Bioacoustics of Pelodytes ibericus

Advertisement call and reproductive behavior. The advertisement call of P. ibericus was studied by Paillette et al. (1992) , Márquez et al. (2001) , Sánchez-Herráiz (2004), Pargana et al. (2003) , and Díaz-Paniagua et al. (2005) . It is similar to that of other western Pelodytes lineages, consisting of two notes ( A and B ) with typically a series of various B notes following one A ( Fig. 7 ). Each note has pulses distinctly spaced in the beginning and more concentrated towards the end; the pulsed part is relatively longer in the B note (Paillete et al. 1992; Pargana 1998 ; Sanchez-Herráiz 2004). Calling specimens are in or near the water, but they do not emit their vocalizations fully submerged. Reproductive activity takes place before and after sunset, mostly during rainy days accompanied by slight increases of environmental temperature, although they can also exhibit diurnal activity on rainy days ( Avilés et al. 1999 ; Barbadillo et al. 1999 ). Tadpole. We assessed morphological characters in one tadpole in developmental stage 36 (field number ZCMV 14041, collected at Grazalema, Cádiz, BL 25.5 mm , TL 48.7 mm ). The external morphology of this tadpole and two other specimens has a close similarity to those of P. punctatus except that the upper third row of keratodont has a very tiny gap only or it is even absent, giving LTRF 4(2–4)/5(1–3) or 4(3–4)/5(1–3) and 5(3–5)/5(1–3) or 5(3–5)/5(1–3) ( Fig. 9a ). Larvae have an omnivorous diet composed of algae, mainly Euchlorophyta and Chrysophyta, aquatic plants, fungi, arthropods and small debris ( Díaz-Paniagua 1989 ; Díaz-Paniagua et al. 2005 ). Tadpoles of P. ibericus also predate upon embryos of other anurans (such as Epidalea calamita ; Tejedo 1991).