling in R. dybowskii. Temperature and relative humidity were important factors for the calling activity of R. nigromaculata, whereas 24-h rainfall and 1-day lag rainfall were not significant. Thus, we determined R. nigromaculata to be a summer caller independent of weather. In ...

Species' conservation relies on understanding their seasonal habitats and migration routes. North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, migrate from the southeastern U.S. coast to Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, a federally designated critical habitat, from February through May to feed. The whales then continue north across the Gulf of Maine to northern waters (e.g., Bay of Fundy). To enter Cape Cod Bay, right whales must traverse an area of dense shipping and fishing activity in Massachusetts Bay, where there are no mandatory regulations for the protection of right whales or management of their habitat. We used passive acoustic recordings of right whales collected in Massachusetts Bay from May 2007 through October 2010 to determine the annual spatial and temporal distribution of the whales and their calling activity. We detected right whales in the bay throughout the year, in contrast to results from visual surveys. Right whales were detected on at least 24% of days in each month, with the exception of June 2007, in which there were no detections. Averaged over all years, right whale calls were most abundant from February through May. During this period, calls were most frequent between 17:00 and 20:00 local time; no diel pattern was apparent in other months. The spatial distribution of the approximate locations of calling whales suggests they may use Massachusetts Bay as a conduit to Cape Cod Bay in the spring and as they move between the Gulf of Maine and waters to the south in September through December. Although it is unclear how dependent right whales are on the bay, the discovery of their widespread presence in Massachusetts Bay throughout the year suggests this region may need to be managed to reduce the probability of collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.

The species richness and calling activity of an anuran community inhabiting an agricultural wetland area at 1645 m a.s.l. near Butare, Rwanda, was assessed using visual and acoustic transects. The community included 15 species which were readily distinguishable using morphological, bioacoustic and molecular features. Eight species (Xenopus victorianus, Amietophrynus regularis, Ptychadena anchietae, P. porosissima, Kassina senegalensis, Afrixalus quadrivittatus, Hyperolius kivuensis, H. lateralis) were taxonomically identified. The remaining seven species (three species of Hyperolius, two Phrynobatrachus, one Amietia, one Ptychadena) represent undescribed or currently unrecognized taxa, suggesting a significant magnitude of overlooked amphibian diversity in Afromontane communities. Acoustic niche analysis of the 14 species producing airborne advertisement calls integrated the spatial dimension, i.e. the microhabitat used for calling, the temporal dimension, i.e. the time of day when calling takes place, and the call structure dimension, i.e. the physical features of the advertisement call. Average standardized acoustic niche breadth was narrow (measured: 0.08, predicted: 0.07) and showed low variability (0.04–0.16) among species, which means that empirical data are in full agreement with the predictions of stochastic niche theory for species-saturated communities. Niche segregation was mainly based on advertisement call features, whereas spatial and temporal niche dimension contributed less. Measured average niche overlap (0.30) was intermediate between random overlap (0.51) and minimum possible overlap (0.11), indicating significant acoustic resource partitioning. The only taxon group with widely overlapping acoustic niches were Ptychadena spp., which might indicate a recent invasion of the community by one or two of the three species.Key words: advertisement call, stochastic niche theory, species saturation, cryptic diversity.

Anuran vocalizations have a broad role in communication. In many cases, some calls help to avoid escalation to aggressive interactions that are energetically costly. The calling activity and agonistic behaviour of a Guibemantis sp. aff. bicalcaratus are here reported based on observations made at the Reserve Naturelle Integrale de Betampona, East Madagascar. In addition, we describe a novel “aggressive” call type, produced to challenge territorial intruders.

Bokermannohyla diamantina External morphology. Maximum total length 46.1 mm (at stage 37; Table 1). Body depressed (BH/BW = 0.73��� 0.77), ovoid in dorsal view, 0.31���0.32 times TL; in lateral view, ventral contour flat in peribranchial region and convex in abdominal region (Fig. 6 A, B). Snout rounded in dorsal (BWN/BWE = 0.72���0.79) and lateral views. Eyes medium-sized (ED/BWE = 0.21���0.22), dorsally located (IOD/BWE = 0.68���0.71), dorsolaterally directed. Nostrils elliptical, medium-sized (ND/BL= 0.025���0.036), dorsally located, dorsolaterally directed, distance to snout 47���52 % eye-snout distance; elevated marginal rim, with well-developed triangular or small round fleshy projection on the medial margin, irregularly scalloped on lateral margin (Fig. 6 E, F). Spiracle sinistral, lateral (SVD/BH = 0.47���0.65), posterodorsally directed, short (SL/BL = 0.05���0.07), opening at the middle third of the body (SSD /BL = 0.52���0.60); internal wall fused to the body, with distal portion free and longer than the external wall (Fig. 6 D). Intestinal tube circularly coiled, switchback point located at center of abdominal region (Fig. 6 C). Vent tube dextral, posteriorly directed, slightly wider than long (Fig. 6 G), fused to the ventral fin and positioned at its ventral margin. Oral disc medium-sized (ODW/BW = 0.25���0.30), ventrally positioned, with three posterior emarginations (Fig. 7); 130-138 conical marginal papillae arranged in a single row, with its bases offset throughout the oral disc; narrow anterior gap present (about 0.15 of ODW); submarginal papillae absent; LTRF 2 (2)/ 3 (1), A 2 =A 1, P 1 =P 2>P 3; gaps in A- 2 and P- 1 about 0.3 and 0.02 mm, respectively; tooth density on P 1 37���44 teeth/mm; absence of flaps with labial teeth laterally in the oral disc; jaw-sheaths wide, pigmented, finely serrated on the margins (20 to 24 triangular serrations on the upper jaw), upper jaw-sheath arc-shaped and lower jaw sheath Vshaped, upper wider than lower. Tail low (MTH/TAL = 0.27���0.30); musculature robust (TMH /BH = 0.51���0.58); dorsal fin higher than ventral fin (DFH/VFH = 1.26���1.36); tail tip acute. Dorsal fin low (DFH/TAL = 0.09���0.10), with a slightly convex external margin; emerging at posterior third of the body with a low slope; maximum height at posterior third of tail. Ventral fin low (VFH/TAL = 0.07���0.08), with the external margin almost parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tail musculature; originates at base of tail, concealed by vent tube. Lateral line system distinct in preserved specimens (Fig. 8). All lines with transversally oriented stitches composed of two or three neuromasts. Supraorbital line with 14���17 stitches converging anteriorly on head, medial to nares, approaching the infraorbital series of 12���14 stitches. Infraorbital line begins behind eyes, extends anteriorly and is slightly curved in lateral profile (Fig. 8 A, B). Posterior infraorbital line consists of a small aggregate series of seven to nine