Bioacoustics of Cophyla puellarum

Diagnosis and comparisons. Assigned to the genus Cophyla in the microhylid subfamily Cophylinae based on enlarged terminal discs on fingers and toes, posterior vomer undivided and not overlapping with neopalatines, absence of nuptial pads and molecular phylogenetic relationships. Among other arboreal species of cophylines the species can be identified by combination of the following character states: body size comparatively large for Cophyla (SVL 27.3–33.6 mm ); most of the specimens possess a uniformly yellow-greenish ventral colour; fifth toe slightly longer than third; males with prepollical tubercule but lacking a finger-like prepollex as typical for Anodonthyla ; posterior vomer with well developed and clearly recognizable vomerine teeth; clavicle present. Distinguished from all other species of Cophyla by a unique advertisement call, characterized by a combination of short calls with long inter-call intervals; ( Table 2 ). Further distinguished from C. phyllodactyla , C. maharipeo and C. noromalalae by the presence of a clavicle (no osteological data available for C. berara and C. occultans ). Further distinguished from C . occultans and C . berara by larger body size (adult male SVL 27–29 mm vs . respectively 16–21 mm and 23–26 mm ).

Etymology. The name is derived from Latin puellarum : girls, genitive plural of puella. This species is dedicated to the "girls team" of a joint TU Braunschweig and Université d'Antananarivo expedition who discovered the first specimen in 2009 at Lac Maudit. Natural history. The holotype was found during the day with two metamorphosing tadpoles in a tree hole in highland forest. An ovigerous female (ZSM 3275/2012) contained 21 eggs . The recorded male (UADBA-A 60237) was found on a tree trunk in December 2012 in the same area as the holotype . A second calling male (ZSM 3274/ 2012) was found on a Pandanus leaf. More specimens were regularly observed calling. They were typically heard from low perches of ca. 100–150 cm on leaves, but in a few cases also from higher perches of above 2 m from the ground. Advertisement call. Recorded from paratype UADBA-A 60237 (FGZC 4903), at Point de Vue du Grand Moulin in MANP, on 10 December 2012 , at an air temperature of 16.6˚C ( Fig. 17 ). The following call description refers to the calls of this single specimen. As with all other Cophyla and most cophylines, single tonal calls were repeated in long series (continued at least for several minutes but probably much longer in undisturbed specimens). The dominant spectral call frequency ranged from 2300–2400 Hz (N= 47). Temporal call parameters were as follows: call duration 326–390 ms (363±13 ms; N= 47); duration of inter-call intervals 1961–3996 ms (2640±594 ms; N= 46). As in C. maharipeo , each call in the recorded sequence starts with a very short intensity peak, and we hypothesize this represents an artefact of the recording equipment or an abnormal call feature (see call description of C. maharipeo ).