Herpetology Notes, volume 9: 67-71 (2016) (published online on 17 February 2016)

Defensive behaviors in two species of Reinhardt and Lütken, 1862 (Anura: )

Diva Maria Borges-Nojosa1,*, Ronald Rezende de Carvalho Júnior², Maria Juliana Borges-Leite1, Daniel Cassiano Lima1,3, Júlio César Lima Melo1 and Paulo Cascon1

Key words: Amphibia; Death feigning; Deimatic behavior; Survival strategy; Thanatosis

Some species when handled in the wild The behavior known as thanatosis has arisen in parallel present defense mechanisms, such as the behavior of in several invertebrate (Barreto and Anjos, 2002) and shrinking themselves and lying motionless, pretending vertebrate taxa, including marsupials (Franq, 1969), to be dead and presenting full tonic immobility, or lizards (Machado et al., 2007) and especially in anuran thanatosis (Duellman and Trueb, 1994; Toledo et al., (Toledo and Haddad, 2009; Toledo et al., 2011). These mechanisms, which evolved through 2011). Probably this behavior has evolved as a result increased survival rate, may be displayed together with of their slow manner of moving, which is apparently other related antipredation strategies, such as cryptic not very effective to evade predators; however, there coloration when torpid or possessing aposematic is still not enough data to confirm this (Sazima, 1974; coloration in the hidden part of the members associated Duellman and Trueb, 1994). with skin toxicity (Prates and Bloch Jr., 2000; Bernarde The deimatic behavior observed in amphibians and Santos, 2009). Such mechanisms may also be consists of a secondary defense mechanism related to morphological, behavioral or biochemical, and are reduced risk of predation. It may involve an apparent divided into primary, which act independently of the increase in size, display of aposematic coloration or the presence of a predator (poison, aposematic coloration illusion of similarity to another , as strategies to and camouflage), or secondary, which are mechanisms confuse a possible predator (Robinson, 1969; Toledo used by the animal in the presence of predators (e.g. and Haddad, 2009). escaping, biting, contracting behavior, thanatosis) Odontophrynus Reinhardt and Luetken, 1862 “1861” (Stebbins and Cohen, 1995; Hödl and Amezquita, 2001; belongs to the Odontophrynidae family and currently Borteiro et al., 2014). Both mechanisms, primary and includes eleven species with geographic distribution secondary, can be used simultaneously in the defense restricted to South America, mainly in northeastern, processes (Guerrero et al., 2010). central, southeastern and southern , and also in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia (Frost, 2015). The analyzed species in this study are O. carvalhoi Savage and Cei, 1965, with records in specific locations in the area of the , including its -locality 1 Universidade Federal do Ceará, Depto. Biologia, Núcleo Poção - Pernambuco (Savage and Cei, 1965), Maracas Regional de Ofiologia da UFC (NUROF-UFC), Campus do - Bahia (Caramaschi, 1979), the region of the middle Pici, Bloco 905, CEP 60.440-554, Fortaleza-CE, Brasil. Jequitinhonha river, Cristália - Minas Gerais (Feio and 2 Sapiens Soluções Ambientais, Rua Caraça, nº 539, CEP Caramaschi, 1995), in rainforest areas in Baturité - Ceará 30.220-440, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brasil. 3 Universidade Estadual do Ceará, FACEDI, Av Mons. Tabosa (Borges-Nojosa, 2007) and in the Serra da Canastra s/n, CEP 62500-000, Itapipoca-CE, Brasil. - Minas Gerais (Feio and Caramaschi, 1995); and O. * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] cultripes Reinhardt and Lütklen, 1862, which usually 68 Diva Maria Borges-Nojosa et al.

do Ceará (CHUFC A3738, SVL = 570 mm; CHUFC A3739, SVL = 530 mm) (Figure 1) and in the Museu de Ciências Naturais da PUC Minas (MCNAM 8923) (Figure 2). Taxonomic assignments were performed by Dr. Ulisses Caramaschi (MNRJ) and Dr. Luciana Barreto Nascimento (PUC Minas). Two O. carvalhoi captured on 4 and 5 March 2005 in pitfall traps applied in the Sitio Guaramiranga (Municipality Guaramiranga) (04°16’02,6” S, and 38°55’59,4” W, Height = ± 930 m) displayed death feigning. The specimens, when removed from the traps and transported in plastic bags, inflated the body as Figure 1. CHUFC A 3739); defensive behavior. Similar behavior was observed by thanatosis behavior. (Photographed by Diva M. Borges- Bezerra et al. (2010) in specimens of this population. Nojosa) However, later in the lab, these two specimens, while handled for photographic records, showed the following defensive behaviors: again they inflated the body, rose up on all four limbs, and then flipped belly-up, with the limbs contracted remaining in thanatosis for about 20 seconds (Figure 1). Soon after, the specimens returned reaches a larger size than O. carvalhoi, occurring in the to activity, turning themselves into the normal position. states of Goiás and Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul, as well as Paraguay and Argentina, generally occurring in areas of leaf-litter in the countryside and in forest borders with different levels of conservation, associated with streams or lentic water bodies (Frost, 2015). During a NUROF-UFC (Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia da Universidade Federal do Ceará) research project, in which the goals included monitoring the population of the threatened anuran Adelophryne baturitensis in Baturité (4°05’-4°40’ S, and 38°30’-39°10’ W), monthly field trips to the regions of Baturité, Guaramiranga and Pacoti (Ceará) were carried out and pitfall traps were deployed. Fieldwork was conducted from August 2004 to January 2006. Another study was performed as part of the environmental licensing of a hydroelectric Queimado’s Power Plant (16 º12’S, and 47°19’W), located at Preto River, São Francisco River Basin, covering the municipalities of Unai and Cabeceira Grande (Minas Gerais), Cristalina and Formosa (Goiás), and the Paranoá Administrative Area (Federal District). The activities were related to animal rescue programs during the filling-up of the plant reservoir, during the period of June 2003 to March 2004, and subsequently in the monitoring phase in the post-filling of the lake, occurred between October 2006 and March 2007. In both field surveys, the individuals were analyzed and then euthanized and fixed following appropriate Figure 2. (MCNAM 8923); procedures, identified and deposited respectively in thanatosis behavior. (Photographed by Ronald R. Carvalho the Coleção de Herpetologia da Universidade Federal Jr.) Defensive behaviors in two species of Odontophrynus 69

