One species, two strategies? Oviposition site variation in a member of the Leptodactylus pentadactylus group (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae)

Abstract

Many different reproductive strategies have been documented in anurans. In particular, in the family Leptodactylidae, oviposition strategies range from aquatic to terrestrial, based on eggs in foam nests. However, information on reproductive site variation within the same species is scarce. During an inventory and ecological study of amphibians in the lowlands of Bolivia, we recorded two populations of a member of the Leptodactylus pentadactylus species group. Analyses of tadpole morphology and DNA barcoding provided evidence for a conspecific status of both populations, assigned to L. vastus. One population showed semi-aquatic oviposition, whereas we assume both semi-aquatic and terrestrial egg deposition in the other population, the terrestrial reproductive mode being associated with termite mounds. We discuss deficient oviposition, populations with fixed reproductive strategies or a case of reproductive mode plasticity as possible interpretations.

Keywords:

• Bolivia
• Leptodactylus pentadactylus group
• oviposition strategies
• oviposition site variation
• reproduction
• tadpoles

Acknowledgments

Collecting and exportation permits were provided by the Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible, La Paz, and Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria e Inocuidad Alimentaria (SENASAG). Patricia Herrera and Kathia Rivero, Museo Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz de la Sierra provided valuable assistance with acquisition of these permits. We thank Lutz Werding and Urs Büchler for their invitation to conduct herpetological surveys on their properties and for extensive logistic support. Lucia Ziegler, Justin Touchon, Jörn Köhler, Sebastian Lotzkat and three anonymous reviewers greatly improved this manuscript. The study was supported by the research funding programme “LOEWE – Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich-ökonomischer Exzellenz” of Hesse's Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and the Arts. AS gained financial support by GRADE (Goethe Graduate Academy for Life and Natural Sciences, Frankfurt).