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Despite the great diversity of Brazilian anuran species, there are still many knowledge gaps about the acoustic communication of these animals. Among the species, those classified as 'Data Deficient' have the greatest gaps in knowledge on their behavior. This is the case of Boana ericae, a species belonging to the Boana pulchella group, endemic to the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park region, in the northeast of the state of Goiás, Central Brazil. Three distinct call types (A, B, and C) are currently known for B. ericae, with the type A call associated with attracting reproductive partners and the type C call presenting a territorial function. We recorded the vocalizations of 10 individuals of this species and found the presence of vocalizations composing three new note types (D, E, and F). Our results indicate that air temperature and body condition influenced the acoustic parameters of the advertisement and aggressive calls of this species. We also observed that some acoustic parameters of the advertisement calls can be used for individual recognition for showing greater variation among individuals than intra-individually. Our results add new information regarding the vocal repertoire in this species, expanding their known intra-individual classification of the acoustic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impacts of urbanization can affect bat species differently, some bat assemblages demonstrated differences in their activity and richness between forest environments and urban areas. Bats species can seek refuge in green areas (urban forest remnants, parks and groves) or in buildings within the urban landscape. Using bioacoustics, we examined habitat use of by non-phyllostomid bats in a large Metropolitan Region of João Pessoa-PB, northeastern Brazil, comparing the activity and species/sonotypes composition of bat assemblages documented in Atlantic Forest remnants (FF) with those in the urbanized matrix areas (UM). Fifteen species belonging to four families were recorded. Out of these records, 11 were documented in both UM and FF, while Neoplatymops mattogrossensis, Myotis cf. riparius, and Rhynchonycteris naso were exclusively found in FF, and Promops nasutus (first record for the state) was only found in UM. The richness and activity of bats differed between FF and UM. Molossops temminckii and Promops nasutus were observed solely in arboreal habitats, whether in the forest fragments or in the UM areas. Only Cynomops planirostris, Eumops sp., Molossus molossus, Molossus rufus, and Promops centralis were recorded in strictly urban habitats, and they did not show differences in activities between FF and UM. These results indicate the ability of these bats to adapt to structural habitat changes within an urban matrix, reaching the highest levels of synanthropy. Our results demonstrate that the impact of urbanization on bat assemblages can be mitigated by maintaining green areas within an urban matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In anurans communities, vocalizations play a fundamental role in social interactions, being the most important behavioral modality of communication. Therefore, the description of acoustic signals is indispensable for understanding aspects of their evolutionary history. The Cycloramphus genus consists of 30 species allocated into five groups, of which only 19 have the vocalization described. Cycloramphus lithomimeticus is a small-sized frog belonging to the C. granulosus group. This poorly known species is associated with rock surfaces near waterfalls in Atlantic montane forests, restricted to the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Currently, it’s classified as Near Threatened species category of IUCN and many aspects of its natural history remain unknown. Herein, we describe the advertisement call of C. lithomimeticus extending its known geographical distribution and providing additional data on the natural history of the species. We recorded and analyzed 44 calls from 10 males of C. lithomimeticus. The advertisement call of C. lithomimeticus consists of a single pulsed note with 0.3–0.8 sec of duration, emitted sporadically, with an interval between calls of 27.5–226.3 sec, composed by 7–17 pulses emitted at a rate of 18–26/sec, with a peak frequency of 2062.5–3000 Hz. After defining the correspondence between structures for systematic purposes, we made a comparative analysis determined by establishing homology connections with other species of the genus. According to our dominant frequency evolutionary reconstruction, an evolutionary increase in frequency mainly occurred in the C. lithomimeticus species lineage from an ancestral dominant frequency of 1500 Hz of the clade with C. eleutherodactylus species group, C. granulosus species group, and C. fuliginosus species group. This study contributes to our knowledge about the biology of C. lithomimeticus, and our results provide basic data for further acoustic, taxonomic and ecological studies in the genus Cycloramphus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Habitat loss, fragmentation, and land conversion for human use are currently the main drivers of biodiversity loss in the Neotropics. Agropastoral and silvicultural activities are especially important, as they have expanded in the last decades due to the increasing demand for global food and wood production. This presents a challenge in developing management strategies that balance biodiversity conservation with productivity, which can only be achieved through a better understanding of biodiversity responses to landscape changes. In this study, we investigated how landscape changes affect the species richness, relative abundance, and species composition of a bat community in a fragmented landscape in southeastern Brazil, using an approach that integrates data from mist-nets and bioacoustics. Forest cover at intermediate and large scales was the best predictor of bat richness and relative abundance, as well as the relative abundance of frugivorous bats. For open and edge space aerial insectivorous bats, landscape variables did not have a strong explanatory power, suggesting that other variables may better predict their relative abundance. Our study highlights the importance of using multiple sampling methods to study Neotropical bats, as well as the importance of the multiscale approach to evaluate landscape effects on biological communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocalization is the main form of communication in many animals, including frogs, which commonly emit advertisement calls to attract females and maintain spacing. In noisy environments such as streams, mechanisms to maximize signaling efficiency may include vocal plasticity and/or movement of individuals to quieter sections, but which strategy is used is still uncertain. We investigated the influence of stream geophony on the advertisement call of the torrent frog Hylodes perere in the Atlantic Rainforest, in southeastern Brazil. In a mark-recapture study, we tested if males remain in their territories and thus adjust their advertisement calls to maximize their communication. We ran linear mixed models to verify the relationship of call parameters and stream geophony, body size, and environmental temperature. We found that males remained in the same location across time, increased call intensity in noisier environments, but did not reduce call effort. Males also increased the dominant frequency in these situations, suggesting a modulation in this parameter. Our results indicate that territoriality is an important factor for males to increase call intensity to surpass stream noise instead of repositioning along the stream. However, because call effort was maintained, we suggest that sexual selection is crucial in this system, favoring males that better detect others and adjust their call efficiency. This is the first study to evaluate simultaneously frog movements and adaptations to geophony, which contributes to the investigation of the concomitant environmental and sexual selective pressures in species that communicate in noisy environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As urban areas expand due to increasing human populations, natural habitats are diminishing in quantity and quality. We conducted a study to examine the response of diurnal acoustic communities along a gradient of environments, ranging from native to dense urban areas. We hypothesized that acoustic indices would