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Photographs of the tomato frog, Dyscophus antongilii and its habitat. (A) Study pond with partial view of the garden. (B) Adult male. (C) Adult female. (D) Study pond and surrounding vegetation.
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Based on daily monitoring around an urban pond in the coastal town of Maroantsetra, from 2003-2011, we provide an analysis of the yearly reproductive activity of the tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii), a large-sized and prominent red-coloured microhylid frog from north-eastern Madagascar. Frogs were observed all year round but despite the limited c...
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... Saenz et al., 2006), or the availability of suitable sites for breeding (Sullivan, 1982). Temporally short breeding bouts were also suggested as an adaptation to reduce predation pressures (Woodward and Mitchell, 1990; Lucas et al., 1996), cannibalism (Petranka and Thomas, 1995), and the energetic costs of reproduction (McCauley et al., 2000). In temperate and subtropical regions that are char- acterized This study by distinct was carried dry and out wet in a seasons, pond within the reproduction the urban area of of pond-breeding Maroantsetra, anurans a small coastal occurs typically town located during in the north-eastern wet season while Madagascar in those that tropical is located and subtropical within an regions area of with very high little climatic yearly rainfall. variation The throughout town consists the year, mainly more of small species buildings demonstrate of one largely or two aseasonal storeys built breeding on sandy phenologies ground (Crump, 1974). with a network Duellman and Trueb (1994) of open ditches running throughout divided an the Amazonian town to drain anuran rainwater community and that partly reproduces sewage water. all year Most round houses into have continuous gardens breeders and numerous that potential- semi- abandoned ly breed every parcels night, are opportunistic scattered throughout breeders that the breed town. regularly D. antongilii after occurs heavy rains, at many and parts spo- radic within wet the and town, dry breeding breeders both that in breed ditches at irregular and in small intervals and after large heavy ponds. rains or throughout dry The spells, study respectively. pond (located They at suggest 15°25’47”S, that the 49°44’23”E) availability had of a breeding diameter sites of 6-7 dictates m and inter- was species surrounded variation by fences in breeding and garden phenology. areas, very close to several huts and houses, partial- The true tomato frog or northern tomato frog, Dyscophus antongilii is a representative of the Madagascar-endemic microhylid subfamily Dyscophinae that is related to Asian microhylids (Van Bocxlaer et al., 2006; Van der Meijden et al., 2007). Dyscophus is the sole genus in the subfamily, and it contains three species: D. insularis occurring in dry areas of Madagascar’s west coast, D. antongilii , living in a small area of the north-east and east coast, and D. guineti, the false tomato frog, living in eastern mid-altitude rainforest areas (Glaw and Vences, 2007). Dyscophus insularis is a medium sized (40-50 mm snout- vent length) and cryptically coloured species that breeds explosively in temporary as well as permanent ponds and has small tadpoles that complete their metamorphosis very fast (Glos, 2003; Grosjean et al., 2007; J. Glos, pers. comm.), the two closely related eastern species D. antongilii and D. guineti are larger (60-101 mm SVL), bright red-orange col- oured, breed in temporary as well as larger permanent ponds and have large-sized tad- poles that, as far as known, require a longer time to complete metamorphosis (Pintak, 1987; Glaw and Vences, 1994, 2007). While D. guineti is regularly exported from Mada- gascar for the exotic pat-trade and assessed within the Least Concern threat category, D. antongilii is considered to be Near Threatened and is listed in the Appendix I of the Con- vention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (Raxworthy and Nuss- baum, 2000) which largely inhibits legal exports for the pet trade taking place from Mad- agascar (Andreone et al., 2005, 2008). Due to the prominence of D. antongilii which in the area of the town of Maroantsetra and the nearby Masoala National Park is considered as an important flagship species for conservation, several studies have addressed aspects of its genetic structure (Chiari et al., 2006) and ecology (Tessa et al., 2007, 2011). Basic information on its activity, activity cycles, reproduction, and habitat choice is however still missing. Here we contribute to closing this gap in knowledge and provide an analy- sis on the yearly activity of a population of D. antongilii located in an urban area within Maroantsetra. This study was carried out in a pond within the urban area of Maroantsetra, a small coastal town located in north-eastern Madagascar that is located within an area of very high yearly rainfall. The town consists mainly of small buildings of one or two storeys built on sandy ground with a network of open ditches running throughout the town to drain rainwater and partly sewage water. Most houses have gardens and numerous semi- abandoned parcels are scattered throughout the