Visual communication and aggressive behaviour in a giant mute torrent-frog, Megaelosia apuana (Anura; Hylodidae)

Autor(es)

Augusto-Alves, Guilherme ^{[1, 2]} ; Dena, Simone A. ^[3] ; Toledo, Luis F. ^[3]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, UNICAMP, Programa Posgrad Biol Anim, Inst Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Lab Hist Nat Anfibios Brasileiros LaHNAB, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, FNJV, Museu Zool Adao Jose Cardoso ZUEC, Inst Biol, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Amphibia-Reptilia; v. 39, n. 2, p. 260-264, 2018.
• Citações Web of Science: 1

Resumo

Advertisement call is the most common signal used by anurans for intraspecific communication. However, some species have lost the ability to emit these vocalizations and are denoted as mute. Alternatively, these species may communicate by visual, tactile and chemical signals. The lack of advertisement call could be explained by the high background noise of breeding microhabitats. A model group to study alternative communication tactics is the genus Megaelosia, which is composed by seven mute species that inhabit noisy streams, and for which no information on intraspecific communication is available. We monitored a population of M. apuana and described its visual signalling during aggressive interactions between males. This interaction included visual signalling, physical combat, and the retreat of the smaller individual. No audible sound was detected during the whole aggressive interaction, reinforcing the genus muteness. This is the first report of any communication behaviour for the genus Megaelosia. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/23388-7 - Comunicação e sistemas sensoriais em anuros da Mata Atlântica
• Beneficiário: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 16/25358-3 - O fungo quitrídio no Brasil: da sua origem às suas consequências
• Beneficiário: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático