Defensive Behaviour in Odontophrynus Americanus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) (Amphibia, Anura, Odontophrynidae)
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Herpetology Notes, volume 9: 67-69 (2017) (published online on 17 February 2017) Defensive behaviour in Odontophrynus americanus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) (Amphibia, Anura, Odontophrynidae) Daniel Contieri Rolim Anurans have several defensive mechanisms against observations took place on 1 June (air temperature 11°C, predators (Toledo et al., 2011), which are important water temperature 16°C) and 2 June (air temperature evolutionary adaptations for survival (Wells, 2007). 14°C, water temperature 18°C) 2011. Colouration is a defensive mechanism present in many 10 individuals of O. americanus were recorded species of frogs (Toledo and Haddad, 2009). vocalising on the edges of the water body. Upon Some species of amphibians that have cryptic approach three males, whose bodies were partially colouration display a posture called “stiff-legged”, submerged in the water, stopped vocalising, flattened in which the animal remains motionless after having their bodies and stretched out their legs (Figure 1). A stretched its limbs backwards (Sazima, 1978). This couple in amplexus was observed flattened their bodies mechanism is typically used by forest floor species, and stretched out their legs too (Figure 2). Individuals which stretch over the floor or litter, mimicking the remained flat, immobile and floating in the water substrate shape (Bertoluci et al., 2007; Toledo and while I stood watching them with the flashlight and Haddad, 2009; Giaretta and Martins, 2009; Costa et al., photographing. 2009; Toledo et al., 2011; Mangia and Santana, 2013). Two other individuals, which had been vocalising at The genus Odontophrynus Reinhardt & Lütken, the water’s edge, partially buried themselves in the mud 1862, is represented by 11 species distributed within optically blending with their environment (Figure 3). southern and eastern South America (Frost, 2014). The behaviour of stretching the legs, flattening the body Odontophrynus americanus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) and remaining motionless on the water surface may be is distributed in southern Brazil, central and northern interpreted as a mimesis of leaves floating in the water, Argentina, southern Paraguay and Uruguay (Frost, 2014). Here I present behavioural observations of O. americanus using the stiff-legged display and camouflage mechanisms. Individuals of Odontophrynus americanus were observed in an area with low water level of a reservoir in the municipality of Agudos, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil (S 22° 28’ 14.65”W 49° 02’ 31.68”; 568 m elevation). The locality is situated in an area of the Atlantic Forest Biome domain in their physiognomy semideciduous forest (SINBIOTA, 2014). The Secretaria do Meio Ambiente de Bauru, São Paulo, Brasil, Avenida Alfredo Maia, 1-10, Vila Falcão, CEP 17050-030. Figure 1. Male of O. americanus performing “stiff-legged” Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] posture floating on the water surface. 68 Daniel Contieri Rolim that occurs, observed by the authors mentioned above, because the subjects performed the display floating in the water body and not on the ground or litter, labelled “abstract homotypy” by Toledo and Haddad (2009). The behaviour of the individuals of O. americanus which partly buried themselves in waterlogged soil had previously been mentioned for this species (Toledo et al. 2011) and can be classified as “eucrypsis” (Toledo & Haddad, 2009), where the cryptic colouration of the dorsum of the animal resembles the environment. Apart from digging into the ground, the only other defense strategy which has been reported so far in O. americanus is death-feigning (“thanatosis”; Toledo et al. 2010, Toledo et al. 2011). Figure 2. Amplectant pair of O. americanus exhibiting “stiff- The “stiff-legged” behaviour reported herein is legged” posture. probably associated synergistically with cryptic coloration of the animal (Toledo & Haddad, 2009). According to Sazima (1978) this behaviour decreases the probability of detection by visual predators. The new observation adds a new type of microenvironment and the animal dorsal surface cryptic with colouration, used by frogs that perform the defense mechanism increases the efficiency of the defense mechanism, “stiff-legged”. because of similarity with the bottom sediments of water body. Similar behavior is noted by Sazima (1978) References for Proceratophrys appendiculata (Günther, 1873) and Bertoluci, J., Brassaloti, R.A., Sawakuchi, H.O., Ribeiro, J.W. Stereocyclops parkeri (Wettstein, 1934), and by Costa JR., Woehl, G. JR. (2007): Defensive behavior with stiff- et al. (2009) for P. boiei (Wied-Neuwied, 1824), and legged posture in the Brazilian tree toads Dendrophryniscus these species increase their similarity with fallen leaves, brevipollicatus and D. leucomystax (Anura, Bufonidae). Alytes both in color and shape, when exhibiting this posture. 25: 38–44. In this work the behavior observed in individuals of O. Costa, P.N., Silva-Soares, T., Bernstein, L.B. (2009): Defensive americanus differs in the type of microenvironment behaviour of Proceratophrys boiei (Wied-Neuwied, 1824) Figure 3. Male of O. americanus burying itself in soil. Defensive behaviour in Odontophrynus americanus 69 (Amphibia, Anura, Cycloramphidae). Herpetology Notes 2: 227–229. Frost, D.R. (2014): Amphibian Species of the World: an online reference. Available at: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/ amphibia/index.html. Last accessed on 12 November 2014. Giaretta, A., Martins, L. (2009): Notes on the call and behavior of Arcovomer passarellii (Anura: Microhylidae). Herpetology Notes 2: 91–93. Mângia, S., Santana, D.J. (2013): Defensive behaviour in Rhinella granulosa (Spix, 1824) (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae). Herpetology Notes 6: 45–46. Sazima, I. (1978). Convergent defensive behavior of two leaf-litter frogs of southeastern Brazil. Biotropica. 10: 158. SINBIOTA (2014): Sistema de Informação Ambiental do Programa Biota/Fapesp. Available at: http://sinbiota.biota.org.br/. Last accessed on 11 November 2014. Toledo, L.F., Haddad, C.F.B. (2009): Colors and some morphological traits as defensive mechanisms in anurans. International Journal of Zoology 910892: 1–12. Toledo, L.F. Sazima, I., Haddad, C.F.B. (2010): Is it all death feigning? Case in anurans. Journal of Natural History 44: 1979–1988 Toledo, L.F., Sazima, I., Haddad, C.F.B. (2011): Behavioural defences of anurans: an overview. Ethology Ecology & Evolution 23: 1–25. Wells, K.D. (2007): The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians. Chicago, USA, The University of Chicago Press. Accepted by Maximilian Dehling.