Vol. 7 No. 2 (2012)
Short Note

Reproductive phenology of the tomato frog, <em>Dyscophus antongili</em>, in an urban pond of Madagascar's east coast

Published 2012-12-15

How to Cite

Segev, O., Andreone, F., Pala, R., Tessa, G., & Vences, M. (2012). Reproductive phenology of the tomato frog, <em>Dyscophus antongili</em>, in an urban pond of Madagascar’s east coast. Acta Herpetologica, 7(2), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.13128/Acta_Herpetol-11139

Abstract

Based on daily monitoring around an urban pond in the coastal town of Maroantsetra, from 2003-2011, we provide an analysis of the yearly reproductive activity of the tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii), a large-sized and prominent red-coloured microhylid frog from north-eastern Madagascar. Frogs were observed all year round but despite the limited climatic seasonality in the region it was possible to identify a high activity period between January-May and a lower activity period between June-December. Freshly laid eggs were found in all months except November, and with highest incidence between January and May, while calling was heard in all months. We found a positive correlation between daily adult counts and minimum air temperature. On the contrary rainfall did not significantly predict activity, although boosts of calling and egg-laying especially in the austral winter were observed after heavy rainfall events. We define D. antongilii in Maroantsetra as a sporadic wet season breeder that reproduces at irregular intervals following heavy rain events.

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