stitches with no clear organization. Posterior supraorbital line composed of three stitches located near posterior portion of the supraorbital line. Angular line with 16���20 stitches, extends from below eyes to venter (Fig. 8 A). Anterior oral line with 11���12 stitches, extends from lateral region of oral disc and approaches region of angular line, ventrally. Longitudinal oral line with 7���8 stitches, located between anterior region of anterior oral line and angular line. Two series of lines extend from the mid body posteriorly throughout tail length (Fig. 8 B): the first, dorsal line, with 16��� 18 stitches, located medially, converging abruptly before body-tail junction and continuing posteriorly with 10���18 stitches along dorsal fin base, until end of tail (Fig. 8 C); the second, middle-body line, with 18���21 stitches located laterally, joins the middle caudal series with 38���40 stitches. Along the approximate first third of tail this middle series projects dorsally reaching the dorsal fin base. A ventral body-line of 45���48 stitches extends anterodorsally from near vent tube forming a semicircle around the spiracle, and after a small gap without neuromasts continues posteroventrally until mid abdominal region. A cumulus of neuromasts is present anterolateral to base of vent tube, near ventral line (Fig. 8 D). Coloration. In 10 % formalin, general pattern uniformly brown (Fig. 6). Body with regularly scattered black spots; distal margin of spiracle lightly pigmented. Tail musculature densely marbled by irregular dark spots mainly on posterior half; a longitudinal dark stripe starting from posterior end of body and extending posteriorly along medial caudal muscle line, for first anterior 1 / 3 of tail; dorsal margin of caudal musculature with an interrupted or continuous narrow brown line; dorsal and ventral fins densely marbled by irregular spots mainly on anterior portion of dorsal fin. Variation. Two specimens in stage 29 have an elliptical body in dorsal view. Four specimens in stages 34���36 have few submarginal papillae (1���2) laterally in the oral disc (Fig. 7 B). The shape of the fleshy projections on the medial and lateral nostril margins is variable, even within the same specimen (i.e., right/left nostrils). There is no clear pattern of ontogenetic change in these characters. Natural history notes. Tadpoles of Bokermannohyla diamantina are benthic and were found in shallow puddles (lotic environment) associated with water springs of high elevation mountain streams (i.e., 1688 m a.s.l. at Serra do Itobira), in swampy grasslands (open environment), close to narrow gallery forest edges or small islands of arborescent vegetation. Grasslands were covered manly by Graminaceae, Euryocaulaceae, Xyris (Xyridaceae), and Apiaceae. These sites are surrounded by campos rupestres (rocky fields), a mosaic of habitat types including exposed grasslands, rock surfaces, cerrado, and small forests. Although we only collected tadpoles in the open grassland habitats, calling males were also found in these open areas and their associated forest habitats mainly on the ground or perched on vegetation. Adult calling activity was recorded in December and January at the beginning of the hot and rainy season (other months were not sampled). Oral cavity morphology. Buccal roof ���roof triangular, about 1.1 longer than wide (Fig. 9 A). Two or three prenarial arena papillae with undulated margins, irregularly distributed or forming a longitudinal ridge along prenarial arena midline. Maximal internal nares length about 35 % of BRW; internarial distance about 10 % of BRW. Nares oriented 45 �� from midline; anterior wall short and thick with irregular margin; posterior wall (narial valves) large, wide and with distinct papillae; narial valves extending forward, covering almost completely the internal nares, and about half of the vacuities. Large elliptical, smoothly concave, and shallow vacuities attached anteromedially to internal nares. Postnarial arena with two or three pairs of papillae distributed in an inverted Vshape, with posterior and external papillae larger than those more anterior and medial; six to ten randomly distributed pustulations present. Median ridge rounded to triangular with three to eight blunt, short papillae on anterior surface. One pair of medium-sized lateral ridge papillae with three to four secondary projections. BRA hexagonal with 13���20 short buccal roof arena papillae distributed mainly posterolaterally. In addition, 8���11 digitiform lateral roof papillae on each side. BRA with 370���430 homogeneously distributed pustulations. Secretory pits distinct in glandular zone, mainly posterolaterally in the dorsal velum. Dorsal velum large, discontinuous at midline (gap corresponding to 28 % of BRW); irregular, discrete marginal papillae present. Buccal Floor ��� floor triangular, as wide as long (Fig. 9 B). Two pairs of infralabial papillae; one large, hand-like papillae located anteriorly, and one pair of short digitiform papillae posteriorly. One pair of tall, digitiform lingual papillae present. BFA triangular, surrounded by 44���50 long, digitiform papillae. These papillae are disposed in two rows, one medially from anterior region of buccal pockets to median region of BFA, and one extending laterally and more obliquely following the anterior margin of ventral velum, towards the posterior region of BFA; larger papillae located anteriorly; two or three large papillae bi or trifurcated. BFA with 169���195 pustulations, more concentrated posteriorly. Buccal pockets about 8 times wider than high, transversally oriented, deep, width about 25 % of BFW. Four to seven conical prepocket papillae on each side; few (2���3) short prepocket papillae lying on the anterior wall of pocket. Ventral velum height about 30 % of BFW. Posterior margin scalloped, with eight distinct peaks over filter cavities; peaks 8 % of BFW; median notch depth about 7 % of BFW. Secretory pits distinct when stained with methylene blue, more concentrated on posterior margin of ventral velum but absent on median notch region. Glottis large, 20 % visible, width about 6 % of BFW; thick and broad lips., Published as part of Pezzuti, Tiago Leite, Santos, Marcus Thadeu Teixeira, Martins, Sofia Velasquez, Leite, Felipe S�� Fortes, Garcia, Paulo Christiano Anchietta & Faivovich, Juli��n, 2015, The tadpoles of two species of the Bokermannohyla circumdata group (Hylidae, Cophomantini), pp. 151-173 in Zootaxa 4048 (2) on pages 158-162, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4048.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/254247

