Reproductive biology, tadpole description, and natural history of Dendrophryniscus haddadi (Anura: Bufonidae)

The genus Dendrophryniscus belongs to the family Bufonidae and includes 16 species of Neotropical frogs endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Most species of the genus have bromeligenous habits, while some species use temporary pools for reproduction. The genus has many similar species, making specific identification based solely on adult morphology difficult. Therefore, additional information such as natural history, larval morphology, and molecular and acoustic data would contribute to better diagnosis of congeneric species. We collected data on Dendrophryniscus haddadi during routine monitoring between January 2013 and March 2022 in the non-governmental organization (NGO) Projeto Dacnis private reserve in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. In this study, we present novel natural history information about the species, such as habitat and hydric resource use, colour patterns, a predation event, reproductive biology including visual display, amplexus, number of eggs, and parental care, along with a description of D. haddadi tadpoles, which will be helpful for diagnosing tadpoles of different species in the genus.

Automated summary

The genus Dendrophryniscus includes 16 species of frogs endemic to the Atlantic Forest. They have different habitat preferences and reproductive strategies. Additional information such as natural history, larval morphology, and molecular and acoustic data would contribute to better species identification.