Description of the advertisement call of Dendropsophus frosti (Anura: Hylidae) as a phenotypic evidence of its phylogenetic relationships

Almeida A.P.; Peloso P.; Gordo M.; Sturaro M.J.; Costa J.C.L.; Rojas R.R.; Carvalho V.T.; Ávila R.W. · Phyllomedusa (2025) · DOI: 10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v24i2p255-269

Resumen

For amphibians, gaps in knowledge about natural history and geographic distribution are among the major causes that blur our understanding of their diversity. These key pieces of information contribute to our understanding off taxonomy, systematics, ecology, and conservation. Herein, we provide new information on the geographic distribution and describe for the first time the advertisement call of Dendropsophus frosti from western Amazonia. The call consists of two types of short notes, a trilled multipulsed note with a duration ranging from 158 to 297 ms (note type A), and a high-pitched pulsatile note with a duration of about 9 ms (note type B). The dominant frequency of note type A is about 4260 Hz, while that of note type B is around 4330 Hz. The notes are emitted in two call arrangements, a complex call formed by one note type A followed by one or two type B notes or a composite call formed by two to seven type B notes. Overall, the call structure of D. frosti, with those two types of notes emitted in complex or composite calls, is shared with closely related species from the D. parviceps group, showing a phylogenetic signal. Our results suggest that acoustic characters may represent phylogenetic informative traits for the Dendropsophus parviceps group, supporting the current taxonomy. Additionally, our findings extended the known geographic distribution by approximately 700 km eastward. Our results highlight once again the necessity of biological surveys in remote areas of Amazonia, where many knowledge gaps persist.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana