Abstract

ESCOBAR-LASSO, Sergio  and  ROJAS-MORALES, Julián Andrés. ANTIPREDATORY BEHAVIORS OF THE COLOMBIAN ENDEMIC GLASSFROG CENTROLENE SAVAGEI (ANURA: CENTROLENIDAE). Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2012, vol.16, n.1, pp.226-232. ISSN 0123-3068.

Predation has been an important agent of natural selection which has led the evolution of several characteristics of amphibians, such as toxic and distasteful skin secretions, cryptic and aposematic coloration, and a variety of defensive postures and behaviors. This work describes for the first time the behaviors displayed by the glass frog Centrolene savagei, to avoid predation. These behaviors consisted in assume defensive postures, release cloacal fluids and production of odoriferous secretions, while individuals were visual and tactile estimulated. The defense postures and production of odoriferous secretions is established as the first record of such behaviors for the family Centrolenidae, demonstrating that many aspects of the natural history of glass frogs are still unknown.

Keywords : Centrolenidae; Centrolene savagei; defensive behavior; defensive posture; odoriferous secretions.

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