The study of acoustic communication in lizards has been restricted and mainly focused on Gekkota. rest the lizards, Unidentata, are generally considered voiceless, although there sparse reports vocal sound production members different families. We analyzed spectro-temporal characteristics distress calls emitted by Unidentata lizard, Liolaemus chiliensis (the weeping lizard; Liolaemidae), only species this highly diverse genus (>220 species) that vocalizes. also explored relationships call...

Animal communication occurs in environments that affect the properties of signals as they propagate from senders to receivers. We studied geographic variation advertisement calls male Pleurodema thaul individuals eight localities Chile. Furthermore, by means signal propagation experiments, we tested hypothesis local are better transmitted and less degraded than foreign (i.e. acoustic adaptation hypothesis). Overall, varied greatly along distribution P. Chile, it was possible discriminate...

The study of intraspecific variation acoustic signals and its relationship with genetic divergence is important for understanding the origin in communication systems. We studied geographical structure advertisement calls from five populations four-eyed frog, Pleurodema thaul, among these populations. By analyzing temporal spectral parameters calls, we report that northern, central, southern have remarkable differences between them. A phylogeographical analysis a mitochondrial DNA fragment...

The converse Bergmann’s rule is a pattern of body size variation observed in many ectothermic organisms that contradicts the classic and suggests individuals inhabiting warmer climates tend to exhibit larger sizes compared those colder environments. Due thermoregulatory nature rule, its application among ectotherms might prove be more complicated, given these obtain heat by absorbing it from their habitat. existence this inverse therefore challenges prevailing notion universally advantageous...

Divergence of acoustic signals in a geographic scale results from diverse evolutionary forces acting parallel and affecting directly inter-male vocal interactions among disjunct populations. Pleurodema thaul is frog having an extensive latitudinal distribution Chile along which males' advertisement calls exhibit important variation. Using the playback paradigm we studied evoked responses males three populations P. Chile, northern, central southern distribution. In each population, were...

Abstract Animals using sound communication employ different strategies to overcome interferences from biotic and abiotic sources. However, interactions among acoustically active species have been studied a very limited extent. The evoked vocal responses of 20 male frogs Batrachyla taeniata the temperate austral forest in Chile were tested with conspecific calls two sympatric species: B. antartandica leptopus , broadcast at amplitudes 73, 79, 85, 91 97 dB peak SPL. subjects responded actively...

The advertisment calls of the recently described frog Eupsophus queulensis (Cycloramphidae) are analyzed, based on recordings seven males. emits an call consisting a harmonic-rich frequency modulated note, with dominant second and third harmonics. temporal parameters had large intra- interindividual variation relative to spectral parameters. modulations follow four different patterns, as previously for calcaratus roseus. Individual frogs produce having modulation proportions each pattern...

Abstract Bergmann's rule states that endothermic species from cool areas tend to have larger body sizes than those warm areas. Allen's maintains environments should shorter extremities their counterparts Although a number of studies supported both rules, the validity these trends remains controversial, especially for ectothermic organisms. Here, we studied intraspecific morphological variation in Four-Eyed Frogs (Pleurodema thaul) determine if rules are valid an ecogeographic context....

The current study reports five new localities of the four-eyed frog Pleurodema thaul (Lesson, 1827) in extreme north its distribution (27° to 30° S) desertic and semidesertic ravines Chile, including an increase altitudinal range up 3125 m.

The auditory sensitivity in three species of the anuran genus Alytes (Alytidae) was examined to determine patterns intra- and interspecific variation, relating these measurements behavioural preferences measured previous studies adaptive evolutionary significance this sensory function. audiograms obtained with multi-unit recordings torus semicircularis 13 cisternasii, 10 obstetricans, eight dickhilleni show two regions enhanced sensitivity, between approximately 100–500 1200–2400 Hz, minimum...

Basso et al. (2011) assigned the monotypic genus Chaltenobatrachus for species described originally as Telmatobius grandisonae Lynch, 1975 (later transferred to Atelognathus by Lynch 1978). The type locality of (L ynch, 1975) is Puer Eden (Wellington Island) in Magallanes Region, Chile, where has not been found again. added two new localities from Argentina and provided a detailed description that includes morphological osteological characteristics adult specimens, external morphology...

Animals obtain information about their social environment by means of communication signals, which provide relevant subtle cues for individual recognition. An important requisite this process is the existence larger between- than within-emitter signal variation. Acoustic signals are complex traits susceptible variation in spectral and temporal components, implying that distinctiveness can result from differences single or various acoustic components. In study, domestic chinchillas were...

Abstract Nest-mate recognition and territorial behaviour in ants are widely studied phenomena. However, few studies have analysed, under field conditions, how nest-mate varies with distance from the resident's colony. In a natural population of Camponotus chilensis central Chile, we spatial variation aggressive behaviour. C. individuals were able to discriminate nest-mates intruders, showing no aggression toward nest companions, while aggressiveness allo-colonial con-specifics decreased...

Abstract Effective communication requires a match among signal characteristics, environmental conditions, and receptor tuning decoding. The degree of matching, however, can vary, others due to different selective pressures affecting the components. For evolutionary novelties, strong are likely act upon promote tight them. We test this prediction by exploring coupling between acoustic signals auditory sensitivity in Liolaemus chiliensis , Weeping lizard, only one more than 285 species that...

Abstract Sound-producing organs generate acoustic signals that have a fundamental role in communication systems. In species exhibiting different biogeographic patterns, variations of these structures can explain large part interpopulation differences their signals. Pleurodema thaul is an anuran with extensive geographic distribution Chile and presents evident divergence its among three genetic/bioacoustic groups (i.e. northern, central southern). By means classic histology...

Among amphibians, conspecific chemical communication has been widely studied in Caudata. Adult anurans, by contrast, have received less attention. Recently, it was shown that scents are also relevant for adult anuran intraspecific communication. In this context, we evaluate whether females of the four-eyed frog ( Pleurodema thaul ) respond to male scents. We carried out a double choice experiment Y-maze. Females were repeatedly presented with several males versus distilled water. To extract...

The auditory sensitivity of frogs Discoglossus (Alytidae) was measured and compared with the known spectral characteristics their vocalizations, to assess evolutionary patterns sound communication in these primitive anurans. Multi-unit recordings Torus semicircularis 6 D. pictus, 2 galganoi show two regions enhanced sensitivity, below 0.5 kHz at ca. 1.6 kHz, minimum thresholds 40 50 dB SPL, respectively. high frequency region is tuned frequencies higher than calls reported for this genus,...