Anomaloglossus apiau sp. nov. (Figs. 5���7; Table 1) Holotype. MZUSP 155833 (SMS 962), an adult male collected by Antoine Fouquet, Sergio Marques de Sousa and Pedro Murilo Sales Nunes in October 2011 at ~ 580 m at Serra do Apia��, Roraima State, Brazil (2.430168 N, 61.411715 W). Paratopotypes. (n = 35): MZUSP 155814 ���15, 155818, 155826, 155828��� 29 155831 ��� 32, eight males, and MZUSP 155812 ���13, 155816���17, 155819���25, 11 females, collected in October 2011 by AF, SMS and PMSN, and MZUSP 155834, 155836, 155838, 155840, 155842 ���43, 155851��� 52, eight males, and MZUSP 155837, 155839, 155841, 155844���46, 155850, 155853, eight females, collected in June 2012 by AF and PMSN. Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition and refers to the name of the region where the type locality lies (Serra do Apia��, Roraima State, Brazil). Adult definition and diagnosis. (1) a small Anomaloglossus (average male SVL = 17.1 mm [15.5 ���20.0, n = 14], average female SVL = 20.2 mm [18.4���21.8, n = 15]) (Table 1); (2) body robust; (3) skin on dorsum granular, especially posteriorly, venter smooth; (4) Finger II shorter than I when fingers are appressed, but Finger I shorter than II (3.3 vs. 3.5 mm in holotype) using the method of Kaplan (1997); (5) tip of Finger IV surpassing the base of the distal subarticular tubercle on Finger III when fingers appressed; (6) distal subarticular tubercle on Finger III indistinct; (7) Finger III distinctly swollen in males; (8) fingers with keel-like lateral folds particularly developed preaxially on Finger III; (9) toe webbing basal, with well developed fringes (sensu Grant et al. 2006; keel-like lateral folds sensu Myers & Donnelly 2008); (10) tarsal keel well defined, short, strongly curved, strongly elevated and tubercle-like proximally; (11) black arm gland in males (sensu Grant & Castro-Herrera 1998, see also Grant et al. 2006) and cloacal tubercles absent; (12) pale paracloacal mark present; (13) dorsolateral stripe absent; (15) ventrolateral stripe present in males as a series of more or less conspicuous white dots; (16) oblique lateral stripe present as conspicuous white dots extending from groin midway along flank and inconspicuous to the upper posterior edge of the orbit; (17) sexual dichromatism in throat and venter colour pattern present, with only a few scattered melanophores in females while males possess marbled ventral skin; (18) iris with metallic pigmentation and pupil ring; (20) median lingual process short, slightly longer than wide, tapered, bluntly pointed, smooth (non-papillate), reclined in pit (Fig. 5); (21) maxillary teeth present, small; (22) testes immaculate white, mature ova very large (3 mm in diameter), yellowish brown. Morphological comparisons with congeneric species. Anomaloglossus apiau can easily be distinguished from A. ayarzaguenai, A. breweri, A. guanayensis, A. megacephalus, A. moffetti, A. murisipanensis, A. parimae, A. parkerae, A. shrevei, A. tamacuarensis, A. tepequem, A. tepuyensis, A. triunfo, A. verbeeksnyderorum, and A. wothuja in having basal toe webbing (moderate to extensive in the aforementioned species). Anomaloglossus apiau can be readily distinguished from A. beebei, A. kaiei, A. rufulus and A. roraima in having folded fringes on fingers, best developed preaxially on Finger III (fringes barely distinct, not distinctly folded in the aforementioned species). Anomaloglossus apiau can be distinguished from A. baeobatrachus, A. leopardus, and A. stepheni by its faint, discontinuous oblique ventrolateral stripe (conspicuous and continuous in A. baeobatrachus, A. leopardus, and A. stepheni). Anomaloglossus apiau can be distinguished from A. praderioi by lacking a conspicuous light dorsolateral stripe (present in A. praderioi). Anomaloglossus apiau can be distinguished from Anomaloglossus degranvillei, A. surinamensis and A. apiau by its Finger II longer than Finger I (equal in size in A. degranvillei and A. surinamensis), and by a third finger swollen in male (not swollen in A. degranvillei and A. surinamensis). From all the other nominal species of Anomaloglossus it can be distinguished by its long advertisement call composed of pairs of short pulses (see below). Description of the holotype. An adult male of 17.7 mm SVL. Dorsal skin granular on posterior dorsum, thighs, and shanks; ventral skin smooth (Fig. 6). Cloacal tubercles absent. Head wider than long. Snout bluntly pointed in lateral view, extending past the lower jaw, bluntly pointed in ventral and dorsal views. Nares located close to tip of snout, directed posterolaterally; nares visible in frontal view, barely visible in dorsal or ventral view; IN 39 % of HW. Canthus rostralis well defined; loreal region straight, sloping outward to lip. IO 69 % of ED. SL 96 % of ED, 45 % of HL; EN 62 % of ED. Tympanic membrane inconspicuous, round, concealed posterodorsally by a diffuse supratympanic swelling; tympanic annulus not visible posterodorsally and partly unpigmented; TYM 35 % of eye length. Maxillary teeth present, small. Median lingual process short, about as wide as long, tapered, bluntly pointed, smooth (non-papillate), reclined in lingual pit. Vocal sac and vocal slits visible. Hand moderate in size, 27 % of SVL, 79 % of HW. Relative length of fingers III> IV> I> II. Fingers unwebbed. Discs of fingers expanded, disc on Finger III and IV widest (state 2 sensu Grant et al. 2006), discs on other fingers sub-equal (state 1 sensu Grant et al. 2006). Fingers with fringes, best developed preaxially on Finger II and III (Fig. 6). Palmar tubercle large, rounded, thenar tubercle smaller, elliptical; one or two round to ovoid subarticular tubercles (one each on Fingers I and II, two each on Fingers III and IV). Tip of Finger IV distinctly surpassing the base of distal subarticular tubercle on Finger III when fingers appressed. No fleshy supracarpal fold atop wrist (Fig. 6 b). Finger III strongly swollen dorsally and preaxially, swelling extending from the wrist to the third subarticular tubercle [state 3 sensu Grant et al. (2006)]. Hind limbs robust, moderately long, TIL 49 % of SVL. Relative lengths of appressed toes IV> III> V> II> I; Toe I short, not reaching the base of subarticular tubercle of Toe II. Toe discs expanded, distinctly larger than finger discs, largest on Toes II, III and IV. Feet weakly webbed; all toes with well-developed fringes. Webbing formula I 1 ����� 2 - II 2 +��� 3 - III 2 ����� 4 IV 4 -��� 2 -V (Fig. 6 b). Inner metatarsal tubercle small, elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, round, about half the size of the inner metatarsal tubercle. One to three round to ovoid subarticular tubercles (one each on Toes I and II, two each on Toes III and V, and three on Toe IV with proximal tubercle on Toe IV the smallest and least conspicuous). A strong outer metatarsal fold is present, coextensive with the fringe on Toe V and almost reaching the outer metatarsal tubercle. Tarsal keel weakly curved proximally, discontinuous with the fringe along the outer edge of the first toe, strongly elevated and tubercle-like proximally (Fig. 6 b). Colour of holotype in life. Dorsal ground colour brown with a light brown interorbital triangle (Fig. 6 c). Upper surface of arm with a bright yellow mark with ill defined dark brown and white marks on forearm and wrist; upper surface of thigh yellow with well defined dark brown transverse bands, shank and foot light brown also with well defined dark brown transverse bands. Flanks dark brown, with some blue/whitish irregular iridescent blotches on the lower part, and a lateral stripe of yellowish spots from the inguinal region to the middle of the flank becoming conspicuous again with a short orange stripe on the upper posterior corner of the eye. Dorsolateral stripe absent. Upper lip brown with iridescent white marks below the eye; loreal region and side of head dark; a small whitish stripe is present from arm insertion to tympanum partly depigmented. A dark brown stripe is present on the anterior edge of upper arm, tapering from arm insertion to forearm. Throat, belly and undersurface of arm, thigh and shank marbled with patches of dark brown melanophores. Rear of thigh and cloacal region brown. Paracloacal marks orange. Palms and soles brown (Fig. 6 c). Colour of holotype in preservative. Dorsal ground colour dark brown with a thin light gray to light brown interorbital stripe and a similarly coloured small spot behind the eyes (Fig. 6 a). Dorsal surface of arm brown