decline with urbanization, transitioning from natural and rural areas to urban environments. We conducted the research in and around Brasília, Central Brazil. We deployed 24 digital recorders in native, rural, low‐density and high‐density urban areas. We employed five commonly used acoustic indices (ADI, ACI, NDSI, H and BI) to characterize the acoustic communities and represent the existing biodiversity numerically. We initially compared the index values across different land use types using a non‐parametric rank sum test. Subsequently, we selected eight landscape metrics and performed a principal component analysis to summarize the surrounding matrix at each sampling point. We then employed generalized linear models to determine if the acoustic indices exhibited the anticipated variations. The results indicated significant variations in all indices among the different land use types, indicating their responsiveness to distinct acoustic communities and environmental characteristics. ADI, H and NDSI exhibited declining values from native to urban areas, while ACI and BI displayed the opposite trend. These findings underscore the influence of landscape structure on acoustic indices. Consequently, we concluded that adopting appropriate landscape planning, mainly through integrating natural and urban areas, could help preserve biodiversity in tropical urban regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Despite the importance of coastal habitats for the provision of many ecosystem services, these areas are currently among the most impacted by human activities. Impacts on coastal ecosystems may affect many key species, such as the Guiana dolphin, which inhabits Sepetiba Bay in south‐eastern Brazil, a highly degraded environment owing to a human‐induced rapid environmental change.In this context, this study investigates the potential changes in the local Guiana dolphin behaviour, group structure, bioacoustics, site fidelity and habitat use over the past 20 years.For this, a historical database (1998–2007) was compared with current data on the local dolphin population (2017–2019).Between 2017 and 2019, the Guiana dolphins form significantly smaller groups (W = 3262.5, P > 0.001), spend more time foraging (61 vs. 10% in the past), emit whistles at a considerably lower rate (decreasing by 85.2%), have reduced site fidelity and now use a larger area.As Sepetiba Bay has been severely impacted by human activities in the recent past, with profound consequences for much of its biodiversity, the observed changes in dolphin behaviour are probably a consequence of habitat degradation and, in particular, of reduced prey availability. These findings have important implications for the management and conservation of the Guiana dolphin population of Sepetiba Bay.To break this human‐induced rapid environmental change, it will be essential to minimize the spatio‐temporal overlap of anthropogenic impacts, to avoid cumulative impacts. To mitigate anthropogenic impacts on the Guiana dolphins of Sepetiba Bay, it will be important to direct the following actions: (i) the regulation and control of anthropogenic noise; (ii) reduction and control of the release of chemical contaminants and organic effluents; (iii) more effective controls on vessel traffic within the areas used preferentially by the Guiana dolphin; and (iv) the implementation of measures to avoid overfishing and bycatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anurans communicate using different modes, such as acoustic, visual, and chemical signaling, which can be displayed independently or in a multimodal context. While knowledge of anuran acoustic communication has advanced substantially in recent decades, few reports have shown that amphibians communicate using seismic signals. Here we describe the vocal repertoire of the Neotropical marsupial frog, Fritziana tonimi, and report for the first-time a vocal response to a non-vocally induced plant-borne vibration in an anuran. Their advertisement call was emitted in a long call series. Calls had durations of 21-744 ms, were presented in 1-9 notes, had dominant frequencies of 2.24-3.10 kHz, and covered up to seven frequency bands. A single-pulse call resembling a short whistle was frequently emitted in response to a human touching a bromeliad leaf. We hypothesize that if F. tonimi could sense leaf movement produced by a conspecific, this call may be for reproduction or aggressive purposes. Further, this short call could have advantages over the more common long call series in that it could inform conspecifics of the presence of another male in the bromeliad while spending less energy and possibly lowering the risk of attracting predators. Future research could investigate whether other frogs communicate via seismic signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenotypic differentiation among animal populations is common, yet few studies have simultaneously examined the adaptive and neutral mechanisms behind it. Such evolutionary processes become more relevant in species with complex behaviours that undergo global and local selective pressures throughout their geographical range. Here we measured and compared morphological and acoustic variation across the distribution range of a Neotropical gladiator tree frog that shows elaborate reproduction (territoriality, complex courtship and female choice). We then incorporated molecular and landscape data to examine the roles of sexual selection, genetic drift and acoustic adaptation to the environment in call differentiation, i.e. the acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH). We found that calls varied more than morphology among populations, but differences in calls or morphological traits were not explained by genetic differentiation. We found no evidence for the AAH, but a significant relationship in the opposite direction regarding call frequencies suggests an indirect role of sexual selection. Differentiation on call traits that are associated with individual discrimination and/or female attraction also corroborated an important role of sexual selection. We show that multitrait and multimechanism approaches can elucidate intricate processes leading to phenotypic variation among individuals and populations. We emphasize that studies of species with complex reproductive behaviours across their range may provide insights into different selective pressures leading to phenotypic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tettigoniidae is the most diverse family within Orthoptera; its species inhabit forests all over the world, with the tropical and subtropical forests hosting the greatest number of species. Brazil is the country with the largest remnants of preserved forests, and is the country with the most recorded species of katydids. Even so, only two faunistic inventories have been carried out, both in the Atlantic Forest. The main objective of this work was to provide a faunistic inventory of Tettigoniidae in the Guartelá State Park, Paraná State, Southern Brazil, a park that preserves both the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. In this contribution 57 species of Tettigoniidae were recorded, with Phaneropterinae being the most diverse subfamily, represented by 36 species; Conocephalinae was represented by 19 species, whereas Meconematinae and Pseudophyllinae had only one species each. Among these species, five are new and are herein described: Conocephalus (Anisoptera) guartela sp. nov. (Conocephalinae: Conocephalini), Anaulacomera (Cervicercora) melloi sp. nov., Anaulacomera (Anaulacomera) szinwelskii sp. nov. (Phaneropterinae: Phaneropterini), Anisophya hemanuelae sp. nov., and Xenicola nunoi sp. nov. (Phaneropterinae: Odonturini). The calling songs of three of the new species were also recorded and are herein described and discussed, as well as the sounds of all species of the subgenus Conocephalus (Anisoptera). The relationship of some katydid species to plants is also described and discussed, as well as the feeding habits and other aspects of natural history, and the presence of some species in the driest areas of the park, representing the Cerrado, the biome with the lowest number of tetigonids recorded so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The delimitation of cryptic species is a challenge for biodiversity conservation. Anurans show high cryptic diversity levels, and molecular species delimitation methods could help identify putative new species. Additionally, species delimitation approaches can provide important results