“Atelognathus patagonicus (Rana acuática de Laguna Blanca). Overwintering tadpoles”.

CUELLO, M.A.; PEROTTI MG

HERPETOLOGICAL REVIEW

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

Lugar: Phoenix AZ; Año: 2006 vol. 37 p. 441 - 441

0018-084X

Few published observations about overwintering tadpoles come from the North Hemisphere, and only one published study account in Southern SouthAmerica (Logares and Úbeda op cit). Here we report the first data of overwintering tadpoles in relatively low altitudes of the Patagonia steppe, Argentina. Atelognathus patagonicus tadpoles showed two overwintering cohorts, suggesting individuals can metamorphose at two different rates. Despite the extreme climatic conditions of winters, Patagonian steppe summers prolonged for almost 4 months permitting tadpoles to take advantage of the high seasonal productivity during the warm summers.