with dark brown transverse bands on forearm and wrist, upper arm cream; dorsal surface of leg brown with well-defined dark brown transverse bands on thigh, shank, and foot. Flanks dark brown with some irregular spots and a few whitish irregular blotches ventrolaterally. A few white spots (covering small tubercles) form a dotted oblique lateral stripe that only extends from the inguinal region to the middle of the flanks. Throat, belly, and under-surface of arms and legs marbled with patches of melanophores; rear of thigh and cloacal region brown. Paracloacal marks whitish. Palms and soles dark brown (Fig. 6 b). Variation. Males are smaller than females (average male SVL = 17.1 mm 15.5 ���20.0 mm, n = 14; average female SVL = 20.2 mm, 17.7���21.8 mm, n = 15), usually with third Finger III distinctly swollen. There is marked sexual dichromatism (Fig. 7). Dorsal colouration of females is light to dark brown with small diffuse black marks and no lateral dotted stripe. Males, however, are generally darker with a highly variable and conspicuous pattern as well as a lateral stripe consisting of white, bluish and even sometimes orange spots. Whitish-blue marks also occur ventrally on flank, shoulder and lip in males, but found in one female only. Hind limbs are also generally markedly sexually dichromatic, being of similar colouration to the dorsum in females, but with orange markings of various extents in males (from inexistent to small patches, or even sometimes becoming the main background colour). Ventral colouration of females is immaculate white, sometimes with diffuse melanophores and a yellowish throat. Males, however, generally have extensively pigmented ventral surfaces (with one exception; Fig. 7, MZUSP 155836, SVL 16.8 mm, despite conspicuous dorsal colouration and swollen third finger) giving a marbled aspect, especially on throat. In addition to sexual dimorphism in size and colour pattern, variation is extensive within sexes. Among females, dorsal colouration varies from light to dark brown and from immaculate to vermiculate with dark patches. The dark bands on thigh and shank vary from conspicuous to very faint. Lip pattern varies from almost immaculate cream to covered with dark brown marks. Shoulder is orange to light brown. In males, variation in colouration is even more striking and might depend partly on reproductive activity given that more conspicuously coloured males also have swollen third fingers. Dorsal colouration in males varies from immaculate dark brown to light brown with various different patterns of dark brown markings. The distribution of bluish white iridescent dots ranges from a few large ones on the ventral part of the flanks and lips to completely peppering flanks and lips. Limbs and ventral surface are also highly variable in colouration (see above). Advertisement calls. The call is a long trill of 19.6 s on average (sd = 11.0, range = 7.0��� 39.4, n = 10) consisting of pairs of very short pulses (average duration of pulses = 0.03 s, sd = 0.005, 0.02���0.04, n = 50; interpulse interval within pair 0.03 s and between pairs 0.073 s on average) (Fig. 8). Pulse rate per second 11.3 on average (sd = 0.55). Four harmonics are visible, with the dominant frequency located in the lowest harmonic (= fundamental frequency). The dominant frequency increases during the first seconds of the call (~ 4 s) but reaches a plateau of 4.3 kHz on average (sd = 0.129, 4.147���4.526, n = 5; Fig. 8; Table 2). FIGURE 8. Advertisement call of Anomalogossus apiau (IND 5) showing call length (> 17 s) and spectral structure. Note the paired pulses (inset). The specimen was recorded in October 2011 around 11 am at the type locality (21 ��C). The temporal structure of the call differs markedly from that of congeneric species in the duration of the call. Anomaloglossus degranvillei (Marty & Gaucher 1999), A. surinamensis (Ouboter & Jairam 2012) and A. praderioi (Kok 2010) emit a single note at rates between 50 and 100 calls/min; A. beebei (Kok et al. 2006 a), A. tamacuarensis (Myers & Donnelly 1997) and A. kaiei (Kok et al. 2006 b) emit short series of pulses (4 ���5, 2, and 1���2 pulses/call, respectively); A. baeobatrachus (Marty & Gaucher 1999) and A. stepheni (Lima et al. 2006; Martins 1989) emit short trills of 7���19 pulses and less than 1 s of duration. Anomaloglossus rufulus emits shorter (Anomaloglossus call that has a similar temporal structure to the call of A. apiau is the one of A. verbeeksnyderorum (Barrio-Amor��s et al. 2010). However pulse rate of A. apiau is higher (11.27 pulses/s vs. 8.87 in A. verbeeksnyderorum) and the pulses are paired (vs. regularly spaced in A. verbeeksnyderorum). MEAN SD IND 1 REC 1 IND 2 REC 1 IND 3 REC 1 Distribution and ecology. Anomaloglossus apiau sp. nov. was observed exclusively along rocky streams (only a few meters away from water maximal level), on the slopes of Serra de Apia�� above 500 m elevation and up to the summit at ~ 1400 m. These streams are usually shallow, but they can be fast flowing and up to 15 m wide (but unlikely torrential) or reduced to rivulets with only a film of water running on the rocks (Fig. 6 d). Males call from the stream banks or on rocks; they only call from the banks alongside larger streams. The species is locally abundant with one calling male found every ~ 5 m along the stream when calling activity is at its peak, i.e. during late afternoon or after rainfall., Published as part of Fouquet, Antoine, Souza, Sergio Marques, Sales Nunes, Pedro M., Kok, Philippe J. R., Curcio, Felipe Franco, Carvalho, Celso Morato De, Grant, Taran & Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut, 2015, Two new endangered species of Anomaloglossus (Anura: Aromobatidae) from Roraima State, northern Brazil, pp. 191-210 in Zootaxa 3926 (2) on pages 200-206, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3926.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/243597, {"references":["Kaplan, M. (1997) A new species of Colostethus from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia) with comments on intergeneric relationships within the Dendrobatidae. Journal of Herpetology, 31, 369 - 375. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.2307 / 1565665","Grant, T., Frost, D. R., Caldwell, J. P., Gagliardo, R., Haddad, C. F., Kok, P. J., Means, D. B., Noonan, B. P., Schargel, W. E. & Wheeler, W. C. (2006) Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 299, 1 - 262. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1206 / 0003 - 0090 (2006) 299 [1: PSODFA] 2.0. CO; 2","Myers, C. W. & Donnelly, M. A. (2008) The summit herpetofauna of Auyantepui, Venezuela: report from the Robert G. Goelet American Museum-Terramar Expedition. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 308, 1 - 147. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.1206 / 308.1","Grant, T. & Castro, F. (1998) The cloud forest Colostethus (Anura, Dendrobatidae) of a region of the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. Journal of Herpetology, 32, 378 - 392. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.2307 / 1565452","Marty, C. & Gaucher, P. (1999) Guide sonore des amphibiens anoures de Guyane. Sittelle Ceba, Le Verdier, CD. [Centre bioacoustique alpin]","Ouboter, P. E. & Jairam, R. (2012) Amphibians of Suriname. Brill, Leiden, 388 pp.","Kok, P. J. R., Sambhu, H., Roopsind, I., Lenglet, G. & Bourne, G. (2006 a) A new species of Colostethus (Anura: Dendrobatidae) with maternal care from Kaieteur National Park, Guyana. Zootaxa, 1238, 35 - 61.","Myers, C. W. & Donnelly, M. A. (1997) A tepui herpetofauna on a granitic mountain (Tamacuari) in the borderland between Venezuela and Brazil: report from the Phipps Tapirapeco Expedition. American Museum novitates, 3213, 1 - 71.","Kok, P. J. R., MacCulloch, R. D., Gaucher, P., Poelman, E. H., Bourne, G. R., Lathrop, A. & Lenglet, G. L. (2006 b) A new species of Colostethus (Anura, Dendrobatidae) from French Guiana with a redescription of Colostethus beebei (Noble, 1923) from its type locality. Phyllomedusa, 5, 43 - 66. