Abstract

In anurans, mate choice is traditionally considered to be exercised exclusively by females. Recent studies have, however, pointed out, that male mate choice might occur in a wider array of frog species than previously thought. Theory predicts that male mate choice is likely to be present in a species if female fecundity is related to body size and where time invested into one mating is relatively large. We investigated male mating preferences in Rana dalmatina, a species where both assumptions were likely to be met. Although fecundity was positively correlated with size in females and amplexus does seem to last relatively long, there was no male mate choice for larger females. We discuss these results considering costs and benefits of mate choice and speculate that adaptations to male-male competition and avoidance of heterospecific matings with co-occurring, larger Bufo bufo females may have shaped the evolution of non-choosiness in R. dalmatina males.