Reproductive Ecology of Three Treefrog Species from Mexico's Pacific Lowlands

In this study we describe for the first time aspects of the reproductive ecology and behavior of a population of Hyalinobatrachium aureoguttatum located in the Colombian Pacific lowlands. Males vocalize and attend clutches from the underside of leaves overhanging the streams. Males showed high fidelity to their territory; each male repeatedly uses the same leaf for perching, calling, mating, and clutch attendance. There were no significant differences in the environmental variables registered for the microhabitats where males were located with or without clutches, with one or multiple clutches, or between successful or unsuccessful clutches, which suggest that the analyzed variables are not important for the obtention of the clutches and their success. Males were found grouped in the study area at distances varying between 0.3–0.5 m; thus, more than one male can be observed occupying other leaves in the same plant. Fights or aggressive behaviors were not observed in intrusion events by co-specific males in the territory of the resident males; however, we registered a series of movements that resulted in moving the intruder further away. Females almost immediately abandoned the clutches after oviposition, whereas most of the time, at day and night, males stayed near, touching or sitting on one to five egg clutches during most of their embryonic development. This brooding behavior also included hydration, cleaning, and defense of the eggs. Arthropod predation was observed in both attended and abandoned egg clutches; however, in one observation, the behavior of the male moved the predator away and saved the clutch. These observations and the finding of abandoned clutches that did not complete their development suggest that male parental care increases embryo survival and, as a result, his reproductive success.