for cryptic species conservation, with integrative methods adding robustness to results. Ischnocnema manezinho was described from Santa Catarina Island (SCI), southern Brazil. More recently, some inventories indicated continental populations supposedly similar in morphology to it. If these records are confirmed as I. manezinho, it would likely change its endangered status on National Red List, removing the species from conservation agendas. We investigated the threatened frog Ischnocnema manezinho, to evaluate if the continental populations belong to this species or if they form an undescribed species complex. Methods. We used coalescent, distance, and allele-sharing-based species delimitation methods and integrative analyses of morphometric and bioacoustics traits to test evolutionary independence between I. manezinho from SCI, Arvoredo Island, and continental populations. Results. Ischnocnema manezinho is restricted to Santa Catarina Island, while the five remaining lineages should be further investigated through a taxonomic review. Our results point to a small geographic range of Ischnocnema manezinho. Additionally, the species occurs in isolated fragments of forest in SCI surrounded by expanding urban areas, confirming its status as Endangered. Thus, the protection and monitoring of I. manezinho and the taxonomic description of the continental and Arvoredo Island candidate species should be priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Surveying biodiversity using bioacoustics has become increasingly common worldwide, although it is mostly concentrated in temperate regions. The variety of automatic recorders, the development of free analytical tools, and several acoustic indices have increased the number of studies worldwide. The bioacoustic approach is essential for application in poorly surveyed regions with the pressure of human activities, such as the Brazilian cerrado. We tested the association of four bat diversity metrics (taxonomic, phylogenetic, and two functional diversity metrics, being one based on morphological and the other on acoustical traits, with five commonly used acoustic indices. We used a dataset of 608.4 h obtained from 30 sampling points in three protected areas in Central Brazil. Using Flexible Discriminant Analysis, we identified 21 bat species used in our subsequent analysis. The Entropy index was the best predictor of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, whereas the Acoustic Complexity Index was the best predictor of functional morphological diversity. We concluded that acoustic indices are suitable for estimating the diversity of insectivorous bats in the cerrado. However, we registered only part of the bat community, and bats can vary seasonally masking the real diversity of the study area; thus, this method should be used parsimoniously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scinax belloni is a small bromeligenous treefrog that lives in the mountainous areas of southeastern Brazil. The call of the species has been previously described, but recently gathered data revealed an unreported acoustic unit that we describe herein. Intraspecific variation within the species call was also updated based on an increased sample size. The call is composed of two types of multipulsed notes: a short note, which is in agreement with the previous description, and a trill note that is emitted in association with the short note. The trill note was likely not reported in the previous description because of the small sample size. Further studies should elucidate the social function of the trill note. Acoustic units somewhat resembling the trill note are shared by a few other Scinax species, but the nomenclatural instability of these calls hamper detailed comparisons. This highlights the need for a standardized and comparative acoustic analysis to elucidate homologous and comparable acoustic units among the bromeligenous Scinax species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are a complex and diverse group, making their study remarkably challenging. Several methods allow the study of bats, e.g. mist-nets and acoustic monitoring (AM). We compare the use of AM and mist-nets to inventory bats in a mountainous region of São Paulo state, Brazil. We provide a species list for the study area based on species registered with both methodologies, comparing with a species list known for the state, obtained from the literature. We calculated beta diversity between methodologies to evaluate the dissimilarity in species composition sampled with these methods. We also performed a PCA to evaluate if the bat fauna sampled with AM showed species-habitat associations. We recorded 15 species/sonotypes through AM and 22 species through mist-nets. Beta diversity revealed 97% of dissimilarity in species composition. The turnover component explained 96% of this dissimilarity. PCA revealed that Vespertilionidae bats were associated with border/cluttered habitats, while Molossidae bats were present in all habitat types. The species list for the state comprises eighty species. Our inventory recorded more than 25% of this fauna. Mist-nets are efficient for sampling low-flying/low-intensity echolocating bats. AM is crucial for sampling high-flying/high-intensity echolocating bats. This is the second study to use AM to inventory bats in this state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypostomus is the most diverse genus within Loricariidae. These catfish species exhibit a very conservative morphology with relatively few external characteristics that differ between different species. In consequence, there is a challenge to understand the distinction of species of this genus. This study aims to describe the sounds produced by ten species of Hypostomus from Araguari River and Paraopeba River (Minas Gerais, Brazil), to examine whether acoustic features could be used to distinguish between the species, and to understand the corresponding sound production mechanisms. The fish were recorded making sounds by holding them in hand underwater, in a glass tank on the river shore next to where they had been caught. All ten species produced sounds, and no effect of body size on acoustic features was observed. Furthermore, the species could not be distinguished using acoustic features. Likewise, all the studied species exhibited similar bony ridges on the dorsal processes of the pectoral spine. Since the sounds produced by the fish do not seem to exhibit interspecific specificity, they do not appear to have a role in behaviours requiring conspecific recognition, such as reproduction. Sound production may have an alarm, distress, or acoustic aposematism function warning predators of the presence of pectoral spines, which have an anti‐predatory function in this clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underlying biological processes can often shape phenotypic variation. Although subtle, the variation in plumage colour of the Azure Jay (Cyanocorax caeruleus) has long been suggested to be of phylogeographic importance, but this hypothesis was not tested. This species' distribution in the Atlantic Forest biome of south-eastern Brazil is divided into two ecologically distinct portions by the Serra do Mar mountain line. The availability of Parana Pine (Araucaria angustifolia) seeds is essential for the survival of Azure Jays in the western range but not in the eastern range. Here we quantify Azure Jay geographic variation using three datasets, including vocalisations, morphology and plumage colour. All available data independently supported the hypothesis of divergence between east and west. Azure Jays in the western range tend to have: (1) larger body dimensions, (2) vocalisations with lower pitch and entropy, and (3) a greenish-blue plumage, than those in the eastern range. Based on the available data on this species' ecology, life history and sociality, we discuss how features from the western range could indicate specialisation in habitat use. We discuss potential links between our results and the past of the Atlantic Forest and the implications for this species conservation in a highly threatened habitat. Finally, we highlight the pressing need for demographic and molecular evidence to make data-oriented and effective decisions for this species conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we describe for the first time the release call of Rhinella crucifer in addition to comparing its advertisement call with other species of your group. The records were made in an area of Atlantic