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Issue: Vol. 5689 No. 1: 2 Sept. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-09-02
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5689.1.10
Page range: 194-200
Abstract views: 78
PDF downloaded: 2

The advertisement call of Brachycephalus alipioi (Anura: Brachycephalidae), a pumpkin toadlet from Espírito Santo, Brazil

Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB); Departamento de Biologia Animal; Unicamp; Campinas; SP; Brasil; 13083-970; Fonoteca Neotropical Jacques Vielliard (FNJV); Museu de Diversidade Biológica (MDBio) Unicamp; Campinas; SP; Brasil; 13083-970
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Conservação (PPG-CiAC); Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade (NUPEM); Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Macaé; RJ; Brasil; 27965-045
Reserva Biológica de Comboios - ICMBio; Linhares; ES; Brasil; 29900-970
Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB); Departamento de Biologia Animal; Unicamp; Campinas; SP; Brasil; 13083-970
Fonoteca Neotropical Jacques Vielliard (FNJV); Museu de Diversidade Biológica (MDBio) Unicamp; Campinas; SP; Brasil; 13083-970
Amphibia Brachycephalidae Anura Sound communication Bioacoustics Calling activity

Abstract

The advertisement call is a primary form of acoustic communication in anurans, crucial for intraspecific recognition and species identification during the breeding season. Bioacoustic data, however, remain scarce for taxonomically complex groups such as the genus Brachycephalus. Brachycephalus alipioi is an aposematic species endemic to the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, occurring in the municipalities of Vargem Alta (type locality), Forno Grande, Santa Teresa, and Domingos Martins. It is currently the only described species of the genus in this region. Herein, we provide the first description of its advertisement call and compare it with members of the B. vertebralis and B. ephippium groups, based on available literature. Calls from two recordings of B. alipioi were analyzed using a note-centered approach. The advertisement call has a pulsatile structure, with a mean dominant frequency of 4.05 ± 0.14 kHz and an average of 7.95 ± 1.56 pulses per note, produced at a rate of 3.61 ± 0.1 notes/s. Approximately 66% of the notes consist of eight or nine pulses. These data expand the acoustic knowledge of Brachycephalus and contribute to understanding communication in an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest, a global biodiversity hotspot.

 

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How to Cite

Borges, J.S., Gasparini, J.L., Almeida, A.D.P., Toledo, L.F. & Dena, S. (2025) The advertisement call of Brachycephalus alipioi (Anura: Brachycephalidae), a pumpkin toadlet from Espírito Santo, Brazil. Zootaxa, 5689 (1), 194–200. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5689.1.10