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.11606 / issn. 2316 - 9079. v 5 i 1 p 43 - 66","Lima, A. P., Magnusson, W., Menin, M., Erdtmann, L., Rodrigues, D., Keller, C. & Hodl, W. (2006) Guia de Sapos da Reserva Adolpho Ducke: Amazonia Central. Attema Design Editorial, Manaus, 168 pp.","Martins, M. (1989) Nova especie de Colostethus da Amazonia central (Amphibia: Dendrobatidae). Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 49, 1009 - 1012.","Barrio-Amoros, C. L. & Santos, J. C. (2011) Redescription and generic assignation of Dendrobates rufulus Gorzula (Anura, Dendrobatidae) from Chimanta tepui, Venezuela. Salamandra, 47 (3), 155 - 160.","Barrio-Amoros, C. L., Santos, J. C. & Jovanovic, O. (2010) A new dendrobatid frog (Anura: Dendrobatidae: Anomaloglossus) from the Orinoquian rainforest, southern Venezuela. Zootaxa, 2413, 37 - 50."]}

Typophyllum morrisi sp. nov. (Figs. 5, 6, 7) http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera.speciesfile.org:TaxonName: 470144 Braun 2002: 66 (Typophyllum sp. 3, ���Bombuscaro-Spaziergehbl��ttlein���), Braun 2008: 220 (Typophyllum sp. 3). Etymology. Dedicated to Glenn K. Morris, the pioneer of bioacoustics of neotropical tettigoniids, who documented for the first time songs of some Typophyllum and Mimetica species. Examined specimens. Male holotype cbt003s04 (sound recording), R��o Bombuscaro valley, 1100 m, 19 June 1999; female paratype cbt003s 21, Alto Nangaritza, 1260���1350 m, 6���12 April 2009 both leg. H. Braun and deposited in the Museo de La Plata; 18 additional specimens from three sites are currently in the collection of the author: Bombuscaro 1000���1180 m, 13���19 November 1998: male cbt003s01 (recording) and male cbt003s02 (raised from nymph), 19 June 1999: male cbt003s03 (recording) and male cbt003s04 (recording), 20 July 2002: female cbt003s05 and male nymph cbt003s06 (leg. H. Braun); Maral�� 860���980 m, 12 January 2009: female cbt003s07, and male cbt003s09 (leg. H. Braun); Alto Nangaritza 1260���1450 m, 6���17 April 2009: female cbt003s 10, female cbt003s 11, female cbt003s 12, male cbt003s 13, male cbt003s 14, male cbt003s 15, male cbt003s 16, male cbt003s 17, female cbt003s 18, male cbt003s 19 (damaged spider victim), and male cbt003s 20 (leg. Elicio Tapia & H. Braun). [male cbt003s08 turned out to be a different species, see below Typophyllum sp.] Notes. There are 8 males and 2 females in the collection of G.K. Morris (inspected 2004 / 2005) from the Amazon region of Ecuador in Napo Province. According to morphology they could belong to this species as well, but the male calling song is different. Probably they are the same as Typophyllum sp. nr. trapeziforme Morris et al. 1989, whose song is compared below to the one of T. morrisi. Another male from this area belongs to the collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor (UMMZ): Napo Province, about 8 km south-east of Tena and 2 km south of Ongota, 12 May 1963 leg. T.H. Hubbell & L.E. Pe��a. This site is at about 500 m and around 300 km north of the type locality of T. morrisi. Description. As in T. egregium the internal tympanal chamber walls are not expanded beyond the dorsal surface of the fore tibia, but are developed like the external ones. Also, the bases of the hind tibia are not expanded, placing this species like the preceding one into the first group according to Vignon (1925 a). Tegmen shapes (Fig. 5 C) do not correspond sufficiently well to any described males or females. And in males there is a unique modification of the stridulatory area at the base of the left tegmen: the proximal end of the fairly bulky stridulatory vein is dorsally developed as a knob, and directly behind it is a second knob of about the same diameter and as isolated structure being a little bit more conspicuous. The speculum of the right tegmen seems to be fairly stiff and is translucent but not transparent (Fig. 7 B). In females the tegmina are mostly emarginated in a characteristic fashion at the distal anal margin (Figs. 6 A, 7 D), and only rarely the margin is uniform (Fig. 7 E). One distinctive trait is shared by both sexes: the hind tibia sports a little below the middle, on the dorsal internal edge, a rounded, often downward-directed and drop-shaped process, of about the same diameter as the tibia (Fig. 5 B). The prosternum has no spines; mesosterum and metasternum are laterally pointed, but not terminating as distinct spines. Coloration. Little variation; various shades of brown; most individuals are dark brown (Fig. 7). Measurementes. Tegmen length in males 13���16 mm and in females 25���28 mm, hind femora in males 12���13.5 mm and in females 18���20 mm, antennae in females at least 50 mm. Acoustic behaviour. The two males that were recorded produced calls consisting of 3���6 (mostly 4 or 5) pulses (Fig. 19 C). One individual pulse lasts about 30 ms and they are repeated every 120���130 ms. A five-pulse call lasts 500 ms at 23 ��C. Mostly two or three calls were produced together, separated by intervals of 400���500 ms. The pulses consist of a sustained and almost pure sine wave. The spectrogram shows a very narrow peak at 20.5 kHz and a faint harmonic at 41 kHz. The males seem to call only sporadically and the unique and easily recognizable song was never heard in the natural habitat while listening with a bat detector at night. The two knobs on the dorsal portion of the left tegmen of males might serve to dampen vibration of this tegmen, which otherwise could cancel out by negative interference the sound radiated by the speculum of the right tegmen, in case both tegmina vibrate out of phase. For the above-mentioned Typophyllum sp. nr. trapeziforme (Morris et al. 1989) are described trills of 47���132 pulses with a total duration of 2.5 ��� 7.0 s. The principal carrier frequency is 23.2 kHz. The high duty cycle might be due to captivity (see above T. egregium; extremely elevated calling activity compared to duty cycles of freshly caught males, and males in natural habitat, also occur in other Ecuadorian katydids���pers. obs.). However, the carrier frequency is slightly higher than described for T. morrisi. So it is currently uncertain whether the lowland population from the Ecuadorian Amazon is truly conspecific. Mating behaviour. In a cage with three females and one male, was once at night observed the male riding on a female, but this female was found moribund the next day and no copulation occurred. Distribution. Eastern foothills of eastern Andean cordillera at 850���1450 m in south Ecuador, probably extending down into Amazon region of Ecuador and northern Peru., Published as part of Braun, Holger, 2015, Little walking leaves from southeast Ecuador: biology and taxonomy of Typophyllum species (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Pterochrozinae), pp. 1-32 in Zootaxa 4012 (1) on pages 6-11, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4012.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/289354, {"references":["Braun, H. (2002) Die Laubheuschrecken (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) eines Bergregenwaldes in Sud-Ecuador - faunistische, bioakustische und okologische Untersuchungen. Doctoral thesis, University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, 142 pp.","Braun, H. (2008) Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae - checklist Reserva Biologica San Francisco and Parque Nacional Podocarpus (Prov. Zamora-Chinchipe and Loja, S Ecuador). Ecotropical Monographs, 4, 215 - 220.","Morris, G. K., Klimas, D. E. & Nickle, D. (1989) Acoustic signals and systematics of false-leaf katydids from Ecuador (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Pseudophyllinae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 114, 215 - 264.","Mayr, E. 1963. Animal species and evolution. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.4159 / harvard. 9780674865327","Vignon, P. (1925 a) Essai de classification du genre Typophyllum Serville (Orth. Phasgon.). A propos des quatre especes nouvelles dont les types sont au Musee de Madrid. EOS, Revista Espanola de Entomologia, 1, 249 - 281."]}

