Bioacoustics of Mantidactylus glosi

Natural history .—Can be observed during day and night. At Ambatovory, specimens were found in a primary rainforest area characterized by a slow-moving stream and extended forested swamp areas next to the running water; calls were emitted from near-stagnant areas in this swamp. Often sitting in shallow parts of slow-moving streams or on the shore. Occurs in syntopy with M. katae at Talatakely, Ranomafana National Park, and at a stream with some riparian vegetation in a degraded part close to a forest fragment and banana plantation at Andalangina. Found at an elevational range between 450–971 m a.s.l. in Andalangina and Talatakely. A female with visible eggs was detected on the bank of a slow-moving stream with shallow parts at Talatakely on 6 May 2010 , two females with visible eggs were found at Andalangina, one on 25 May 2010 , and one on 25 May 2011 .

Calls .—A single call series containing six calls recorded on 26 February 2006 at Ambatovory, air temperature not taken, is here assigned to M. glosi , although this assignment is somewhat uncertain given that the calling male has not been observed. The advertisement call consisted of a short, regularly pulsed note repeated at regular intervals and fast succession ( Fig. 71 ). Notes exhibit some amplitude modulation with a fast increase of call energy at the beginning of the note, reaching its maximum approximately at half of the note’s duration. Call energy was distributed in a relatively narrow frequency band. Numerical parameters of six analysed calls were as follows: call duration (= note duration) 159–214 ms (190.8 ± 20.7 ms); 18–23 pulses per note (20.3 ± 2.3); pulse duration 4–6 ms (4.9 ± 0.5); pulse repetition rate within notes 90.9–115.4 pulses/s (104.1 ± 10.4); dominant frequency 1070–1201 Hz (1124 ± 47 Hz); prevalent bandwidth 800–2100 Hz; call repetition rate (= note repetition rate) within regular series ca 180 calls/min. Tadpoles.— The tadpole of M. glosi was described under the name ‘ M. sp. aff. biporus “Ranomafana”’ by Schmidt et al. (2009) .