Forest, named Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Matas de Sirij, in the municipality of São Vicente Férrer, state of Pernambuco, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. At 18 June 2019, 24 advertisement vocalizations of four males were recorded, of which three emit 31 release calls. The results showed a structural difference between the two types of vocalizations, such as the presence of pulses defined, harmonics and greater modulation in the release call. Compared to other Rhinella species of the crucifer group, the release call of R. crucifer had a greater resemblance to R. ornata in the duration and interval of notes and number and interval of pulses. While the proximity of the dynamic parameters of the advertisement call with R. casconi, the highlight was the compatibility of the dominant frequency with R. inopina. This work adds new information on the vocal repertoire of the species, which contributes to information about your natural history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species distribution modelling (SDM) gained importance on biodiversity distribution and conservation studies worldwide, including prioritizing areas for public policies and international treaties. Useful for large-scale approaches and species distribution estimates, it is a plus considering that a minor fraction of the planet is adequately sampled. However, minimizing errors is challenging, but essential, considering the uses and consequences of such models. In situ validation of the SDM outputs should be a key-step—in some cases, urgent. Bioacoustics can be used to validate and refine those outputs, especially if the focal species' vocalizations are conspicuous and species-specific. This is the case of echolocating bats. Here, we used extensive acoustic monitoring (>120 validation points over an area of >758,000 km2, and producing >300,000 sound files) to validate MaxEnt outputs for six neotropical bat species in a poorly-sampled region of Brazil. Based on in situ validation, we evaluated four threshold-dependent theoretical evaluation metrics' ability in predicting models' performance. We also assessed the performance of three widely used thresholds to convert continuous SDMs into presence/absence maps. We demonstrated that MaxEnt produces very different outputs, requiring a careful choice on thresholds and modeling parameters. Although all theoretical evaluation metrics studied were positively correlated with accuracy, we empirically demonstrated that metrics based on specificity-sensitivity and sensitivity-precision are better for testing models, considering that most SDMs are based on unbalanced data. Without independent field validation, we found that using an arbitrary threshold for modelling can be a precarious approach with many possible outcomes, even after getting good evaluation scores. Bioacoustics proved to be important for validating SDMs for the six bat species analyzed, allowing a better refinement of SDMs in large and under-sampled regions, with relatively low sampling effort. Regardless of the species assessing method used, our research highlighted the vital necessity of in situ validation for SDMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first records of Scinax ruberoculatus Ferrão, Fraga, Moravec, Kaefer & Lima, 2018 in the state of Amapá, Brazil. We provide an updated distribution map of this species, comment on its occurrence in French Guiana and Suriname, and provide morphometric and bioacoustic data for a population from the municipality of Porto Grande, Amapá, including the first description of the species’ territorial call. This record from Porto Grande extends the distribution of S. ruberoculatus approximately 1430 km northeast from its type locality and helps to better understand its actual distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anuran calls descriptions have given important taxonomic information in studies within problematic species group. Herein, we describe the advertisement and release calls of R. scitula. We analyzed calls recorded in three localities in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, including the type locality. Males were calling at the margins of permanent streams in forest fragments ca. 21:00 h. The advertisement call of R. scitula is multi-pulsed with interior amplitude modulation, resulting in pulse groups. Males emitted non-regular call series with duration of 0.27s ± 0.03 (0.23-0.36), note duration of 0.015s ± 0.004 (0.007-0.040), pulse duration of 0.008s ± 0.001 (0.005-0.015, n=180), pulse group per call of 6.6 ± 0.92 (5-8) and dominant frequency" of 1439.7 Hz ± 46.1 (1378.1-1550.4). The release calls were characterized by' a dominant frequency of 1115.8Hz ± 102.2 (947.5-1550.4), a frequency bandwidth of 2001.6Hz ± 527.4 (861.3-3876). They are formed by pulsed and/or pulsatile notes spaced by non-regular intervals or series of 2-19 calls. From all R. margaritifera species group with described advertisement calls, the most different to R. scitula and other species in the group was II magnussoni, which has a structurally' distinct call. The release calls in R. granulosa species group and R. scitula has the same pattern of pulsed and/or non-pulsed notes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The genus Aplastodiscus currently includes 15 valid species, and a further five candidate species have already been pointed out in the literature. We here describe one of these candidate species, assigned to the A. albosignatus group, from the southeastern slopes of the Espinhaço Range, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The new species is cryptic with A. cavicola, being morphologically similar in both adult and larval stages. However, the two species are not sister taxa. The advertisement call of the new species is markedly distinct from all other known species of its genus. Examination of topotypic samples of A. cavicola corroborates the presence of this species in the Espinhaço Range, but also indicates the need for a revision of the taxonomic status of populations from the state of Rio de Janeiro assigned to this taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advertisement call of Macrogenioglottus alipioi was firstly described 40 years ago from Santa Teresa municipality, Espírito Santo state, Brazil. With the advancement of digital recording and call analysis in bioacoustics, we redescribe the advertisement call of M. alipioi from a population close to its type locality, municipality of Uruçuca, Bahia. Additionally, we describe the release call and provide morphometric data. The advertisement call of M. alipioi consists of a simple pulsatile structured call, which can be emitted alone or in a series of 4–9 calls. The mean call duration is 0.46 ± 0.04 s (0.35–0.55 s) and dominant frequency ranges from 344.5 to 430.7 Hz (366.2 ± 37.56 Hz). The release call of M. alipioi usually has a pulsatile spindle-shaped waveform with harmonics and sidebands in the spectrum. The mean call duration is 0.175 s ± 0.067 (0.032–0.314 s) and dominant frequency ranges from 387.60 to 559.90 Hz (420.99 Hz ± 30.63 Hz). Males (95.3 ± 5.5 mm) and females (99.6 ± 7.8 mm) do not differ in body length, although they present significant differences related to morphometric variables of the hind limbs. We provide new bioacoustical and morphometric data of M. alipioi from a population close to its type locality. This information can help future studies that aim to define the range of a species that is widely distributed in the Atlantic Forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anurans communicate information during breeding activity to conspecifics mainly through acoustic signals, and different evolutionary forces may produce geographic variation in such communication systems. To understand which variables influenced geographic variation in the advertisement call of Dendropsophus nanus, a generalist species with a broad distribution in South America, we tested three nonexclusive hypotheses: geographic distance, environmental temperature, and body size. The advertisement call of this species consists of two note types: Type A, which functions in spacing among males in aggregations, and Type B, which may influence female choice. To determine the effect of the three explanatory variables on each note, we sampled nine populations in central and southern Brazil. We found that geographic distance and temperature were the main variables explaining variation in both notes. An exploratory analysis revealed differences in the advertisement