Ichthyology & Herpetology Volume 111: Issue 3

Reproductive habitat selection—deciding where to mate and where to raise offspring—is a critical component of successful reproduction. Parents selecting sites to signal to or search for mates may, e.g., experience strong predation pressure, whereas their offspring may have to compete for food. Here we assessed how the presence of vegetation cover affects site selection for signaling and oviposition by Túngara Frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) and how this choice influences reproductive output in terms of tadpole survival and growth. We found males to call more often from artificial puddles covered with vegetation compared to open puddles in a large-scale field experiment. A follow-up mesocosm experiment revealed the pattern observed in the field to be the result of an active choice and not caused by selective predation. We found that the presence of foam nests was not related to vegetation cover, suggesting that some females actively move away from male call sites. Finally, we found tadpoles to grow heavier in vegetated compared to open puddles in a small-scale experiment. Our data show that male frogs prefer to display from vegetated sites, most likely to reduce risk of predation by eavesdropping predators, such as frog-eating bats. Alternatively, males prefer to call from vegetated sites to improve their offspring development and survival, although choice of breeding site appears to be largely under control of females. Call site choice thus appears to provide some adaptive benefits to males in terms of survival, whereas oviposition choice does not provide females with better developmental conditions for their offspring. Active avoidance of sites with calling males may, however, reduce tadpole competition, but future studies should reveal to what extend puddle quality is weighted against competition in female breeding choices. Our findings reveal that breeding site choice differs across the important life-history stages of mating and oviposition, and we argue that this can have important consequences for any conflict between the sexes.

The global population status of many reptiles, particularly tortoises as one of the most threatened tetrapod groups, necessitates conservation efforts and study. Baseline information about habitat use can help formulate conservation strategies and improve effectiveness of surveys. I studied habitat use by Karoo Dwarf Tortoises (Chersobius boulengeri), an endangered South African endemic with only one population known to contain males, females, and juveniles, to aid conservationists in assessing which nature reserves (with incidental records) and potential new reserves may sustain populations, and to inform surveys for additional populations. Available microhabitats and rock types were mapped using an unmanned aerial vehicle. I analyzed the tortoise distribution and determined home range sizes (minimum convex polygons) and minimum daily movement distances of nine males and 16 females using radio transmitters. All fieldwork was conducted in spring 2018 and 2019, and in summer 2018, 2019, and 2020. Relatively high numbers of tortoises inhabited sills (i.e., exposed dolerite intrusions between sandstone) that contained ample retreats among boulders and rocks, whereas relatively few lived on level plateaus that might expose them to predatory birds. Despite their apparent preference of sills, tortoises were able to survive in home ranges that contained little sill microhabitat. Tortoises were rather sedentary, having small sexually and seasonally similar home ranges (1.10–1.14 ha) and movement distances (27.6–28.4 m/day), although their home ranges were larger than those of the related Speckled Dwarf Tortoise (Chersobius signatus), possibly as a result of different habitat productivities. Conservationists and surveyors should consider that sills appear important for Karoo Dwarf Tortoises, but generic rocky slopes may also harbor individuals. Future studies could address aspects that underlie microhabitat use, such as availability of retreats and vegetation, and integrate available information in a spatial model.

In many animal species, alternative reproductive tactics can result in alloparenting: adult individuals providing care for juveniles that are not genetically their own progeny. In species with parental care, males may exhibit “sneaking” behavior and fertilize eggs in the nest of another male, or nesting males may commit egg theft from a more successful male, possibly to help attract females. Alloparenting may have important consequences for both male and female reproductive output and mate choice, but rates of such non-paternity in natural populations are poorly understood in many taxa, as are the ecological factors that might influence these rates. Here, we quantified the frequency of non-paternity between males and the eggs in their nests within 15 natural populations of Threespine Stickleback, and tested whether the frequency of mismatch was predicted by characteristics of the lake (lake size and nest density) or features of individual males (body size and diet) or their chosen nest location (depth and presence of vegetation). The frequency of non-paternity was relatively high across all lakes (23–66%) but was not explained by lake-level characteristics (lake area or nest density). Alloparenting was more likely for individual males with more benthic diets (as measured by stable isotopes) and for males whose nests were closer to vegetation, although this effect varied across lakes. Our results suggest that individual-level characteristics of the male and nest influence the frequency of alloparenting, and that variation among individuals and populations should be considered in studies of the genetics and evolutionary consequences of alternative reproductive tactics.

