TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION IN AN ANURAN COMMUNITY IN MUNICIPALITY OF RIO CLARO, SP, BRAZIL

Abstract

The comprehension of structure and functioning of communities are fundamental for the execution of conservation efforts in forested areas. In the present study we evaluated a community of anurans in a State Forest in Southeast Brazil, emphasizing the reproductive biology of the species. It has been found 21 species, of four families: Bufonidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, and Microhylidae. The species of the family Bufonidae reproduced during the dry and cold season, while other species reproduced only during the wet and warm season of the year. Besides temporal segregation, some species divided the physical environment during reproductive season. Strong temporal and spatial overlap was observed among phylogenetically close species (of the same genus), such as Hyla nana and H. sanborni, Scinax fuscovarius and Scinax sp. (aff. similis), and Leptodactylus fuscus, L. mystacinus, and Leptodactylus sp. (gr. fuscus). In these cases, acoustic differences may be the main factor responsible for the reproductive segregation. Lack of reproductive segregation was observed among species of the genus Bufo, which were found in interespecific amplexus, even with acoustic differences in their advertisement calls.