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Home , Caatinga, Rhinella granulosa

Herpetology Notes, volume 13: 749-751 (2020) (published online on 07 September 2020)

Interspecific amplexus between male granulosa (Spix, 1824) and metamorph of Ceratophrys joazeirensis Mercadal, 1986 (Amphibia: Anura) in a temporary pond in the Caatinga, State, Northeastern

Vívian Gama1, Arielson S. Protázio1, and Airan S. Protázio2,*

In many species, reproductive success is associated with granulosa is a small of the Bufonidae family the ability to attract or locate a reproductive mate, which with small parotoid glands, granular skin, and a well- may involve different mechanisms of communication developed and keratinised cranial crest. The species has (visual, chemical, or acoustic) and sexual selection a wide distribution in Northeast Brazil, predominantly (interspecific and intraspecific) (Barnard, 2004). Despite this, heterospecific reproductive interactions are not uncommon, being more frequent among closely related taxa (Gröening and Hochkirch, 2008). Gröening and Hochkirch (2008) have recognised this phenomenon as reproductive interference and it represents any type of interspecific interaction that occurs during the process of mate acquisition that negatively affects the fitness of at least one of the species involved, being caused by incomplete species recognition. In anurans, reproductive interference has been well documented, most of which relating to amplexus, including amplexus with dead individuals or even inanimate objects (Mollov et al., 2010; Brito et al., 2012; Bedoya et al., 2014; Costa-Campos et al., 2016; Lirio et al., 2019). Here, we report the occurrence of an interspecific amplexus between a male of Rhinella granulosa (Spix, 1824) and a metamorph of Ceratophrys joazeirensis Mercadal, 1986 (Fig. 1; between stages 42 to 46 in Gorner; 1960). Rhinella