town. D. antongilii occurs at many parts within the town, breeding both in ditches and in small and large ponds. The study pond (located at 15°25’47”S, 49°44’23”E) had a diameter of 6-7 m and was surrounded by fences and garden areas, very close to several huts and houses, partial- ly surrounded by a fence, and by some vegetation at the edges and in the water (Fig. 1), and populated by domestic ducks. This anthropogenic habitat is in the property of a local nature guide in Maroantsetra living in an adjacent house. The Dyscophus popula- tion found in and around the study pond was relatively large. For instance, from 12-15 February 2003 we performed intensive searches and collected 78 individuals, and on 24 February 2004 we found six males (snout-vent length 62-67 mm, hereafter: SVL) and 10 females (84-101 mm SVL) of which 3-5 were toe-clipped recaptures from the previous year. During a total of nine years (2003-2011) the local nature guide in whose proper- ty the Dyscophus study pond was located regularly undertook a daily monitoring of the tomato frog population in and around the pond, noting (1) the number of adult frogs observed Our long active term on the survey ground based and on in the the data water, from (2) 2003-2011 presence or provides absence evidence of egg clutches that D. which antongilii float in on Maroantsetra the water surface, breed almost and (3) all emission year round of calls as reflected by the frogs. in the Because temporal Dysco- dis- phus tribution males of often adults, call egg from clutches, concealed and calls positions (Figs and 2-3). the The design mean of rank our of study the number was so to of obtain adults observed daily data differed by untrained between observers, months calling (Kruskal-Wallis; intensity was H = estimated 20.87; df in = four 11; P relatively > 0.05) rough and between categories: years 0 (Kruskal-Wallis; = no calls heard H in = the 16.26; respective df = 8; afternoon/evening, P > 0.05), with counts 1 = few being isolated par- calls ticularly heard, high 2 = through regular 2003 calling, and 3 particularly = large choruses. low through A distinction 2007 (Fig. 4). between Despite calls of the differ- lack ent of apparent individuals climatic was seasonality not possible, in but the region the calling the breeding in large of choruses D. antongilii certainly can referred be roughly to multiple divided according individuals to calling its activity simultaneously. level into a high Presence activity of period freshly between laid eggs January-May was scored as and 0 = a lower no eggs, activity 1 = few period eggs, between and 2 = June-December large quantity (Fig. 2). of eggs corresponding to multiple clutch- es. When Freshly egg-laying laid eggs were took found place on in all consecutive months except days, November, a distinction and of with newly highest laid inci- eggs from dence those between laid April previously and May, probably while was calling not was always heard possible in all months for the untrained (Fig. 3) during observers, both but mornings because and the evenings. eggs hatch The after number 36 hours of adults (Pintak, 1987) observed this was possible relatively error stable is limited over the to a years, maximum with no period trend of of two declining days. Due values to (Fig. 4). the limitations The maximum concerning number the call of adult and individu- egg data, most als observed of our statistical per day during analyses the are transect based on walks the around counts the of adults. pond were Although 12 in call, 2004, egg 20 and in adult 2005, count 17 in 2006, data is 20 available in 2007, for 35 in every 2008, year 27 in from 2009, 2003 30 to in 2011, 2010, and due 35 to in logistic 2011. reasons in several years there are gaps of several months in the dataset (e.g., no complete data for January-February 2003). For the period January 2003 to January 2004, data on daily minimum and maximum temperature (°C) as well as daily accumulated precipitation (mm) and daily mean rela- tive humidity (%) were obtained from the meteorological station of Maroantsetra, at a dis- tance of less than 1 km from the study site; unfortunately, these meteorological data were not available for subsequent years. We used a non-parametric test, Kruskal-Wallis, to test for difference in adult numbers between years and between months. For the correlation analysis of 2003 climatic data with the phenological data we used Pearson pairwise cor- relation for the adult counts and Spearman rank correlation for the categorical eggs and calls. Statistical analysis was carried out using the statistical software JMP IN version 5.0 by SAS Institute, Inc. and SigmaPlot version 10.0 by Systat software, Inc. for the exponen- tial curve-fitting of the non-linear regression analysis. A table with all original data has been deposited in the Dryad data repository ( Our long term survey based on the data from 2003-2011 provides evidence that D. antongilii in Maroantsetra breed almost all year round as reflected in the temporal dis- tribution of adults, egg clutches, and calls (Figs 2-3). The mean rank of the number of adults observed differed between months (Kruskal-Wallis; H = 20.87; df = 11; P > 0.05) and between years (Kruskal-Wallis; H = 16.26; df = 8; P > 0.05), with counts being par- ticularly high through 2003 ...
