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First recording of the mating call of a burrowing frog from western Madagascar, Scaphiophryne brevis (Boulenger, 1896) (Anura: Mierohylidae) [abstract]

Riccardo Jesu and Giovanni Schimmenti (1997). First recording of the mating call of a burrowing frog from western Madagascar, Scaphiophryne brevis (Boulenger, 1896) (Anura: Mierohylidae) [abstract]. Bioacoustics, Volume 8 (3-4): 252 -253

 

Abstract: 

The Anurans of Madagascar include about 170 species grouped into three families: Hyperoliidae, Ranidae and Microhylidae. The endemism rate at species level is around 99%, since only two species, belonging to the Ranidae, are not endemic to the island. The subfamily Scaphiophryninae an endemic taxon of the Microhylidae which has been divided into two genera: Paradoxophyla Blommers-schlösser & Blanc 1991 (monotypic) and Scaphiophryne Boulenger, 1882 (five species). Scaphiophryne brevis (Boulenger, 1896) is a very poorly known burrowing frog from western and south-western Madagascar in- habiting dry open habitats, most of them consisting in secondary vegetation types. During fieldwork carried out at the peak of the rainy season (January 1995) in a coastal area of the west, a group of calling males of Scaphiophryne brevis was observed near shallow temporary ponds in sandy soil located a few dozen metres from the shore within Morondava village. This provided the opportunity to record for the first time the mating call of this species, one century after its description. The call-recorded at an air temperature around 25° C--consists in the monotonous repetition of an inharmonious note lasting 340-350 ms with a between note interval of 400-510 ms. Frequency ranges from 2 to 5.5 kHz. It may be interesting to compare the call of this species with the one recorded from Scaphiophryne calcarata Xocquard, 1895), another burrowing frog apparently closely related to Scaphiophryne brevis and found in similar habitats. The mating call of Scaphiophryne calcarata -recorded in Tolagnaro, south-east Madagascar, at 25° C -- consists of the repetition of a screaming sound which lasts 850-900 ms and is repeated after 2200-2500 ms. Frequency ranges from 3 to 4.3 kHz.

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