Comportamento reprodutivo e seleção sexual em Dendropsophus bipunctatus (Spix, 1824) (Anura, Hylidae)

Abstract

Studies on sexual selection in anuran amphibians show that some morphological and/or behavioral characteristics, such as size, vocalizations, and chorus tenure can influence male mating success. The goals of this study were (1) to describe the breeding behavior of males and females of Dendropsophus bipunctatus, (2) to assess male mating success, and (3) to verify the female preferences for specific acoustical properties performed by males through the two-choice calls trials. During courtship activities, males performed a stationary calling position followed by frequent small switches of calling sites that could enhance mating success, as signals were emitted from different directions. Larger or heavier males did not obtain a larger number of females, whereas chorus tenure was the only variable significantly related to the reproductive success of males. We observed high percentage fertilization rate among all size and mass ratios of males and females, as well as size and mass assortative mating. The results of the two choice trials show that females of D. bipunctatus prefer signals produced at high call-rate than lower ones.