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To understand the seasonal reproductive dynamics of Hypsiboas albopunctatus, a Neotropical treefrog, we studied the following components: 1) the influence of abiotic factors on seasonality, 2) how this seasonality relates to population dynamics, and 3) male breeding recruitment. We conducted fieldwork every month from August 2007 to July 2008 withi...
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... In addition to the identification and description of new taxa, there has been increasing interest in amphibian ecology (e. g., Andreone et al. 2013a;Heinermann et al. 2015;Riemann et al. 2015;Dubos et al. 2020), natural history (e. g., Rosa et al. 2011;Rocha et al. 2012;Starnberger et al. 2013;Lam et al. 2020), and conservation (Andreone & Luiselli 2000;Vallan et al. 2004). Some remarkable examples include the study of the reproductive phenology of the tomato frog Dyscophus antongilii (Segev et al. 2012), as well as the regular monitoring of species at some sites, thereby providing valuable data on population dynamics and the status of disease of highly threatened regional endemics (Andreone et al. 2014a(Andreone et al. , 2018aDubos et al. 2020). Using the skeletochronological method ( Fig. 4.3), which takes into account the number of lines of arrested growth (LAGs) within long bones, it was also possible to estimate the age profile of several amphibian species (Guarino et al. 1998(Guarino et al. , 2010(Guarino et al. , 2019Andreone et al. 2011;Tessa et al. 2011Tessa et al. , 2017. ...
... Clutch in advanced stage of fly larvae infestation (E). External morphology of the fly after emerging from the pupae (F).Segev et al. 2012) unlike anuran species of temperate zones, in which phenological patterns are influenced mainly by temperature ...
Studies of phenology and natural history of anurans provide information useful for its conservation. This is particularly important in current scenarios of emergent diseases, high rates of deforestation, and climate change. We recorded the timing of breeding of the Glass Frog Nymphargus grandisonae and its relationship to precipitation and environmental temperature for four years in a population located in the Central Andes of Colombia, South America. In addition, we recorded the causes of mortality in egg clutches of this species. We quantified infestation by fly larvae and its impact on the survival of embryos. We found that the reproductive activity of N. grandisonae (number of males calling) was seasonal and occurred in months with highest precipitation. The main cause of embryo mortality in clutches was associated with the infestation by a spittlebug fly of the genus c.f. Cladochaeta (Drosophilidae). The survival of embryos in infested clutches was significantly lower than in those clutches not infested by fly larvae. Our results provide baseline data for the monitoring of anuran population dynamics in the Andean region using the glass frog N. grandisonae as a model system.
... Regarding the results of the GLMM's, A. callydrias and D. ebraccatus reacted positively to minimum temperature, a result opposed to that found by Segev et al. (2012), who mentioned that in high elevations of around 900 m above sea level (our study site is located between 900 and 1,000 m of altitude), low temperatures may be a limiting factor for breeding activity. However, it is in temperate regions where temperature plays a major role in amphibian reproduction, whereas in the tropics, precipitation is the most important factor (Both et al., 2008;Ficetola & Maiorano, 2016), thus, a direct effect from rainfall was expected. ...
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.
... Ectothermic organisms such as amphibians mostly rely on external conditions for their physiological state and hence, their seasonal activity patterns, reproductive periods, and population dynamics (Wells 2010;Segev et al. 2012). Understanding species' activity patterns and phenology is crucial for planning targeted conservation and management actions (e.g., Heinermann et al. 2015), but also allows for the detection of putative shifts in response to unusual weather events and/or climate change (e.g., Visser and Both 2005;Moussus et al. 2009). ...
... The impact of environmental conditions on amphibian temporal diversity can be observed at two levels: the community level (through changes in species composition; Tonkin et al. 2017), and the population level (through effects on species activity; Segev et al. 2012). Most studies identified temperature (Bertoluci and Rodrigues 2002;Saenz et al. 2006;Schalk and Saenz 2016;Segev et al. 2012), rainfall (Duellman 1995;Bevier 1997;Gottsberger and Gruber 2004;Schalk and Saenz 2016) and humidity (Heinermann et al. 2015) as important drivers of amphibian species activity. ...
... The impact of environmental conditions on amphibian temporal diversity can be observed at two levels: the community level (through changes in species composition; Tonkin et al. 2017), and the population level (through effects on species activity; Segev et al. 2012). Most studies identified temperature (Bertoluci and Rodrigues 2002;Saenz et al. 2006;Schalk and Saenz 2016;Segev et al. 2012), rainfall (Duellman 1995;Bevier 1997;Gottsberger and Gruber 2004;Schalk and Saenz 2016) and humidity (Heinermann et al. 2015) as important drivers of amphibian species activity. Temporal activity may also be driven by intrinsic factors, with species exhibiting consistent peaks of activity between years (Duellman and Trueb 1994). ...
Seasonality exerts strong pressures on biodiversity patterns. Yet, temporal beta-diversity is poorly studied in tropical systems, and the drivers of variability in amphibian activity and seasonality remain largely unknown. We quantified intra- and interannual variation in temporal beta-diversity relying on a nine-year, year-round survey (51 species, n > 23 000) performed in a protected area (Betampona, Madagascar). We assessed the dependence on climate of beta-diversity and abundance using a distance-based redundancy analysis and generalised linear mixed models, respectively. Despite the majority of species being preferentially active during one specific period, beta-diversity and abundance were more variable between years than within years. Temporal variation in beta-diversity was best explained by temperature (but climate accounted for only 2% of variation). Species abundance was best explained by temperature (for 32% of the tested species), monthly humidity (30%) and monthly rainfall (24%). We found no climatic dependence for 24% of the species. Our results suggest that studies focusing on species phenology can be misleading when based on single-year surveys even in seasonal systems. The high interannual variability in diversity may be due to an adaptive responses to an important regime of stochastic events. Given the direction of the relationships between weather and abundances, we predict that a large proportion of amphibians would suffer from climate change in Madagascar. We emphasise the need to account for multiple temporal scales in studies of tropical species composition and abundance to better understand species phenology and their response to climate change, and make targeted conservation actions more effective.
... (Schulze et al. 2016) 96. (Segev et al. 2012) 97. (Somrimalala and Goodman 2004) 98. (Stephenson 1994) 99. ...
... Madagascar frog), and Aglyptodactylus inguinalis (Andreone and Nussbaum 2006;Vences et al. 1999b). Numerous mantellids are also found to occur outside of the pristine closed forests (Andreone 1994;Andreone 2004;Cadle 2004a;Gardner and Jasper 2009;Glos and Linsenmair 2004;Glos 2006;Ndriantsoa et al. 2017;Schmidt et al. 2009;Segev et al. 2012;Vallan 2000;Vences et al. 2003;Vences et al. 2004a;Vences et al. 2004b). Therefore, they are likely to come into close contact with D. ...