call between populations in western and eastern localities. Because temperature was spatially structured, geographic distance may have produced variation in temperature along the longitudinal gradient, resulting in the observed variation in bioacoustic parameters among populations. Also, we observed that individuals in warmer localities were smaller than those from colder localities, and this difference in body size was correlated to the note repetition rate of Type A notes. Our findings indicate that variation in acoustic parameters may be an indirect result of temperature acting on body size. Thus, geographic variation in the advertisement call of D. nanus may be due to both neutral and selective processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anuran calling activity is linked to adequate environmental conditions, especially relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall. Consequently, the breeding season is frequently concomitant to the rainy season for most anuran species. This applies in particular to species that reproduce in temporary water bodies, such as our focal species Leptodactylus flavopictus. We assessed the daily and annual calling activity of L. flavopictus through passive acoustic monitoring during a one-year period at Reserva Betary, southeastern Brazil. We redescribe its advertisement call and tadpole, adding details previously unavailable. Adults of L. flavopictus presented seasonal activity, with calls being detected mostly between August and December. The most intense calling activity (in terms of greater calling rates) was detected during spring between October and November. Calling activity was predominantly nocturnal, with an increase of call rates soon after sunset, peaking about 6 hours after sunset. The advertisement call of L. flavopictus is a short, non-pulsed single, note, low pitched (280-680 Hz), and contains harmonics. The tadpole presented morphological traits similar to those of other leptodactylids from temporary ponds, such as L. vastus, for example. The presence of keratinized mouthparts, the shape of labial tooth, and a simple internal oral morphology suggest that this species is at least facultatively carnivorous. During this study, we collected more than 200 hours of soundscape recordings, which included vocalizations of other animals (as birds, other frogs, and insects) that may be used for future community ecology research. We, therefore, reinforce the use of passive acoustic monitoring for studies on anuran behaviour, and the inclusion of advertisement calls and tadpole descriptions in taxonomic and systematic studies, as these features have shown to be important in elucidating questions on anuran evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic signals are used in diverse social contexts by frogs and serve as relevant tools for studies on evolution, description and identification of species. Here, we described the advertisement, aggressive and release calls of Rhinella sebbeni, a poorly known toad from the Rhinella margaritifera species group. The description of the vocal repertoire of R. sebbeni was based on eight males from the municipality of Terezópolis de Goiás, State of Goiás, Brazil. Calling activity of R. sebbeni is crepuscular and calls consist of non-harmonic pulsed notes. The advertisement call classified as type II, had an average duration of 0.299 s and dominant frequency of 1,266 Hz. Aggressive call duration was 0.288 s and dominant frequency of 1,292 Hz. Finally, the release call duration was 0.021 s and dominant frequency 979 Hz. We found that advertisement call of R. sebbeni and its calling activity were similar to those of other species in the R. margaritifera group. We argued that release calls are useful for identification in this taxonomically complex group. We also emphasize the importance of acoustic and natural history data to help clarify the taxonomic status of species belonging to groups such as R. margaritifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anurans living in species-rich assemblages may experience acoustic niche overlap. To deal with potential masking interference during reproductive activity, species can present acoustic partitioning based on differences in calling period. Studies addressing this question in tropical assemblages have mainly focused on the seasonal scale, and little is known about nightly variation in calling. Here, we reported on phenology and abundance of five tropical anuran assemblages at both seasonal and daily scale and tested the effects of temperature and relative humidity on calling activity patterns of 19 species. Based on 420 hourly acoustic surveys, an overall peak of calling activity in between the first and fourth hour after sunset was identified by Rayleigh's circular test, with a gradual decrease until sunrise. This nightly pattern was followed by most of the species in the assemblages and similarly observed for species presence and abundance of calling males. The acoustic niche overlap was greater than expected by chance within the assemblages, while no pattern of coincidence or segregation was found for the syntopic congeneric species (Dendropsophus, Boana and Leptodactylus). Moreover, the calling activity of the assemblages, measured as richness and diversity of calling species, was negatively influenced by air and water temperature and positively by relative humidity. Thus, climatic variables act as driver factors to determine calling activity and reproduction of anurans at daily scale. The absence of a segregation pattern at the assembly or genus levels in the calling activity over time indicates that the use of the acoustic temporal niche is not a limiting resource for Cerrado anurans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aplastodiscus musicus is a rare species and the only member of its genus that has not been included in previous phylogenetic studies. This species is known only from its type locality at Serra dos Órgãos National Park in southeastern Brazil, and has not been seen in over 21 yr. Here, we report the re-encounter of an individual of A. musicus at its type locality, describe its advertisement call for the first time, and present a hypothesis concerning its phylogenetic placement. The call of A. musicus is very simple and melodic, composed of one unpulsed note, and emitted at a high repetition rate. It differs from the call of all species of Aplastodiscus and is more similar to those of the A. albofrenatus group. The phylogenetic analysis, based on nuclear and mitochondrial data from all species of Aplastodiscus, recovered A. musicus as the sister taxon of all species currently assigned to the A. albofrenatus group with high support. Our results strongly support the reassignment of A. musicus to the A. albofrenatus group. Previous discussions regarding the evolution of the pericloacal morphology and chromosome number are also revised on the basis of the phylogenetic placement of A. musicus. The re-encounter of A. musicus highlights the importance of increased efforts to search for lost species, especially with the aid of bioacoustics, which permits individual detection and identification at great distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy demand created by the present model of economic growth has transformed the natural landscape. Changes in megadiverse environments should be accompanied by studies that describe and predict the effects of these changes on ecosystems, underpinning the avoidance or at least the reduction of impacts and species conservation. Wind farm impacts on bats are scarcely known in Brazil. To fulfill this gap on spatiotemporal patterns in bat fatalities in a wind complex in southern Brazil were analysed. Monthly surveys were done around 129 wind towers in search for bat carcasses between 2014 and 2018. The number of specimens found per species was analysed in annual sets and also seasonally to understand the influence of land use in the spatial pattern of bat fatalities. The activity of aerial insectivore bats was monitored using ultrasound detectors and modelled using Generalized Linear Models (GLM), using meteorological variables as predictors. As a result of 48 months of surveys, 266 carcasses of six insectivorous bat species were recorded. The highest number of fatalities belonged to Tadarida brasiliensis. Fatalities occurred exclusively between October and May (Austral Spring to Austral Autumn), mainly in towers near the closest urban centre. Most fatalities occurred in the first (69%) and fourth (17%) years