Crossodactylus trachystomus (Reinhardt & L��tken, 1862 ��� 1861 ���) Tarsopterus trachystomus Reinhardt & L��tken, 1862 ��� 1861 ������ Hensel, 1867. Leptodactylus gaudichaudii ��� Boulenger, 1882 (part). Crossodactylus bresslaui M��ller, 1924 ��� M��ller, 1927; B. Lutz, 1951, 1952. Crossodactylus gaudichaudii (non Dum��ril & Bibron, 1841)��� Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 (part); A. Lutz, 1930 (part). Phyllobates fuscigula (non Fitzinger, 1860)��� A. Lutz, 1930 (part) Crossodactylus trachystoma ��� Cochran, 1955; Lynch, 1971. Crossodactylus trachystomus (Reinhardt & L��tken, 1862 ��� 1861 ���)��� Bokermann, 1966; Caramaschi & Sazima, 1985; Caramaschi & Kisteumacher, 1989; Nascimento et al. 2005 b; Weber & Caramaschi, 2006; Canelas & Bertoluci, 2007; Leite et al. 2008; Pimenta et al. 2008; Pimenta et al. 2014 b. Crossodactylus bokermanni Caramaschi & Sazima, 1985 ��� Caramaschi & Kisteumacher, 1989; Bastos & Pombal, 1995; Eterovick & Sazima, 2004; Eterovick et al. 2005; Nascimento et al. 2005 a; Nascimento et al. 2005 b; Afonso & Eterovick, 2007 a, b; Pimenta et al. 2005; Leite et al. 2008; Pimenta et al. 2008; Caldart et al. 2011; Pimenta et al. 2014 a, b���new synonymy. Crossodactylus cf. bokermanni ��� Nascimento et al. 2005 b. Crossodactylus gr. gaudichaudii ��� Nascimento et al. 2005 b. Crossodactylus sp.��� Nascimento et al. 2005 b. Holotype. R 11126 (formerly ZMUC 128), adult male, collected in Lagoa Santa (19 �� 37 ���S, 43 �� 53 ���W, approx. 750 m elevation), Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in 01/ 10 / 1856, by J. Reinhardt (Figs. 1���2). Referred specimens. BRAZIL: Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto, MG (USNM 98047 ��� 50, 98052 ��� 5, 98057, 98062 ��� 3). Diagnosis. (1) body slender; (2) head longer than wide; (3) snout rounded in dorsal view, protruding in lateral view; (4) canthus rostralis sharp; (5) tympanum distinct; (6) vocal sac subgular, median; (7) thumb spines small or developed; (8) toe and tarsal fringes broadly developed in males, reduced in females; (9) finger tips dilated; (10) toe tips truncate, dilated; (11) postrictal tubercle continuous; (12) presence of a glandular crest on the anterior surface of the arm; (13) dorsal skin posteriorly granular; (14) dorsolateral glandular ridges weakly marked; (15) white or cream stripe from the snout to the shoulder; (16) presence of partial oblique lateral stripe; (17) belly reticulated. Comparisons with other species. Character states for the other species are shown in parentheses. Crossodactylus trachystomus differs from C. dispar and C. grandis due to its slender body (robust), head longer than wide (nearly as long as wide in C. dispar and wider than long in C. grandis), sharp canthus rostralis (rounded), males with extensively fringed feet (moderate), dilated finger tips (undilated), truncate and dilated toe tips (rounded, undilated), postrictal tubercle continuous (fragmented into small granules), and reticulated belly (immaculate). Crossodactylus trachystomus also differs from C. grandis by its smaller size (males 18.7���25.1 mm and females 20.5���27.5 mm SVL in C. trachystomus; males 31.5���42.0 mm and females 29.6���39.2 mm in C. grandis). Crossodactylus trachystomus could be distinguished from C. aeneus, C. dantei, C. gaudichaudii, and C. werneri due to its slender body (robust), and from C. boulengeri, C. caramaschii, C. cylospinus, C. dantei, C. lutzorum, and C. timbuhy by its rounded snout in dorsal view (nearly pentagon-shaped; variable in C. aeneus and C. gaudichaudii). Crossodactylus trachystomus is distinguished from C. schmidti and C. werneri by its well marked canthus rostralis (rounded), and from C. boulengeri, C. caramaschii, C. dantei, and C. lutzorum due to its median subgular vocal sac (not expanded in C. dantei and C. lutzorum; bilobate subgular in the other species). Crossodactylus trachystomus could be distinguished from C. dantei, C. lutzorum, and C. schmidti due to the truncate toe tips (rounded) and from C. caramaschii and C. lutzorum by the developed postrictal tubercle (a slight ridge). The presence of dorsolateral glandular ridges separates C. trachystomus from C. cyclospinus, C. dantei, C. lutzorum, and C. schmidti (ridges absent) and the presence of a glandular ridge on the anterior surface of the arm differs C. trachystomus from these species and C. aeneus, C. caramaschii, and C. gaudichaudii (absent). Crossodactylus trachystomus is distinguished from C. aeneus, C. boulengeri, C. dantei, C. dispar, C. gaudichaudii, C. lutzorum, and C. timbuhy due to the occurrence of a white or cream stripe from the snout to the shoulder (poorly defined marbled/dotted area from the snout to the shoulder; variable in C. werneri). The presence of an oblique lateral stripe distinguishes C. trachystomus from C. dantei, C. dispar, C. lutzorum, and C. timbuhy (no stripe; variable in C. boulengeri and C. caramaschii). Crossodactylus trachystomus differs from C. aeneus, C. boulengeri, C. caramaschii, C. dantei, C. gaudichaudii, C. lutzorum, and C. schmidti due to its reticulated belly (immaculate; variable in C. werneri). Description of the holotype. Body slender. Head slightly longer than wide; nostrils protuberant, situated and directed anterolaterally, closer to the tip of snout than to the eye. Snout approx. 31 % of HL, rounded in dorsal view, protruding in lateral view (Fig. 2). Canthus rostralis well marked, sharp; loreal region oblique, slightly concave. Eyes approx. 38 % of HL. Tympanum distinct, approx. 