... This additionally makes their lack of resistance an important consideration for Malagasy amphibian conservation. Dyscophus guineti's tadpoles take a long time to metamorphose and therefore get very large (Segev et al. 2012), potentially allowing them to predate the toxic spawn of Duttaphrynus melanostictus. Fortunately for Dyscophus guineti, they are largely restricted to rainforest ponds (Tessa et al. 2011), unlike its nearthreatened relation (Andreone et al. 2005a;Raxworthy et al. 2008 Mantella cowanii's restricted range and preference for open areas will likely make it additionally vulnerable to the pressures presented by a generalist toad (Andreone et al. 2005a). ...
Invasive and introduced species can pose major ecological challenges to vulnerable
native wildlife. Biodiversity hotspots, in particular, require protection from this
significant cause of species loss. One hotspot, Madagascar, is experiencing the
accidental introduction of a potentially ecologically damaging species – the toxin
carrying bufonid toad, Duttaphyrnus melanostictus. The presence of these toxic
invaders drives fears that if such a species gains a foothold widespread poisoning of
Malagasy predators could occur, mirroring the invasion of Australia by Rhinella
marina. This includes numerous endemic and endangered species. The mechanism
by which the toxin acts upon organisms has been previously identified via the study
of toxin resistant versus toxin non-resistant taxa. Specific amino acid substitutions
are required on the organism’s Na+/K+–ATPase for them to be resistant to bufonid
toxin. This solution to combat the toxin is widely consistent across taxa providing a
method to discover and predict toxin resistance or vulnerability. Here I investigate
the Na+/K+–ATPase gene to detect vulnerability of a selection of Malagasy fauna to
the toxics of Duttaphrynus melanostictus. It is discovered that no tested species on
Madagascar have the capacity to survive ingestion of the novel toxin. The
vulnerability is found in all examined species, including snakes, frogs, lizards, lemurs
and tenrecs. The results suggest that the invasive Duttaphrynus melanostictus is
liable to have significant impact on Malagasy fauna.
... A multitude of field studies in several species of anurans have elucidated the within-and among-individual differences in calling activity in terms of chorus tenures across multiple nights [6][7][8]. These studies have shown that chorus tenures tend to vary across anuran species, from short abbreviated chorusing to prolonged continuous chorusing, primarily due to different breeding phenologies [9][10][11][12][13]. In orthopterans, field studies on the chorusing behaviour in different natural populations of the field cricket species Gryllus campestris L have primarily investigated behaviours such as timing of calling, presence of non-callers and burrow displacements, which may indirectly influence the temporal dynamics of chorusing [14][15][16][17]. ...
Amount of calling activity (calling effort) is a strong determinant of male mating success in species such as orthopterans and anurans that use acoustic communication in the context of mating behaviour. While many studies in crickets have investigated the determinants of calling effort, patterns of variability in male calling effort in natural choruses remain largely unexplored. Within-individual variability in calling activity across multiple nights of calling can influence female mate search and mate choice strategies. Moreover, calling site fidelity across multiple nights of calling can also affect the female mate sampling strategy. We therefore investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics of acoustic signaling behaviour in a wild population of the field cricket species Plebeiogryllus guttiventris. We first studied the consistency of calling activity by quantifying variation in male calling effort across multiple nights of calling using repeatability analysis. Callers were inconsistent in their calling effort across nights and did not optimize nightly calling effort to increase their total number of nights spent calling. We also estimated calling site fidelity of males across multiple nights by quantifying movement of callers. Callers frequently changed their calling sites across calling nights with substantial displacement but without any significant directionality. Finally, we investigated trade-offs between within-night calling effort and energetically expensive calling song features such as call intensity and chirp rate. Calling effort was not correlated with any of the calling song features, suggesting that energetically expensive song features do not constrain male calling effort. The two key features of signaling behaviour, calling effort and call intensity, which determine the duration and spatial coverage of the sexual signal, are therefore uncorrelated and function independently.
