Spatial and temporal distribution in two anuran communities in the Chapada do Araripe, Northeastern Brasil

Abstract

In this study, we report the temporal occurrence and habitat and microhabitat use by anurans in two areas located in one highland marsh (brejo-de-altitude) in northeastern Brazil. Fieldwork was carried out between September 2011 and September 2012. The recorded anurans belong to 14 species distributed in five families: Hylidae (six), Leptodactylidae (five), Bufonidae, Odontophrynidae and Pipidae (one each). Vocalization activity was seasonal and concentrated in the wetter and warmer months, but correlated to rainfall only in the top in the Chapada do Araripe. Richness and abundance of calling anurans were lower in the humid forest of the slope than in Cerradão area in the top of the Chapada do Araripe. Scinax x-signatus vocalized during nine months, and along with Dendropsophus soaresi, Phyllomedusa nordestina and Physalaemus cuvieri presented the longest periods of vocalization with the highest number of species vocalizing in at the height of the rainy season. Males were recorded vocalizing in nine different microhabitats, Adenomera sp. uses leaf litter and P. cuvieri the edge of water bodies as calling site both two sampled areas. Differences in richness and abundance of anurans between the two habitats are probably due to physical characteristics, such as presence of lentic environments. Keywords: Anurofauna, microhabitat use, seasonality. Resumo: Neste estudo são descritas a ocorrência temporal e o uso de habitat e microhabitat dos anuros de duas localidades em uma área de brejo de altitude no nordeste do Brasil. As amostragens foram realizadas entre setembro de 2011 e setembro de 2012. Foram registrados anuros pertencentes a 14 espécies distribuídas em cinco famílias: Hylidae (seis), Leptodactylidae (cinco), Bufonidae, Odontophrynidae e Pipidae (uma cada). A atividade de vocalizac¸ã o foi sazonal e concentrada nos meses mais ú midos e quentes, mas correlacionada somente com as chuvas no topo da Chapada do Araripe. A riqueza e abundâ ncia de anuros vocalizando foram menores na floresta ú mida da encosta que na á rea de Cerradão do topo da Chapada do Araripe. Scinax x-signatus vocalizou durante nove meses, e juntamente com Dendropsophus minutus, D. soaresi, Phyllomedusa nordestina e Physalaemus cuvieri apresentou os períodos de vocalizac¸ão mais prolongados, com maior abundancia de indivíduos vocalizando no ápice do período chuvoso. Machos de anuros foram registrados vocalizando em nove microhabitats diferentes, Adenomera sp. utiliza serrapilheira e P. cuvieri a margem dos corpos d'á gua como sítios de vocalizac¸ão em ambas áreas amostradas. Diferenc¸as na riqueza e abundâ ncia de anuros entre os dois habitats estudados estão associadas às características estruturais dos mesmos, como a presenc¸a de ambientes lênticos. Palavras-chave: Anurofauna, uso do micro-habitat, sazonalidade.

Diet and Habitat Use of Proceratophrys ararype (Anura: Odontophrynidae), an Endemic Frog from the Chapada do Araripe, Northeastern Brazil

“…According to Da Costa et al (2017), the period of vocalization and/or the meeting of males can be influenced by increased precipitation and relative humidity and lower environmental temperature characteristic of twilight, which was the period of vocalization observed for Proceratophrys ararype. This was also reported for P. boiei (Forti, 2009) and P. cristiceps (Ferreira-Silva et al, 2016). In addition, the most frequent microhabitat was leaf litter, a characteristic of terrestrial species (Barbosa and Sousa Alves, 2014), corroborating findings for P. mantiqueira (Almeida-Santos et al, 2017) and Odontophrynus carvalhoi Savage and Cei, 1965 (Da Costa et al, 2017).…”

Are good fighters also good singers? The relationship between acoustic traits and fight success in the treefrog Pithecopus nordestinus (Phyllomedusidae)

“…Pithecopus nordestinus (Caramaschi 2006) is an anuran of the family Phyllomedusidae that is widely distributed in Northeast Brazil (Caramaschi 2006;Borges-Leite et al 2014;Santana et al 2015;Ferreira-Silva et al 2016). The species is arboreal and uses herbs and shrubs for v o c a l i z a t i o n ( C a l d a s e t a l .…”

“…Sampling was carried out between February and May 2017, during the rainy season, when the species reproduces and vocally active males are easily found. Most of the sampling was performed between 18:00 and 00:00 hours (70% of the observations), a period of time that encompasses most of the vocal activity of the species (Ferreira-Silva et al 2016). The rest of the sampling occurred during the early hours of dawn (between 05:25 and 07:30 hours), when agonistic disputes were also recorded.…”

Composição da Anurofauna em ambiente semiárido do Brasil com observações sobre atividade reprodutiva

“…The species of anurans that present reproductive modes dependent on accumulated water gather in these aquatic habitats suitable for oviposition and larval development, forming aggregations with high inter and intraspecific potential (Bertoluci and Rodrigues, 2002). The use of different microhabitats as reproductive sites facilitates spatial partitioning by anurans, and the reproductive activity of these individuals is strongly influenced by the availability of water bodies and mild temperatures (Ferreira-Silva et al, 2016).…”