of operation; fatalities were positively related to wind speed. Eighty-three percent of the bat activity occurred between 15 °C and 23 °C. To minimize fatalities of synanthropic bat species such as T. brasiliensis, we suggest that wind complexes should be located at least 4 km distant from the urban centres, where those species roost. Moreover, between December and March, when most species from subtropical and temperate South America reproduce, wind towers located closer to known roosts should shut down on warmer nights, when bats are more active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we revisit the advertisement call of Scinax montivagus based on new recordings from Rio de Contas, state of Bahia, Brazil. The species' call consists of a single type of multipulsed note of relatively short duration (mean = 192 ms), having two non-harmonically related emphasized frequency bands. The dominant frequency corresponds either to the lower or the higher band, or it may shift between both along call emissions. Herein, we assess and discuss call features that diverge from what is in the literature and also provide further details on the species call. We reinforce that detailed and standardized advertisement call descriptions of different Scinax species would contribute to acoustic diagnosis between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soundscape ecology, facilitated by the collection of environmental sounds, enables the determination of the area used by specific species, estimation of population abundance, verification of habitat health, and assistance in management and monitoring processes. Estuaries are key environments in the life cycle of many species. As coastal ecosystems, they face potential impacts by human activities. This study aims to characterize the soundscape of the Patos Lagoon estuary (PLE), Brazil, examining its temporal and seasonal variations. Additionally, it seeks to investigate the influence of temperature and salinity on sound pressure levels (SPL) across three different frequency bands throughout the year. For data collection, two autonomous devices - a SoundTrap digital recorder and an F-POD sampler - were used. The data collection spanned from September 2020 to August 2021 and covered one consecutive week per season. The analysis of audio files was performed manually using Raven software. Sound emissions by Lahille's bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) and fish were observed throughout the sampling period, with peak detections occurring during the summer and spring, respectively. Boat noise was detected throughout the year but more intensely in the summer. Generalized linear models (GLMs) revealed that, for the three SPL frequency bands, the season significantly influenced the composition of the PLE soundscape, with positive fluctuations in the warmer seasons (summer > spring > autumn > winter). Salinity, in turn, showed a slightly negative relationship with the SPL values in the three models, suggesting a decrease in frequencies with increasing salinity. Our results also indicate that the low-frequency SPL, originating mostly from various sources of anthropogenic noise, constitutes the main component of the PLE soundscape. In conclusion, our study provides novel insights into the temporal patterns of the soundscape in an urban estuary, including biotic and anthropogenic sounds, and their relationships with selected environmental variables. [Display omitted] • T. t. gephyreus and fish presented temporal variation in vocalization patterns. • The sound pressure level was strongly influenced by anthropogenic noise. • PAM can help in the detection of different species of conservation concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated analysis of acoustic communities is a rapidly emerging approach for the characterization and monitoring of biodiversity. To evaluate its utility, we should verify that such 'bioacoustics' can accurately detect ecological signal in spatiotemporal acoustic data. Targeting the 'Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project' sites in Brazil, we ask: What is the relative contribution of the spatial, temporal and habitat dimension to variation in bird acoustic communities in a previously fragmented tropical rainforest? Does the functional diversity of bird communities scale similarly to space and time as does species diversity, when both are recorded by bioacoustics means? Overall, is the imprint of landscape fragmentation 30 years ago still audible in the present‐day soundscape? We sampled forty‐four sites in secondary forest and 107 sites in old‐growth forest, resulting in 11 000 h of audio recordings. We detected 60 bird species with satisfactory precision and recovered a linear log–log relation between sampling time and species diversity. Sites in primary forest host more species than sites in secondary forest, but the difference decreased with sampling time, as the slope was slightly higher in secondary than primary forests. Functional diversity, as exposed by vocalizing birds, accumulates faster than does species diversity. The similarity among local communities decreases with distance in both time and space, but stability in time is remarkably high: two acoustic samples from the same site one year (or more) apart prove more similar than two samples taken at the same time but from sites situated just a few hundred meters apart. These findings suggest that habitat modification can be heard as a long‐lasting imprint on the soundscape of regenerating habitats and identify soundscape–area and soundscape–time relations as a promising tool for biodiversity research, applied biomonitoring and restoration ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A previous comparison of whistles using data sampled at 48 kHz suggested that certain frequency parameters vary along a latitudinal gradient. This geographical pattern may be biased because whistles sampled at higher frequencies could potentially have very different frequency contents. The current study compared the acoustic parameters of Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) whistles recorded at a higher sampling rate (96 kHz) and from groups occupying two never before sampled sites, Benevente Bay, Espírito Santo, Brazil, and Formosa Bay, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, with recordings of other populations in South America. By only considering data sampled at a rate of at least 96 kHz, we aimed to detect differences in whistles across locations. Contrary to previous findings, our analyses do not indicate any clear separation between northern and southern populations based on whistles, and do not corroborate the hypothesis of latitudinal acoustic variation in this species. The variation in Guiana dolphin whistle parameters found here appears to be influenced by latitude to some extent, but several other factors, including sampling method, environmental fluctuations, and social influence on vocal learning, may be confounding the detection of a geographic pattern in these whistle samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioacoustical data are useful for studying amphibians, especially their conservation, taxonomy, and evolution, among others. Of the 12 species of the Boana polytaenia clade, only B. buriti and B. latistriata have no published information about their advertisement calls. We recorded four males of B. latistriata in its type locality at Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, south-eastern Brazil. We used a Roland R26 digital recorder with a Sennheiser ME-67 microphone and analysed the recordings using the Raven Pro 1.5 software. We recorded two different types of calls (call A and call B). Both were composed of one pulsed note and presented a slightly ascending-descending frequency modulation. Call A was more frequent, having durations between 0.042 and 0.093 s with the dominant frequency ranging from 3375.0 to 3937.5 Hz, and was composed of 11 to 21 pulses separated by intervals that were not fully silent. Call B had durations between 0.711 and 1.610 s, with dominant frequency from 3281.2 to 3750.0 Hz, and was composed of 11 to 29 pulses separated by fully silent intervals. Among the B. polytaenia clade, the calls of B. latistriata are more similar to those of B. bandeirantes, B. beckeri, B. polytaenia, and B. aff. beckeri. The calls of B. latistriata differ from these species in its lower dominant frequency. Boana latistriata present a short, single-note call with a lower pulse period (call A) and a long