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

Associate Professor at Sam Houston State University

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

Associate Professor, Sam Houston State University, 2020– current

Assistant Professor, Sam Houston State University, 2015– 2020

Visiting Professor, Sam Houston State University, 2013– 2015

Postdoctoral fellow, Villanova University, 2010–2013

Postdoctoral fellow at CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, 2009–2010

Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, Puerto Rico, 2009

M.Sc., University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, Puerto Rico, 2005

B.Sc., Universidad del Valle, Sede Meléndez, Cali, Colombia, 1999

Tell us a little about your research.—

My interest focuses on the consequences of the interplay of developmental and size

IN MEMORIAM

THIS year we sadly report the passing of:

José Iván Mojica Corzo (1957–August 3, 2022)
Eric Rodger Pianka (January 23, 1939–September 12, 2022)
Victor Gruschka Springer (June 2, 1928–September 18, 2022)
Gerald “Jerry” R. Smith (March 20, 1935–September 20, 2022)
Patrick Henri de Rham (April 15, 1936–December 3, 2022)
Scott Moody (March 13, 1949–January 4, 2023)
William “Bill” McKee Palmer (December 6, 1935–January 5, 2023)
Edwin “Phil” Pister (January 15, 1929–January 17, 2023)
Bruce H. Bauer (January 7, 1951–March 23, 2023)
David Allen Etnier (December 2, 1938–May 17, 2023)
John Donald “Don” McPhail (1934–July 1, 2023)
Robert “Bob”

Adaptive Choice of Reproductive Microhabitat and Its Potential for Sexual Conflict in Túngara Frogs

Habitat Use by the Rock-Dwelling Karoo Dwarf Tortoise, Chersobius boulengeri

Rates of Alloparental Care by Male Stickleback in Natural Lake Populations

Two New Species of Suckermouth Catfishes (Mochokidae: Chiloglanis) from Upper Guinean Forest Streams in West Africa

Genomic Data Do Not Support the Species Status of the San Luis Valley Short-Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma diminutum)

Review of Australian Species of Paracheilinus Fourmanoir (Teleostei: Labridae), with Description of a New Species from the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

Demographics, Reproductive Characteristics, and Genetic Connectivity of Blue Suckers (Cycleptus elongatus) in a Large Tributary

A New Genus and Two New Species of Tetras (Characiformes: Characidae), with a Redescription and Generic Reassignment of Axelrodia lindeae Géry

Temperature and Development Drive Variation in Oral Morphology among Tailed Frog (Ascaphus spp.) Populations

New Species of Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from Wetlands of High Elevation of Argentina, with Notes on the T. alterus Species-Complex

The Systematics of the Ophidiid Genus Spectrunculus (Teleostei, Ophidiiformes) Revisited with Description of a New Species and Resurrection of S. radcliffei

Juan D. Daza, Ph.D. (He/His/El)

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

Tell us a little about your research.—

Lauren Eve Simonitis, Ph.D. (She/Her/Ella)

CURRENT APPOINTMENT

EDUCATION & PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

Tell us a little about your research.—

Book Reviews

Editorial Notes and News

IN MEMORIAM

Temperature Manipulation Induces Ecdysis in Lab-Held Rattlesnakes

Integrative Taxonomy Reveals a New Species of Imparfinis (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from the Upper Xingu River Basin

A New Species of Psalidodon (Characiformes: Acestrorhamphidae) from the Upper Rio São Francisco Basin, Brazil, with Comments on Hasemania

SUMMARY OF THE MEETINGS

Illuminating the Early Life of Salamanders: Exploring Biofluorescence During Development