Natural history traits of the terrestrial breeding frog Batrachyla taeniata (Anura: Batrachylidae) in wet meadows of Patagonia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Anurans have diverse reproductive modes, and some species of the austral forests of Patagonia have become specialized in terrestrial reproduction. Batrachyla taeniata is one of these species: it inhabits wetlands, lays its eggs during late summer and fall in terrestrial conditions, and has overwintering tadpoles. We studied a population of B. taeniata that breeds in wet meadows surrounded by native Patagonian forest and described its life cycle parameters (breeding phenology, egg development, and coexistence with other anurans) over two different years with contrasting hydroperiods. We also analyzed the effect of predatory insects on tadpole survival. Embryo development occurred in wet soil, which may be exposed to the sun or not, and took from 48 to 63 days to hatch. Free-swimming larvae overwintered in the wetland and coexisted in spring with pond-breeding anurans that varied in composition and abundance according to the wetland hydroperiod. The survivorship of B. taeniata tadpoles was significantly greater than that of P. thaul tadpoles when both were exposed to a free belostomatid predator. We consider that the terrestrial reproductive mode and life cycle of B. taeniata enable this species to survive in the variable biotic conditions determined by hydroperiod length.