In its simplest form, communication is an interaction between a signaler and a receiver in which the signal has some probabilistic influence on the behavior of the receiver. For communication to proceed, the signal must be detected and perceived by the receiver; that is, the receiver must be within the active space of the signal. If patterns of sound radiation are not omni‐directional, the position of the receiver relative to the sender is critical. In previous measurements of the horizontal directivity of mating calls of frogs and toads, the acoustic signals were analyzed using peak or RMS analysis [Gerhardt, J. Comp. Physiol. A 102, 1–12 (1975)] and the resulting broadband directivities ranged from negligible (omnidirectional) to a maximum of about 5 dB. We report new laboratory measurements of both the horizontal and vertical frequency‐dependent directivity of the mating calls of túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus). These band‐limited directivities are significantly greater than broadband directivities, with a maximum directivity of 20 dB in the vertical plane for harmonics near 6 kHz. Ultrasonic frequencies, recently found in the calls of some frogs, are absent in the mating call of túngara frogs. The implications with regard to mating and predator‐prey interactions are discussed.