... Vences et al. (2004) also reported continuous reproductive activity in a small lizard from arid western Madagascar. For amphibians, most observations of calling and mating have been made in the warm/rainy season (Glaw and Vences 2007), but very few data from the cold/dry season exist at all, and the only systematic monitoring study is that of Segev et al. (2012) on the breeding phenology of the tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii). ...
Madagascar hosts a high diversity of amphibians estimated at over 500 species, nearly all of them endemic. Surprisingly few data are available on the activity cycles of this fauna, despite its importance for ecological, evolutionary and conservation research. Here we report the results of a year-round survey of amphibians along a transect bordering the Analamazaotra forest near Andasibe in central eastern Madagascar. During 120 transect walks evenly spaced through the year, a total of 2530 individuals of 40 species of anurans was observed. Abundance was higher during the warm/rainy season (December to April) and peaked in February. Of the five climatic predictors measured, only mean temperature and relative humidity showed high importance values, and multi-model averages indicate that these two variables have a strong effect on amphibian abundance along the transect. Species richness showed no evident peak during the study period and was best explained by a model including average temperature and rainfall. Canonical correspondence analysis indicates that Boophis sibilans, B. tephraeomystax, B. boehmei and Plethodontohyla notosticta were more frequently encountered along the transect on cold and humid days while Plethodontohyla mihanika, Gephyromantis boulengeri and Spinomantis aglavei were distinctly more abundant on cold and dry days, and Paradoxophyla palmata on warm and dry days. The results of our study flag a number of species as suitable candidates for future monitoring initiatives and suggest that a simple combination of visual and acoustic surveys can estimate amphibian activity with high sample sizes in Madagascar’s rainforests.
... Cabe destacar que en estas últimas pueden alternarse períodos de intensa actividad vocal reproductiva con momentos de silencio reproductivo (McCauley et al., 2000). Se han postulado muchas hipótesis para explicar la duración de los episodios reproductivos, pero las condiciones ambientales (presencia de lluvias, altas temperaturas) y la disponibilidad de lugares apropiados para la reproducción son considerados factores importantes (Segev et al., 2012). ...
... Bionda et al., (2012) señalan que la urbanización es la responsable de la disminución de las poblaciones de anfibios a nivel mundial, pero Rubbo & Kiesecker (2005) indican que hay especies frecuentemente halladas en lugares urbanos o suburbanos que son más resilientes al desarrollo urbano. Por ejemplo, Segev et al. (2012) documentan que Dyscophus antongili, una especie de la costa este de Madagascar, se reproduce todo el año en un área urbana y la perturbación antropogénica, no tiene consecuencias negativas para su conservación. Rubbo & Kiesecker (2005) postulan que esas especies tendrían ciertas características de su historia natural que las hacen menos vulnerables a la urbanización. ...
Se reporta por primera vez para la desierto costero del departamento de Lima la especie anura Rhinella poeppigii, cuyo rango de distribución hasta la fecha son los bosques montanos de las estribaciones orientales de los Andes en Perú y Bolivia (Angulo et al., 2004). Además se describen sus eventos reproductivos, observados desde inicios de abril hasta fines de noviembre del 2012, en un estanque del Jardín Botánico Octavio Velarde Núñez de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Durante la actividad reproductiva se registró el número de individuos participantes, su sexo, el sistema de apareamiento, y se describió y comparó el micro hábitat elegido para la reproducción. El sistema de riego en el área y los aumentos en la temperatura ambiental coincidieron en el inicio de los eventos reproductivos que fueron de tipo explosivo.
... Cabe destacar que en estas últimas pueden alternarse períodos de intensa actividad vocal reproductiva con momentos de silencio reproductivo (McCauley et al., 2000). Se han postulado muchas hipótesis para explicar la duración de los episodios reproductivos, pero las condiciones ambientales (presencia de lluvias, altas temperaturas) y la disponibilidad de lugares apropiados para la reproducción son considerados factores importantes (Segev et al., 2012). ...
