Advertisement call variation and individual acoustic distinctiveness in the explosive breeding toad Peltophryne cataulaciceps (Anura: Bufonidae)

Abstract

In this contribution, we offer new information about the advertisement call of Peltophryne cataulaciceps, an endemic toad species from Cuba and the smallest bufonid from the West Indies. We measured seven acoustic properties from 17 males and analyzed the variability at the within-individual and between-individual levels, using coefficients of variation, type II ANOVAs, and multivariate analysis. Dominant frequency was distinctly less variable within individuals than the rest of the acoustic properties; call rise time showed the highest variability. Variability between individuals was higher for pulse rate, call duration, and dominant frequency, and the CVb/CVw ratios showed that these acoustic properties are more reliable for individual distinctiveness. Discriminant function analyses assigned 54.1% of the calls to the correct individual, and this classification success increased when smaller groups of individuals were considered in the analysis. Results are compared with studies addressing individual acoustic distinctiveness in anurans. We support that the patterns of advertisement call variation within and among co-occurring males differ among explosive and prolonged breeding species/populations, but additional case studies including other explosive breeding species are needed.