Acoustic parameters are correlated with age in male Leptodactylus bufonius (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

STANESCU, F.; MARANGONI, F.; COGALNICEANU, D.; MARQUEZ, R.

Salzburg

Congreso; 19th European Congress of Herpetology y XVIII Congreso Argentino de Herpetología; 2017

We studied the relationship between age and acoustic parameters of the advertisement calls in Leptodactylus bufonius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) males from Corrientes, northern Argentina. We used skeletochronology to estimate age in 18 adult males. The advertisement calls of each male were analysed using Raven Pro software; we measured the following call parameters: (1) duration, (2) intercall duration, (3) dominant frequency, (4) fundamental frequency, and (5) frequency modulation. The youngest male was one, while the oldest was four years old. Mean age was 2.4 years. Advertisement calls were short (0.16 ± 0.01 s), whistle-like notes with harmonic structure, emitted at intervals of 0.93 ± 0.2 s apart. The fundamental frequency was also the dominant frequency: 1403.2 ± 64.2 Hz. The call had an upwards frequency modulation of 441.03 ± 48.8 Hz (measured in the fundamental frequency). A one-way ANOVA showed that age had a significant effect on frequency modulation (F = 4.335, p = 0.023). Frequency modulation was not influenced by air temperature, humidity, or size. Age was not correlated to size. Our results showed that males are able to convey information about their age through advertisement calls, and open up new questions for future research: are females more attracted to older males? and if they are, then what is the reproductive advantage of choosing to mate with older males? We suggest that male age in L. bufonius could be linked to their experience in nest construction, one of the most important features of the reproductive behaviour in this species.