Courtship and Reproductive Behavior of the Frog Eleutherodactylus diastema (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in Gamboa, Panama

• Published in: Journal of herpetology Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 44 - 50
• Main Authors: Ovaska, Kristiina, Rand, A. Stanley
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Louis Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles 01.03.2001
• Subjects: Amphibians; Animal nesting; Behavior; Eggs; Eleutherodactylus diastema; Female animals; Freshwater; Frogs; Leptodactylidae; Male animals; Malocclusion; Mating behavior; Nesting sites; Oviposition; Panama, Gamboa; Panama
• ISSN: 0022-1511; 1937-2418
• DOI: 10.2307/1566021

Courtship behavior has been documented in detail for only a few species of Eleutherodactylus, all from the Puerto Rico bank. Here we report on courtship, calling, nest sites, and egg clutches of Eleutherodactylus diastema from Gamboa, Panama. In July 1999, we observed five natural and four staged courtships in the natural habitat. The courtship consisted of an approach by a female, a visual-tactile display when the pair first made contact, and a phase when the male led the female to an oviposition site. Within the first 2 min after contact the male bumped the female 9-12 times with his partly inflated vocal sac, most bumps being initiated by an approach by the female. The male then led the female to a nest site located within his calling territory. Oviposition took place in a variety of concealed or partially concealed sites between leaves or plant stems or inside a bromeliad. Once we observed an agonistic interaction between two females competing for a male in his nest site. Four of the five nests located contained multiple clutches in different developmental stages (one nest had seven clutches and three each had three clutches). We detected no parental care. This study revealed three particularly interesting aspects of the reproductive behavior of E. diastema: the occurrence of a visual-tactile bumping display at the beginning of the courtship, female-female competition for mates, and repeated use of nest sites by individual males.