Syncope antenori: A Bromeliad Breeding Frog with Free-Swimming, Nonfeeding Tadpoles (Anura, Microhylidae)

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Copeia. Syncope antenori, inhabiting the Serrania del Sira mountain range (east-central Peru), is a microhylid whose larval life is adapted to bromeliads. Characteristic features include few eggs arranged in a filmlike clutch, a short developmental period, and limited larval growth. Syncope antenori deposits eggs in terrestrial, water-filled bromeliads (Guzmania weberbaueri). Eggs and tadpoles, found during the rainy season from Sept. to March, complete development within 25 days. Syncope antenori tadpoles are free swimming, nonfeeding, and have heavily yolkfilled gastrointestinal tracts until metamorphosis. They belong to reproductive mode 6 of Duellman and Trueb's classification system. This mode of reproduction was previously unknown for the neotropics. T HE genus Syncope Walker (1973) includestwo species, S. antenori Walker and S. carvalhoi Nelson. Syncope carvalhoi is known from a single locality in eastern Peru (Rio Ampi-Yacii, Nelson, 1975), whereas S. antenori is more widespread along the eastern slopes of the Andes from Ecuador to Peru. These diminutive frogs with reduced digits and toes are found in leaf litter on the forest floor, on leaves of low herbs and ferns, and in terrestrial bromeliads (Walker, 1973; Nelson, 1975). Although the biology and anatomy of adults are fairly well described, larval development of Syncope is unknown. Walker (1973) found heavily pigmented eggs in bromeliads from which adult S. antenori were collected, but he could not definitely assign them to Syncope. Eggs of S. carvalhoi described by Nelson (1975) lack any pigmentation. Based on the different pigmentation of eggs, Nelson suggested that two modes of reproduction occur in Syncope: (1) indirect development in S. antenori, and (2) direct development in S. carvalhoi. In contrast, Duellman (1978) and Duellman and Trueb (1985) intimated from the small number of ovarian eggs that S. antenori undergoes direct development (reproductive mode 17). Our investigation revealed that S. antenori has freeswimming, nonfeeding tadpoles that develop in water-filled bromeliads (mode 6 of Duellman and Trueb, 1985). This kind of reproduction is known from three microhylid genera from Madagascar: Anodonthyla boulengerii, Platypelis (= Platyhyla) grandis, and Plethodontohyla notosticta (Blommers-Schl6sser, 1975), and the Bornean microhylids Kalophrynus pleurostigma and Kalophrynus sp. (Inger, 1966; Berry, 1972). In this paper, we examine larval characteristics and overall growth of the bromeliad-dwelling tadpoles of S. antenori. The description of larval development in the form of...

Phylogeny, Taxonomic Revision, and Character Evolution of the GeneraChiasmocleisandSyncope(Anura, Microhylidae) in Amazonia, with Descriptions of Three New Species

“…Data on reproduction is scarce for many species of Chiasmocleis and Syncope, but is sufficiently well known to reject de Sá et al's (2012) claim. Syncope antenori has free-swimming nonfeeding tadpoles while direct development was suspected to occur in Syncope carvalhoi (Krü gel and Richter, 1995) and C. magnova (Moravec and Kö hler, 2007)-this was never proved by empirical evidence, only inferred from the relative large size and pigmentation of the eggs. On the other hand, most members of Chiasmocleis lay hundreds of small pigmented eggs and have exotrophic tadpoles (Duellman, 1978;Wogel et al, 2004;Lima et al, 2005;Oliveira-Filho and Giaretta, 2006;Rodrigues et al, 2008;Menin et al, 2011;Santana et al, 2012; P.L.V.P., personal obs.…”

“…In the later case, the following sources were consulted: Nelson, 1975;Duellman and Menselson III, 1995;Krü gel and Richter, 1995;Cruz et al, 1997;Cruz et al, 1999;Nascimento and Skuk, 2006;Moravec and Kö hler, 2007;Funk and Cannatella, 2009 A compilation of data on natural history, both from the literature and novel data (based on field notes and photographs), is given at the end of the manuscript, as is a brief comment on conservation. For these final sections, information on all species is compiled together.…”

Caracterização dos frutos, sementes e plântulas de espécies de Clusiaceae das restingas do Rio de Janeiro

“…Plântulas de Clusia foram registradas, com muita frequência, em bromélias. Nas condições da restinga, as bromélias-tanque representam um microhabitat relativamente estável, já que tendem a permanecer com água mesmo durante períodos de seca (Krügel & Richter 1995), devendo ser consideradas integrantes de elevada importância neste ecossistema (Rocha et al 2000(Rocha et al , 2004. A germinação das sementes no interior de bromélias, a chamada "síndrome das plantasberçários", é uma forma de interação positiva e tem sido relatada para a restinga (Scarano 2002;Martinez & Garcia-Franco 2004).…”

Reproductive biology of a bromeligenous frog endemic to the Atlantic Forest: Aparasphenodon arapapa Pimenta, Napoli and Haddad, 2009 (Anura: Hylidae)

“…Ranitomeya biolat, von May et al 2009), endotrophic tadpoles (e.g. Syncope antenori, Krügel and Richter 1995), oophagy (e.g. Osteopilus brunneus, Lannoo et al 1987), cannibalistic larvae (e.g.…”