differential tone when compared to the rest of the body surface, located laterally to the cloacal opening, as well as a clear disruptive line perpendicular to the base of the coccyx. The animal maintained this position for several minutes extending and contracting the hind limbs, until it reaches a limit when it tries to escape and to search for shelter. The perceived effect may be an attempt to confuse the predator by simulating the face of another larger animal, what may cause intimidation. There were no outstanding inguinal glands and no apparent formation of toxin accumulation in either analyzed samples. The defense strategy known as thanatosis has been Figure 3. Odontophrynus cultripes (MCNAM 8923); deimatic reported for several species of from different behavior. (Photographed by Ronald R. Carvalho Jr.) families, such as Hylidae, including the species Phyllomedusa burmeisteri (Lutz and Lutz, 1939; Haddad and Sazima, 1992), P. iheringii (Langone et al., 1985), P. nordestina (Santos et al., 2003), P. rohdei (Sazima, 1974), Phasmahyla guttata (Lutz and The same behavior was displayed about 3-4 times by Lutz, 1939) and Aparasphenodon brunoi (Teixeira each of the two individuals, when manipulated. et al., 2002); Bufonidae, such as Melanophryniscus A similar behavior was observed in individuals of O. moreirae (Almeida-Santos et al., 2010), Rhinella cf. cultripes captured in Cabeceira Grande (Minas Gerais). crucifer (Toledo, 2004) and R. ocellata (Kokubum, In 2003, it was possible to document the thanatosis 2005); , such as cf. ovalis of an adult. When handled to take morphological (Kokubum and Menin, 2002), E. erythrogaster (Kwet measurements, the specimen inflated its body showing and Solé, 2002), E. piauiensis (Borges-Leite et al., 2012) great dilation of its lateral portion, remaining motionless and Stereocyclops incrassatus (Guerrero et al., 2010); for a few seconds. When handling continued, the next , such as Zachaenus carvalhoi (Moura response was to put itself belly-up, exposing the tainted et al., 2010); and Odontophrynidae with aspect of the entire ventral region. Members remained boiei (Toledo and Zina, 2004). Together with Bezerra et contracted and kept in the thoracic anatomic position. al (2010) our records for O. carvalhoi and O. cultripes After a few seconds, the animal turned and stood still extend the occurrence of thanatosis behavior to the for short a period. genus Odontophrynus. This behavior was also observed in a similar way Deimatic behavior, in which an individual seeks in another adult (MCNAM 8923; SVL = 59.20 mm) to intimidate or startle a predator through a series of (Figure 2) from the same location, along with other actions and attitudes (Hödl and Amezquita, 2001), specimens caught in pitfall traps from the hydroelectric has been reported in the literature for , Queimado ‘s Power Plant, in 2006. Some records were including the species deimaticus, and P. also observed during handling of the samples to take nattereri (Sazima and Caramaschi, 1986; Lenzi-Mattos photographs. However, the specimen, when subjected to et al, 2005), as well as Leptodactylus labyrinthicus, L. persistent disturbance, presented an accessory defense pentadactylus, L. mystacinus (Carvalho-Júnior, 2005; mechanism: its body was inflated with the animal in Lima et al., 2006; Toledo and Haddad, 2009), and natural position, remaining static for a few seconds; Pleurodema brachyops (Martins, 1989), with some later, a dorsolateral flattening while body inflation was recent records for other families, such as the bufonid maintained. Soon after this act, the specimen flipped Melanophryniscus cambaraensis (Sebben, 2015) itself, presenting the still inflated posterior region of and the dendrobatid Ameerega flavopicta (Toledo et the body, bent its head close to the ground and lifted al., 2004). The report here extends the occurrence of the hind limbs, exposing the entire posterior face, and deimatic behavior to Odontophrynidae and reaffirms the remained like this for a few seconds, characterizing need for further investigations to obtain more precise deimatic behavior (Figure 3). This clearly displays information about the occurrence and evolution of this two circular patches of highlighted dark brown in a behavior among anurans. 70 Diva Maria Borges-Nojosa et al.

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Accepted by Igor Kaefer