1 Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Rua Rui Barbosa, nº 710, Centro, 44380-000, Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil. 2 Departamento de Ensino, Instituto Federal de Educação, Figure 1. A – Interspecific amplexus between a male Rhinella Ciência e Tecnologia da Bahia, Rodovia BA 148, Km 04, nº granulosa (top) and a metamorph of Ceratophrys joazeirensis 1800, Vila Esperança, 44900-000, Irecê, Bahia, Brazil. (bottom) and B – Another metamorph of C. joazeirensis found * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] at Jussara municipality, Bahia State, Northeast Brazil. 750 Vívian Gama et al. at Caatinga Domain (Narvaes and Rodrigues, 2009). This record adds information about the range of The C. joazeirensis belongs to the Ceratophryidae interactions that occur between anuran species in family and is known for a large head and jaws, dorsal temporary ponds in the Caatinga . Additionally, bone shield, and moderately pronounced palpebral this work represents a new record of the occurrence appendages above the eyes (Mercadal, 1986). The of C. joazeirensis in the Caatinga of northeast Brazil, species’ distribution is predominantly associated with contributing to the increase of information on the Caatinga biome in northeast Brazil (Jorge et al., 2015), distribution of the species. with a single record for the biome (Maciel et al., 2013). Ceratophrys joazeirensis individuals can remain Acknowledgements. We thank Samuel Brito for reading the buried for several months and have a short reproductive manuscript and providing suggestions. period that correlates with the beginning of the rains (Jorge et al., 2015), that is why the species is considered References rare and with little ecological information available. Bedoya, S.C., Mantilla-Castaño, J.C., Pareja-Márquez, I.M. (2014): The interspecific amplexus was observed on 22 Necrophiliac and interspecific amplexus in Dendropsophus January 2020 at 10:56 PM, during fieldwork in a columbianus (Anura: Hylidae) in the Central Cordillera of temporary pond in Jussara municipality, Bahia State, Colombia. Herpetology Notes 7: 515–516. Brazil (-41.9714°W, -11.0484°S; 317 m a.s.l.), inserted Barnard, C.J. (2004): Behaviour: Mechanism, Development, Function and Evolution. First Edition. Upper Saddle River, New in Caatinga biome (semiarid climate). The pond was Jersey, USA, Pearson Education. located in the urban perimeter of the city and was formed Brito, L.B.M., Joventino, I.R., Ribeiro, S.C., Cascon, P. (2012): after heavy rains. The individuals were found in axillary Necrophiliac behavior in the “cururu” toad, amplexus at the edge of the pond, with the male of R. Steuvax, 2002, (Anura, Bufonidae) from Northeastern Brazil. granulosa positioned on the back of the metamorph of North-Western Journal of Zoology 8: 365–366. C. joazeirensis. The event was observed for 15 minutes Costa-Campos, C.E., Lobo-Gama, S., Oliveira-Galeno, E., Melo- and ceased after manipulation of the pair to confirm Furtado, M.F. (2016): Interspecific amplexi between two sympatric species of , Rhinella major and Rhinella marina the species. Both individuals were released at the same (Anura: Bufonidae). Acta Zoológica Mexicana 32: 385–386. place of capture. It is likely that the similarity in sizes Gosner, K.L. (1960): A simplified table for staging anuran embryos has induced the male of R. granulosa to choose the and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica 16: 183– metamorph of C. joazeirensis as a partner erroneously, 190. and that the condition of metamorph of the individual of Gröning, J., Hochkirch, A. (2008): Reproductive interference C. joazeirensis did not allow him to repel the harassment between animal species. The Quarterly Review of Biology 83: by the R. granulosa male. In the moment of the record, 257–282. four species were calling at the temporary pond: Jorge, J.S., Sales, R.F.D., Kokubum, M.N.C., Freire, E.M.F. (2015): On the natural history of the Caatinga Horned Frog, Ceratophrys Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885), Physalaemus joazeirensis (Anura: Ceratophryidae), a poorly known species of cicada Bokermann, 1966, Rhinella granulosa (Spix, northeastern Brazil. Phyllomedusa 14: 147–156. 1824) and Scinax x-signatus (Spix, 1824). Lirio, F.C.F., Kloss, T.G., Silva-Soares, T., Tonini, J.F.R., Mônico, Although the advertisement call allows the recognition A.T., Ferreira, R.B. (2019): New records of interspecific of signals between individuals of the same species and amplexus in Neotropical anurans. Herpetology Notes 12: 705– acts as an isolation barrier during reproductive activity 708. (Schwartz and Wells, 1983), different physiological, Maciel, N.M., Kokubum, M.N.C., Braga, P.H.P., Queiróz-Júnior, A.T., Matsushita, R.H. (2013): Distribution extension, new behavioural and environmental requirements may lead state record and geographic distribution map of Ceratophrys to mistakes in choosing a partner. Two main factors joazeirensis Mercadal, 1986 (Anura: Ceratophryidae). have been attributed to this behaviour: (i) high density Herpetology Notes 6: 447–450. of interspecific individuals calling in the same water Mercadal, I.T. (1986): Ceratophrys joazeirensis sp.n. body (chorus), which makes it challenging to recognise (Ceratophrydae, Anura) del noreste de Brasil. Amphibia-Reptilia intraspecific signals and leads to errors in choosing 7: 313–334. a partner; or (ii) explosive mating behaviour (short Mollov, I.A., Popgeorgiev, G.S., Naumov, B.Y., Tzankov, N.D., reproductive period) exhibited by some species that Stoyanov, A.Y. (2010): Cases of abnormal amplexus in anurans (Amphibia: Anura) from Bulgaria and Greece. Biharean inhabit with marked water shortages (Wells, Biologist 4: 121–125. 2007). Thus, males go into a breeding frenzy, grasping Narvaes, P., Rodrigues, M.T. (2009): Taxonomic revision of Rhinella any female that is within reach, including interspecific granulosa species group (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae), with a females or males and inanimate objects. description of a new species. Arquivos de Zoologia 40: 1–73. Interspecific amplexus between Rhinella granulosa and Ceratophrys joazeirensis 751

Schwartz, J.J., Wells, K.D. (1983): An experimental study of acoustic interference between two species of neotropical treefrogs. Animal Behaviour 31: 181–190. Wells, K.D. (2007): The Ecology and Behaviour of . Chicago, Illinois, USA, The University of Chicago Press.

Accepted by Christoph Liedtke