Courtship behavior and advertisement call geographic variation of Bokermannohyla luctuosa (Pombal Jr. and Haddad, 1993) (Hylidae, Cophomantini)

Abstract

Reproduction is an important aspect of the natural history of anuran species; it includes, for example, selection of the calling site by males, mate attraction, courtship, oviposition, and subsequent parental care. Among these, courtship is one of the least studied phases of anuran reproductive biology. Therefore, we describe for the first time the complex courtship of Bokermannohyla luctuosa, which involves tactile communication and two types of vocalizations: advertisement and courtship calls. These calls have a pseudo-pulsed structure, with the courtship call being similar to the advertisement call but longer in duration and lower in dominant frequency and relative peak power. Most of the behavioral repertoire of B. luctuosa courtship matches that reported for other Cophomantini species. Additional information on the natural history of phylogenetic closely related species, besides improving autoecological knowledge, will enable the recognition of behavioral synapomorphies for specific clades.