... Bionda et al., (2012) señalan que la urbanización es la responsable de la disminución de las poblaciones de anfibios a nivel mundial, pero Rubbo & Kiesecker (2005) indican que hay especies frecuentemente halladas en lugares urbanos o suburbanos que son más resilientes al desarrollo urbano. Por ejemplo, Segev et al. (2012) documentan que Dyscophus antongili, una especie de la costa este de Madagascar, se reproduce todo el año en un área urbana y la perturbación antropogénica, no tiene consecuencias negativas para su conservación. Rubbo & Kiesecker (2005) postulan que esas especies tendrían ciertas características de su historia natural que las hacen menos vulnerables a la urbanización. ...
Resumen Se reporta por primera vez para la desierto costero del departamento de Lima la especie anura Rhinella poeppigii, cuyo rango de distribución hasta la fecha son los bosques montanos de las estribaciones orientales de los Andes en Perú y Bolivia (Angulo et al., 2004). Además se describen sus eventos reproductivos, observados desde inicios de abril hasta fines de noviembre del 2012, en un estanque del Jardín Botánico Octavio Velarde Núñez de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Durante la actividad reproductiva se registró el número de individuos participantes, su sexo, el sistema de apareamiento, y se describió y comparó el micro hábitat elegido para la reproducción. El sistema de riego en el área y los aumentos en la temperatura ambiental coincidieron en el inicio de los eventos reproductivos que fueron de tipo explosivo. Palabras clave: Rhinella poeppigii, eventos reproductivos, apareamiento, jardín botánico. Abstract The presence of Rhinella poeppigii an anuran species that can be found in cloud forests of the Andean slopes and tropical moist forest in the Amazonian foothills of Peru and Bolivia (Angulo et al., 2004), is reported for the first time in the coastal desert of Peru, department of Lima. A description of its reproductive events is included, recorded from early April to late November 2012, in a small pond inside the " Octavio Velarde Núñez " Botanical Garden, at La Molina National Agrarian University. During the reproductive activity the number of individuals involved, their sex, and mating system were recorded as well as the microhabitat they chose for their reproduction. The irrigation system in the area and increases in environmental temperature triggered the onset of the explosive reproductive events. Introducción. Muchos anfibios exhiben ciclos de vida bifásicos, utilizando hábitats acuáticos para la reproducción y desarrollo larvario, y hábitats terrestres para el crecimiento adulto, forrajeo, hibernación y dispersión (Price et al., 2007). El uso de múltiples hábitats ha sugerido que sean propuestos como buenos indicadores de las condiciones ecológicas imperantes (Price et al., 2007). Con respecto a los anuros, Kühnel et al., (2010), señalan que su actividad reproductiva es extremadamente diversa entre las especies y dentro de las mismas. Aquellas especies cuya estación reproductiva dura de 1 a 14 días son consideradas reproductoras explosivas, mientras que en aquellas en las que la temporada reproductiva se extiende de un mes a un año, se denominan reproductoras prolongadas. Cabe destacar que en estas últimas pueden alternarse períodos de intensa actividad vocal reproductiva con momentos de silencio reproductivo
Viene presentata l’attività di ricerca erpetologica in Madagascar condotta dal Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali (Torino, Italia). Particolare attenzione viene data alla descrizione di nuovi taxa, alla caratterizzazione di comunità di Anfibi e Rettili, nonché agli studi ecologici finalizzati alla conservazione. Inoltre sono brevemente presentate le iniziative nell’ambito dell’Iniziativa ACSAM (A Conservation Strategy for the Amphibians of
Madagascar), come pure la reale efficacia in termini di ricerca naturalistica dei musei italiani di scienze naturali.
More than 20 years of herpetological surveys and biodiversity conservation in Madagascar by the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Turin. The herpetological survey works carried out in Madagascar by the author on behalf of the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali (Turin, Italy) are presented with a special attention to the description of new taxa, community characterisations, and ecological studies finalised to conservation. Furthermore, the conservation actions within the ACSAM (A Conservation Strategy for the Amphibians of Madagascar) Initiative are introduced, as well as the possible role and potentialities of the Italian natural history museums.