39 % of ED, rounded; supratympanic fold weakly marked, extending from the superior margin of the tympanum to the shoulder. Skin on the gular region slightly folded, indicating the presence of a median subgular vocal sac. Upper lip spines small, white, appearing on the whole extension of lip. Tongue ovoid, covering half of the mouth floor surface, not notched behind. Choanae ovoid, very distant from each other. No vomerine teeth. Arms slender; forearms thicker than upper arms; fingers tips slightly dilated; finger lengths IVariation. Pimenta et al. (2008) found some differences between males and females (females are larger than males and also have longer and wider heads, larger eye and tympanum diameters, and longer eye-to-nostril distance; toe and tarsal fringes are broadly developed in males and very reduced in females; forearms are thicker in males than in females) and also among specimens of the same sex regarding distinctiveness and extension of supratympanic fold; presence, color, and distribution of upper lip spines; development, number, and arrangement of thumb spines; finger lengths; extension of outer fringe of toe V; and color pattern. Measurements (in mm) are shown in Table 1. Males (N = 67) Females (N = 34) Vocalization. The advertisement call and its variation were described in Pimenta et al. (2008) as Crossodactylus bokermanni. It was characterized as a long call, ranging from 1.4��� 10.1 s, and consisting of 13���121 notes with harmonic structure. A curious feature of the call is the dominant frequency, which may be found in the second to the third harmonic or, more rarely, in both harmonics. Geographic distribution and natural history. Pimenta et al. (2008) recognized the occurrence of Crossodactylus trachystomus in 17 localities (referred as C. bokermanni in 16) comprising the whole portion of Serra do Espinha��o within the state of Minas Gerais (Fig. 3). Data on natural history were presented by Caramaschi & Sazima (1985) and Pimenta et al. (2008), both as C. bokermanni. Specimens are found during the day in permanent streams with sandy or rocky bottom at campos rupestres, where marginal vegetation consists of shrubs and grasses, or in transitional or typical patches of semideciduous Atlantic Forest in the eastern slope of Serra do Espinha��o, inside primary or secondary gallery forests. Males call exposed on stones near the margins of the streams or from sandy margins, close to relatively fast waters. Some were also observed on floating leaves or, more rarely, on emergent rocks in the middle of the streams. Tadpole. Data on tadpole external morphology were presented by Caramaschi & Sazima (1985), Pimenta et al. (2014 a) (both as Crossodactylus bokermanni), and Caramaschi & Kisteumacher (1989). It was described as having a nearly triangular body and rounded snout on lateral view; nostrils small, located dorsolaterally; spiracle sinistral, small, located halfway between dorsum and belly; oral disc small, with poorly developed lips marginated by a single row of papillae interrupted on upper lip; tooth row formula 2 (2)/ 3 (1); strong, serrated jaw sheaths; and anal tube dextral, short, and wide. Internal oral morphology was described by Weber & Caramaschi (2006). Remarks. In the original description of Crossodactylus caramaschii, Bastos & Pombal (1995) cited specimens ZUEC 3485 ��� 8 and ZUEC 3714 as C. gaudichaudii and also as C. trachystomus. These specimens are, in fact, topotypes of C. gaudichaudii from Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil. Nascimento et al. (2005 a) separate Crossodactylus cyclospinus from C. trachystomus (referred to as C. bokermanni) by the absence of spines on the upper lip on the latter, among other characters. However, Caramaschi & Sazima (1985) had already reported on the occurrence of such structures in some specimens of the type-series of C. bokermanni. Pimenta et al. (2008) found these spines in 87.3% of the specimens analyzed, and that they vary on their degree of development and color. Nascimento et al. (2005 a) also used the presence of the oblique lateral stripe (therein called ���lateral cream stripe on the posterior half of flanks���) to distinguish C. cyclospinus from C. trachystomus (referred to as C. bokermanni). The oblique lateral stripe is very conspicuous in all specimens of C. trachystomus examined, varying from partial to complete and white or cream., Published as part of Pimenta, Bruno V. S., Caramaschi, Ulisses & Cruz, Carlos Alberto Gon��alves, 2015, Synonymy of Crossodactylus bokermanni Caramaschi & Sazima, 1985 with Crossodactylus trachystomus (Reinhardt & L��tken, 1862) and description of a new species from Minas Gerais, Brazil (Anura: Hylodidae), pp. 65-82 in Zootaxa 3955 (1) on pages 68-73, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3955.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/288451, {"references":["Reinhardt, J. & Lutken, C. F. (1862 \" 1861 \") Bidrag til Kundskab om Brasiliens Padder og Krybdyr. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra den Naturhistoriske Forening i Kjobenhavn, 3, 143 - 242.","Hensel, R. (1867) Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Wirbelthiere Sudbrasiliens. Wiegmanns Archiv fur Naturgeschichte, 33, 120 - 162.","Boulenger, G. A. (1882) Catalogue of the Batrachia Salientia s. Ecaudata in the Collection of the British Museum. 2 nd Edition. British Museum of Natural History, London, 503 pp. + 16 pls.","Muller, L. (1924) Neue Batrachier aus Ost-Brasilien. Senckenbergiana, 6, 169 - 177.","Muller, L. (1927) Amphibien und Reptilien der Ausbeute Prof. Bresslau's in Brasilien 1913 - 14. Abhandlungen Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gessellschaft, 40, 259 - 304.","Lutz, B. (1951) Nota previa sobre alguns anfibios anuros do Alto Itatiaia. O Hospital, 39, 705 - 707.","Lutz, B. (1952) New frogs from Itatiaia Mountain, Brasil. Copeia, 1952, 27 - 28. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.2307 / 1437618","Dumeril, A. M. & Bibron, G. (1841) Erpetologie Generale, ou Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles 8. Libr. Encyclop. Roret, Paris, 792 pp.","Miranda-Ribeiro, A. (1926) Notas para servirem ao estudo dos Gymnobatrachios (Anura) brasileiros. Arquivos do Museu Nacional, 27, 1 - 227 + 22 pls.","Lutz, A. (1930) Observacoes sobre batrachios brasileiros. Taxonomia e biologia das Elosiinas. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 24, 195 - 222 + 4 pls.","Cochran, D. M. (1955) Frogs of Southeastern Brasil. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 206, 1 - 423 + pls. 1 - 16. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.5479 / si. 03629236.206.1","Lynch, J. D. (1971) Evolutionary relationships, osteology, and zoogeography of leptodactyloid frogs. Miscellaneous Publications of the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, 53, 1 - 237.","Bokermann, W. C. A. (1966) Lista Anotada das Localidades Tipo de Anfibios Brasileiros. Servico de Documentacao da Reitoria da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 181 pp.","Caramaschi, U. & Sazima, I. 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Interspecific competition occurs when one species using a resource limits the use of that resource by another species. A dominance relationship between the species competing over a resource may result in asymmetric competition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that two sympatric treefrog species, the endangered Hyla suweonensis and the abundant H. japonica, compete with each other over calling sites. We observed the locations of calling individuals of the two treefrog species in rice paddies and tested whether removing one species affected the calling locations of the other species. Individuals of the two species were spatially isolated within rice paddies, with H. japonica at the edges and H. suweonensis in the interior. Male H. suweonensis moved towards the edges of rice paddies when male H. japonica were removed from the area, whereas male H. japonica hardly moved when male H. suweonensis were removed. The results of both studies are consistent with asymmetric interspecific competition, in which the calling locations of H. suweonensis are affected by the calling activity of H. japonica. In addition, H. japonica were found “sitting” on the substrate during call production, whereas H. suweonensis were “holding” onto vegetation. The difference in calling posture may represent an adaptive response to asymmetric interspecific competition.

