Predation of Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger 1885) by Lepidobatrachus llanensis Reig and Cei 1963

Abstract

On 7 December 2013, we performed an intensive night survey between the localities Fuerte Esperanza and Misión Nueva Pompeya, in the Chaco Province, northern Argentina. The night was preceded by a heavy storm, creating a multitude of temporary ponds. The environmental conditions triggered the explosive reproduction in D. muelleri: vocalizing adult males were heard in addition to observations of pairs in amplexus inside water bodies and the presence of females on land which were headed to the breeding ponds. At 00.48 hours, we witnessed an adult D. muelleri being preyed upon by an adult Lepidobatrachus llanensis Reig and Cei 1963 on the side of a dirt-road segment (Ruta Provincial no. 61) (25°0?8.52?S, 61°30?50.25?W).