call with higher pulse period (call B), which differ from the other species of the clade. The coefficients of variation for the various bioacoustical attributes were calculated within- and between-males and these have been discussed. We also report a fight event between two males of B. latistriata. This is the first report of a fight in members of the B. polytaenia clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bufonid genus Rhaebo contains 13 species, Rhaebo guttatus being one of the two species that occur in Brazil. Here we describe for the first time the release call of R. guttatus from the Brazilian Amazonia. Release calls are highly variable both in the temporal and in the frequency domains. The advertisement and release calls of Rhaebo guttatus are distinguished from each other by their temporal envelope, distribution of sound energy, and calling emission patterns. The acoustic characterization of release calls in Rhaebo could be potentially informative in the taxonomy of this genus, as previously reported for members of the bufonid genus Rhinella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brachycephalus are among the smallest terrestrial vertebrates in the world. The genus encompasses 34 species endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, occurring mostly in montane forests, with many species showing microendemic distributions to single mountaintops. It includes diurnal species living in the leaf litter and calling during the day, mainly during the warmer months of the year. The natural history of the vast majority of the species is unknown, such as their advertisement call, which has been described only for seven species of the genus. In the present study, we describe the advertisement call of Brachycephalus albolineatus, a recently described microendemic species from Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Methods: We analyzed 34 advertisement calls from 20 individuals of B. albolineatus, recorded between 5 and 6 February 2016 in the type locality of the species, Morro Boa Vista, on the border between the municipalities of Jaraguá do Sul and Massaranduba, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. We collected five individuals as vouchers (they are from the type series of the species). We used the note-centered approach to describe the advertisement calls of the species. Results: B. albolineatus have a long advertisement call of 40-191 s (mean of 88 s) composed of 8-29 notes (mean of 17 notes) emitted at a rate of 6-18 notes per minute (mean of 11 notes per minute) and at a note dominant frequency of five to seven kHz (mean of six kHz). Advertisement calls are composed of isolated notes and note groups (two notes involved in each particular note group); the former is composed by one to three pulses (mean of 2.0) and the note groups by two or three pulses in each note (mean of 2.7). Most advertisement calls present both isolated notes and note groups, with a few cases showing only the former. Note groups are emitted invariably in the last third of the advertisement call. Most isolated notes escalate their number of pulses along the advertisement call (1-2, 1-3 or 2-3). Note duration of isolated notes varies from 0.002 to 0.037 s (mean of 0.020 s) and duration of note group vary from 0.360 to 0.578 s (mean of 0.465 s). Discussion: Individuals increase the complexity of their calls as they proceed, incorporating note groups and pulses per note. Intra-individual variation analysis also demonstrated that less structured advertisement calls (i.e., with notes with fewer pulses) are not stereotyped. It is possible that isolated notes and note groups could have distinct functions, perhaps territorial defense and mating, respectively. We argue that using a note-centered approach facilitates comparisons with calls of congeners, as well as underscores the considerable differences in call structure between species in a single group and among species groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on concordant differences in male advertisement call, tadpole morphology, and absence of haplotype sharing in the barcoding 16S mitochondrial DNA, we describe here a new species of spotted leaf frog of the genus Phasmahyla from Atlantic Forest, State of Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil. The new species is most similar to P. cochranae (type locality) and P. spectabilis (type locality). It differs from these species by the size of the calcar, moderate-sized body (snout-vent length 30.4–34.4 mm in adult eight males), and in the advertisement call. The tadpoles of Phasmahyla lisbella sp. nov. differ from P. exilis, P. spectabilis, P. timbo, P. guttata and P. jandaia because they do not have row of teeth in the anterior part; differ from P. cruzi by the shape of the anterior end of the oral disc. Through genetic data (phylogenetic distance and haplotype genealogy) we diagnosed the new species where the genetic divergences among its congeners is about 3–6% in a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene, which is above the threshold typically characterizing distinct species of anurans. However, the new species can be distinguished from other congeneric species based on an integrative approach (molecular, bioacoustics, larval, and adult morphology). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) of fish sounds has been used as a means of detecting the presence and abundance of fishes. Prior to PAM, bioacoustical analyses of sounds are needed to characterize species-specific characteristics of calls. With hydrophones placed in outdoor ponds, we recorded the mating calls of three species of prochilodontid fishes ( Prochilodus argenteus, P. costatus, P. lineatus). Fish were induced to spawn and call by injection of carp ( Cyprinus carpio) pituitary gland extract. We recorded a total of 394 pulse train calls and additional single pulse calls that were not associated with trains. The trains of all three species were similar in nature - series of low frequency pulses that lasted from 1 to 11 s, often with an initial rapid rise followed by a slow tapering of pulse amplitude. Dominant frequency of single pulses and trains was greatest in P. lineatus, with P. costatus and P. argenteus exhibiting lower single pulse dominant frequencies, and P. costatus having lower train dominant frequency. With data from the three species combined, the dominant frequency of pulses significantly increased with fish standard length. There was also a significant linear relationship between the dominant frequency of pulses and trains. Discriminant function analysis showed that differences in train dominant frequency, pulse duration, and pulse period between the three species were significant enough to discriminate between them. This study was the first to fully characterize the sounds of these three Prochilodus species, and should assist fisheries biologists monitoring spawning behavior in these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, increasing human activity, such as agriculture and mining, and decreased landscape complexity, are negatively affecting numerous mammal species. For example, bat communities are becoming threatened in many locations mostly due to the loss of their preferred roosting and foraging habitats. Brazilian landscapes and their associated bat communities are no exception, with the situation being further exacerbated by recently adopted permissive environmental laws that have resulted in reduced biodiversity protection and conservation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand how landscape and environmental variables relate to bat activities in Brazil in order to support efforts for their conservation. We used acoustic monitoring data to investigate differences in foraging and social activity of insectivorous bats among four habitat types in a heterogeneous landscape in the Cerrado-Atlantic forest ecotone in southeastern Brazil. We also sampled insect availability and measured temperature at the same sites. Our results showed increased social activity and a greater number of species emitting social calls in karst, and increased feeding activity with a greater number of species emitting feeding buzzes in gallery forest. We also found a positive influence of both temperature and insect abundance on foraging and social activity. Our study provides new insights regarding habitat use by bats in a heterogeneous landscape, and demonstrates the importance of preserving different habitats in heterogeneous landscapes for the conservation of bat species