Aspects of natural history, such as the advertisement call, of many frog species from central Brazil are unknown. This kind of vocalization is important for specific recognition, thus studies describing these calls are needed. Herein we describe the advertisement calls of three anuran species from the Cerrado Biome: (a) Allobates goianus (Aromobatidae); (b) Odontophrynus salvatori (Cycloramphidae); (c) Lysapsus caraya (Hylidae). From October to December/2001 and March/2009, the vocalizations of individuals of these species were recorded in three municipalities in Goiás state: Alto Paraíso, Araguapaz and Silvânia. The advertisement calls emitted by A. goianus presented modulation of frequency and those vocalizations emitted by O. salvatori and L. caraya showed pulsioned structure. In general, these species presented advertisement calls different from those emitted by other species in the same genus. This difference reinforces the importance of the advertisement calls for specific recognition and also the validity of these species.

Diverse anuran lineages have colonized a tropical high-elevation Neotropical ecosystem called páramo, which is located above the tree-line and below the snow and characterized by low and variable temperatures on a daily basis. Amphibian species apparently become exposed to the freezing temperatures in the páramo, particularly at elevations above 3500 m.a.s.l. (meters above sea level). If the body temperatures of these amphibians indeed reach freezing levels during the night, amphibian survival in the páramo would require permanent (as opposed to seasonal) physiological tolerance to freezing. However, such physiological studies would be justified only with evidence that microhabitat temperatures reach subzero temperatures for periods long enough to induce partial tissue freezing. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to investigate whether páramo amphibians are exposed to freezing. We focused on Pristimantis nervicus, an amphibian that is active at night in exposed microhabitats, making it potentially vulnerable to all aspects of the páramo climate. We recorded body temperatures and used plaster models to evaluate operational temperatures along diverse transects located at 3500 m.a.s.l. in the Eastern Andes of Central Colombia. We found that, regardless of the substrate where this species is present, individuals are at risk of freezing. The body temperatures recorded were as low as -1.05°C and the operational temperatures estimated values slightly lower than -5.0°C These data suggest the existence of cryoprotection mechanisms in this, and possibly other páramo anuran species.

The tadpole of Nymphargus grandisonae is described from Serranía de los Paraguas, Valle del Cauca-Colombia. Characteristics of clutches (i.e., position, coloration, number of ova) and ontogenetic variation, as well as some aspects of natural history of adult males, are provided. The tadpole of N. grandisonae differs from other centrolenid tadpoles in characteristics such as M-shaped upper jaw sheath, small gap in row A-2, and by having a non-emarginate oral disc. Although it has been proposed that the lack of morphological differences in glassfrog tadpoles is due to ecomorphological convergence, the number of tadpole descriptions based on feeding specimens is limited, as is the number of comparative studies of larval anatomy. Additional standardized studies of larval characters and subsequent phylogenetic analysis are required to test this hypothesis.

The study of ecological and behavioral aspects of anuran reproduction is fundamental for the understanding of the evolution of life history traits. In this study we present the temporal and spatial patterns of reproductive activity in Rhinella hoogmoedi, as well as the description of its advertisement call, in a population from a remnant of tropical rainforest in Northeastern Brazil. Calling activity began before the start of the rainy season and lasted from November to April; vocalization activity was not correlated with the amount of rainfall. Reproductive males called on a variety of substrates close to or in permanent or temporary water bodies, during both day and night. Male behavior at high and low densities, calling sites occupancy and reproductive period indicate an unusual explosive breeding pattern for the species. Rhinella hoogmoedi presented a multi-pulsed call, composed of pulse group calls, similar to Rhinella paraguayensis, Rhinella castaneotica, Rhinella martyi, populations of Rhinella gr. margaritifera from Bolivia, Rhinella margaritifera from French Guyana, and Rhinella gr. margaritifera from Cusco, Peru. Acoustic parameters such as call duration, number of pulse groups per call, number of calls per minute, note duration, number of notes per minute, pulse rate, dominant frequency, and amplitude modulation types of call, were good parameters to discriminate among the species of the Rhinella margaritifera group, as in the members of the Bufonidae family. New descriptions of complete advertisement calls and molecular studies will help elucidate taxonomic, biogeographic, and phylogenic patterns for this complex of species.

Intrapopulation variation includes age and sexual variation, but also individual niche specialization. Individual specialization has important effects on dynamics at population or community levels. Environmental variation and intraspecific interactions are factors that can promote or enhance this kind of variation. Despite its relevance, knowledge about individual specialization in amphibians is still scarce, especially in species from temperate regions. In this study we analyzed the intrapopulational variation of the trophic niche in Hypsiboas pulchellus from a population in southern Uruguay. Particularly, we analyzed ontogenetic and sexual variation and individual specialization of the diet. We found ontogenetic variation in diet as a result of a shift from flies to beetles with increasing body size of frogs, but there were no differences in diet between males and females. We also found evidence of individual specialization, which varied seasonally together with population trophic niche width; during the warm season (October–March), individual specialization and population TNW both increased.

The aims of this study are to determine how anuran calling males are spatially and temporally distributed in the Morro do Diabo State Park (MDSP), and to test for indicator species in different breeding habitats. We found high species turnover among breeding habitats of different hydroperiods. Our results indicate that spatial partitioning is more important than seasonal occurrence in permitting species coexistence at MDSP. Indicator Species Analysis identified one species associated with a local stream, one species associated with permanent ponds, two species associated with temporary ponds, and three species associated with a semipermanent pond. Guilds of species do not appear to stratify their distributions throughout the year, since most species occur during the rainy and warm months and are thus temporally overlapping. The main conservation implication of our work is the need to protect the different areas of the park where these unique breeding habitats, and their associated anuran assemblages, are found.

Pristimantis aff. fenestratus is a common species in non-flooded forests of central Amazonia, Brazil. Herein, we show the reproductive pattern and data on population structure of this species from two sites, using standardized sample methods (visual and auditory surveys), during three rainy seasons. The higher number of males in calling activity was detected in the beginning of the rainy season. However, sporadic male calls were also heard in the dry season. Females were significantly larger than males, and males captured at the end of the rainy season were larger than those captured in other periods. Females with eggs visible through the abdominal wall were found in all samplings at one site, but a larger number of juveniles were found at the end of the rainy season. The size of juveniles was variable and the smallest individuals were found at the end of the rainy season. According to nocturnal visual surveys males were significantly more abundant than females (1.9:1 adult sex ratio). According to data collected on gravid female occurrence, juvenile number variation, and presence of calling males, we suggest that P. aff. fenestratus reproduces during the rainy season showing marked seasonality.

We report new records of Lithobates catesbeianus feral populations in Brazil. Data were based on fieldwork, natural history collection records, and literature and electronic database searches. Lithobates catesbeianus occurs in 130 municipalities of Brazil, including 55 presented for the first time in this work. Most records are from south and southeastern Brazil in the Atlantic Forest biome with climatic conditions that are favorable to the establishment of bullfrog populations. The wide and possibly expanding distribution of feral L. catesbeianus populations in Brazil poses a major conservation challenge and demands research on the invasion patterns.