Individual variation in advertisement calls of the pale-shouldered horned toad (Xenophrys boettgeri)

Abstract

The characteristics of male anurans’ calls play an important role in mating success during the breeding season. In this study, we analyzed intra- and inter-individual variability of the advertisement calls of the pale-shouldered horned toad (Xenophrys boettgeri) in the field during its breeding season in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China. The results showed that some acoustic parameters were significantly correlated with morphological features and air temperature. Most acoustic parameters including note numbers, call duration, and dominant frequency were static, whereas the call interval was intermediate. The CVb/CVw ratio was greater than 1.0 for all acoustic parameters analyzed, with between-individual variation being higher than within-individual variation. Furthermore, the acoustic parameter results of principle component analysis and discriminant function analysis indicated that note numbers and call interval are potentially useful for individual discrimination of X. boettgeri.