and the ecological functions they perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduced species have the potential to become invasive and jeopardize entire ecosystems. The success of species establishing viable populations outside their original extent depends primarily on favorable climatic conditions in the invasive ranges. Species distribution modeling (SDM) can thus be used to estimate potential habitat suitability for populations of invasive species. Here we review the status of six amphibian species with invasive populations in Brazil (four domestic species and two imported species). We (i) modeled the current habitat suitability and future potential distribution of these six focal species, (ii) reported on the disease status of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei and Phyllodytes luteolus, and (iii) quantified the acoustic overlap of P. luteolus and Leptodactylus labyrinthicus with three co-occurring native species. Our models indicated that all six invasive species could potentially expand their ranges in Brazil within the next few decades. In addition, our SDMs predicted important expansions in available habitat for 2 out of 6 invasive species under future (2100) climatic conditions. We detected high acoustic niche overlap between invasive and native amphibian species, underscoring that acoustic interference might reduce mating success in local frogs. Despite the American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus being recognized as a potential reservoir for the frog-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in Brazil, we did not detect Bd in the recently introduced population of E. johnstonei and P. luteolus in the State of São Paulo. We emphasize that the number of invasive amphibian species in Brazil is increasing exponentially, highlighting the urgent need to monitor and control these populations and decrease potential impacts on the locally biodiverse wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat loss and fragmentation represent two of the most significant threats to biodiversity. In some regions, like the Brazilian Cerrado, the deforestation rate can reach nearly 1 million hectares per year. Ecoacoustics and acoustic indices can be used to promote rapid assessments in threatened regions. We evaluated how two particular indices (the acoustic diversity index − ADI − and normalized difference soundscape index − NDSI) reflect bird species richness and composition in a protected area near Brasilia city. We hypothesised that ADI should reflect the characteristics of birds in the cerrado and in the gallery forest, i.e., with higher values in gallery forest than in the cerrado. Based on habitat structure, we also hypothesised that NDSI should be lower in less complex habitat, and lower in areas close to urbanized areas. We assessed 30 locations by installing automatic recorders to generate 15 min wave files (48 kHz, 16 bits, stereo). Manual inspection of the files revealed the presence of 107 bird species (74 in gallery forest and 47 in cerrado). Our results showed that ADI was significantly associated with species richness, being higher in gallery forest than in the cerrado. We found that NDSI values were lower in areas close to highways, an important source of impact for bird diversity. We argue that acoustic indices are a valid approach for rapid biodiversity assessment, however basic knowledge on species occurrences is essential to interpret the values provided by these indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In anurans, acoustic communication is a major mechanism of pre-zygotic isolation, since it carries information about species recognition. Detailed descriptions of the acoustic properties of anuran advertisement calls provide important data to taxonomist and to the understanding of the evolution of the group. Herein we re-describe the advertisement call of the hylid frog Dendropsophus microps (Peters, 1872) after analyzing a larger sample than that of previous descriptions. We also compare the acoustic properties of the call in two populations and discuss the effect of the presence of the sister species, Dendropsophus giesleri (Mertens, 1950), a potential competitor, in one of the populations. Additionally, we provide information on calling sites and size of males. Males of D. microps emit two types of calls, which differ mainly in pulse repetition rate. Type "A" call has a mean frequency band varying from 4574 to 5452 Hz, (mean dominant frequency = 4972 Hz). Type "B" call has a mean frequency band varying from 4488 to 5417 Hz (mean dominant frequency = 4913 Hz). The calls of D. microps and D. giesleri are the only in the D. parviceps species group that have harmonic structure. The spectral properties of the call showed low intra-individual variation, being considered static, while the temporal properties were highly variable. Compared with males from the Boracéia population, males from the Ribeirão Grande population called from lower perches, and their calls had slightly lower frequency bands and significantly higher pulse rates in their type "B" calls. Inter-populational differences in acoustic properties, body size and use of calling sites could be related to selective forces associated with the presence of the sister species, a potential competitor for the population from Ribeirão Grande. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The calling song of the cricketsPhylloscyrtus amoenusandCranistus colliuridesare described and compared for the first time. These species are sympatric, and stridulate at the same time at day/night on shrubs and grasses surrounding a Brazilian semi-deciduous forest in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. We analyzed the dominant frequency and temporal parameters of the calling song of both species in order to clarify parameters that allow the sound to be effective in attracting conspecific mates. We found that their calling song was a continuous trill with the same dominant frequency, but temporal parameters such as pulse period, pulse rate and sound cycles per pulse were different, suggesting females could use them to find specific mates. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the circumstances and bioacoustics of Leptodactylus chaquensis during predation by Jhamnodynastes chaquensis in the pantanal of Brazil. It mentions that amphibians act as prey for many vertebrate and invertebrate groups of relatively high efficiency of converting ingested energy into biomass. It further highlights that snakes are among the most important predators of adult anurans.

Scinax littoralis and S. angrensis are poorly known Atlantic forest endemic species from the Scinax catharinae group, which is known from southern and southeastern Brazil. Herein, we describe the advertisement calls of these two species and compare them to other species within the S. catharinae group. Additionally, we provide information on breeding sites, and calling activity in S. littoralis. Advertisement calls of S. angrensis and S. littoralis are composed of multi-pulsed notes with multiple frequency bands and frequency modulation. Scinax littoralis has a higher minimum and maximum frequency, and lower dominant frequency than S. angrensis, while Scinax littoralis has a longer call. Scinax littoralis appears to be a habitat generalist, occurring from secondary to mature forests, and breeding both in temporary and in permanent ponds. Male S. littoralis were usually observed calling perched on shrub stems, and displayed satellite behavior when the male density was high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently there are only two recognized species in the genus Haddadus; however advertisement calls are known for neither of them. Herein, we describe the advertisement call of Haddadus binotatus from males recorded at the Serra Bonita reserve in the municipality of Camacan in southern Bahia, Brazil and provide morphometric data to allow further comparison with individuals from other localities. The advertisement call of the studied population can be characterized as short and low-pitched, with a low volume sound, consisting of a single note made up of 3-6 pulses and a length of 0.012-0.033 s. The dominant frequency ranges from 1033.6-1464.3 Hz. The SVL of males ranged between 32-38.6 mm and females between 50-55.8 mm. Females were significantly larger than males. Our data can help solving identity problems within this species, which is thought to be a species complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]