We report the reproductive biology of Megaceryle torquata in forest fragment at the Universidade Federal do Amapa. 24 nests were monitored between March 2004 and February 2005, observed at intervals of 2-4 days. The observations were made from fixed points situated in front of the nests. The reproductive season of M. torquata coincidedwith the onset of the rainy season that extends from December to July. The construction of nests started in December. The observation of copulation was recorded only once in embauba ( Cecropia sp.), when a male stayed on the back of the female during roughly 7 seconds. In the biometric analysis of nestlings, we used three females that were already in a well advanced stage of development, with more feathers covering about 85% of the body. The feeding of nestlings consisted mainly of fish ( Hoplias malabaricus and Geophagus brasiliensis ), captured off the nesting areas. The frequency of feeding nestlings was made by the couple, with the highest rate achieved by the males. The major period of activity occurred in the nesting area from 07:00 to 11:00 hours, a period also of higher calling activity of the nestlings. Keywords: Nesting; Ringed Kingfisher; Birds; Neotropical

In species-rich assemblages of acoustically communicating animals, heterospecific sounds may constrain not only the evolution of signal traits but also the much less-studied signal-processing mechanisms that define the recognition space of a signal. To test the hypothesis that the recognition space is optimally designed, i.e., that it is narrower toward the species that represent the higher potential for acoustic interference, we studied an acoustic assemblage of 10 diurnally active frog species. We characterized their calls, estimated pairwise correlations in calling activity, and, to model the recognition spaces of five species, conducted playback experiments with 577 synthetic signals on 531 males. Acoustic co-occurrence was not related to multivariate distance in call parameters, suggesting a minor role for spectral or temporal segregation among species uttering similar calls. In most cases, the recognition space overlapped but was greater than the signal space, indicating that signal-processing traits do not act as strictly matched filters against sounds other than homospecific calls. Indeed, the range of the recognition space was strongly predicted by the acoustic distance to neighboring species in the signal space. Thus, our data provide compelling evidence of a role of heterospecific calls in evolutionarily shaping the frogs' recognition space within a complex acoustic assemblage without obvious concomitant effects on the signal.

Concurrent recordings of bat calls at the ground and canopy levels were compared to analyse the vertical stratification of habitat use in a broad-leaved deciduous forest in central Europe. The recording effort was 48 nights, by sampling 16 sites three times in 2010. Overall, 2170 call sequences were recorded; 40% of them at the canopy level. Sixteen bat species were identified, 13 of which occurred at ground level and 14 in the canopy. By fitting generalized linear mixed models for seven species and all calls sequences combined, the effects of stratum, time period, ambient temperature and forest structure on bat-calling activity were assessed. Four species preferred the ground level (Barbastella barbastellus,Eptesicus serotinus,Myotis daubentonii,Pipistrellus pygmaeus). M. bechsteinii was the only species which had a significant preference for the canopy level in the pregnancy, lactation and post-lactation period, whereas two further species (M. alcathoe,P. pipistrellus) showed a significant canopy preference in at least one period. Therefore, canopy sampling should be undertaken when aiming at monitoring such species for conservation purposes. Populations of certain target species will be underestimated by ground recordings alone.

Pristimantis aff. fenestratus is a common species in non-flooded forests of central Amazonia, Brazil. Herein, we show the reproductive pattern and data on population structure of this species from two sites, using standardized sample methods (visual and auditory surveys), during three rainy seasons. The higher number of males in calling activity was detected in the beginning of the rainy season. However, sporadic male calls were also heard in the dry season. Females were significantly larger than males, and males captured at the end of the rainy season were larger than those captured in other periods. Females with eggs visible through the abdominal wall were found in all samplings at one site, but a larger number of juveniles were found at the end of the rainy season. The size of juveniles was variable and the smallest individuals were found at the end of the rainy season. According to nocturnal visual surveys males were significantly more abundant than females (1.9:1 adult sex ratio). According...

The study of ecological and behavioral aspects of anuran reproduction is fundamental for the understanding of the evolution of life history traits. In this study we present the temporal and spatial patterns of reproductive activity in Rhinella hoogmoedi, as well as the description of its advertisement call, in a population from a remnant of tropical rainforest in Northeastern Brazil. Calling activity began before the start of the rainy season and lasted from November to April; vocalization activity was not correlated with the amount of rainfall. Reproductive males called on a variety of substrates close to or in permanent or temporary water bodies, during both day and night. Male behavior at high and low densities, calling sites occupancy and reproductive period indicate an unusual explosive breeding pattern for the species. Rhinella hoogmoedi presented a multi-pulsed call, composed of pulse group calls, similar to Rhinella paraguayensis, Rhinella castaneotica, Rhinella martyi, populations of Rh...

Stormwater basins are commonly employed structures designed to mitigate the negative effects of urban runoff. They are ubiquitous in the urbanized landscape; yet the effect of these basins on anurans has only recently been addressed. Stormwater basins have the potential to influence the breeding distribution of anurans by being sources for some species and sinks for others. Our study aims to determine which species benefit from the existence of stormwater basins, which species are negatively impacted, and what variables are the best predictors of these effects. We monitored thirty-six permanently-ponded basins in southern New Jersey for the presence of anuran larvae and calling males by aural surveys, dip-netting and trapping. We assessed fish presence by interviews, visual encounters, dip-netting, and traps. We divided near shore buffer areas into impervious surface and managed or unmanaged categories for both grass and woody vegetation. Two connectivity metrics, distance to canopied corridor and percent of undeveloped upland were analyzed with ArcGIS. Fish were detected in 92% of the basins. Resistance to fish predation distinguished successful species, those with larvae present, from unsuccessful species, those with calling activity but no larval presence. Connectivity to and availability of terrestrial habitat were significant predictors of the breeding species richness at the basins. Number of calling species increased as access to and amount of terrestrial habitat increased. Therefore, design, management, and placement of permanently-ponded basins can impact anuran communities. Additionally, as wet basins are sources for Rana catesbeiana, where bullfrogs are invasive, basins will likely increase propagule pressure.

EnglishThe natural history of Hypsiboas leptolineatus was studied from December 2003 to July 2005 in the Atlantic Forest ecosystems, Araucarian Forest, open grasslands, and also in transition areas between the Araucarian Forest and open grasslands. The environments listed are located in Aparados da Serra National Park, Cambara do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, and Praia Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The species live preferentially in lentic water bodies, in open grasslands, using calling sites inside the water body or very close to them. The calling activity occurs all year long, being interrupted only at very low temperatures, and it is mainly nocturnal. Males are territorial, forming nuptial choirs. The territorial defense is done by vocal disputes and probably physical combats may occur, evidenced by marks on the males back. Furthermore, females are bigger than males in weight as well as in head-body length. Clutches are laid in water and the larval development lasts around four months and a half. portuguesA historia natural da especie Hypsiboas leptolineatus foi estudada no periodo de dezembro de 2003 a julho de 2005, nos ambientes de Floresta Ombrofila Densa, Floresta Ombrofila Mista, Campos de Cima da Serra e em areas de transicao entre Floresta Ombrofila Mista e Estepe. Os ambientes referidos localizam-se no Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra, nos municipios de Cambara do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, e Praia Grande, Santa Catarina. A especie habita preferencialmente corpos d’agua estagnada no ambiente Estepe, utilizando sitios de vocalizacao dentro ou muito proximos ao corpo d’agua. A atividade de vocalizacao ocorre durante o ano todo, sendo interrompida somente em temperaturas muito baixas, mas sua atividade diaria e estritamente noturna. Os machos sao territorialistas e formam coros nupciais. A defesa dos territorios ocorre atraves de disputas vocais e, possivelmente, podem ocorrer combates fisicos, evidenciados por marcas no dorso dos machos. As femeas sao maiores que os machos, tanto em peso quanto em comprimento rostro-cloacal. As posturas sao depositadas na agua, e o desenvolvimento larvario dura cerca de quatro meses e meio.