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Structure of Transient Vocal Assemblages of Physalaemus fischeri (Anura, Leiuperidae): Calling Site Fidelity and Spatial Distribution of Males

ABSTRACT. Breeding aggregations are common in anurans during reproduction. In these aggregations, males can space themselves or randomly distribute themselves in the available space, and they can occupy the same position for long periods of time or shift from one position to another frequently. I investigated male spacing patterns and individual site fidelity of Physalaemus fischeri at a moderately flooded shrub plot during 21 consecutive nights at a locality in the central llanos of Venezuela. Male positions and nearest neighbor distances were determined nightly. I found 35 different males at 53 calling positions. Not all males were active simultaneously. Nineteen males occupied the same calling position for more than one night, either consecutively or not. The number of nights of consecutive occupation of a position by the same male was 2.59 ± 1.12 (mean ± sd; max = 5 nights, N = 17 males) and the total number of nights (consecutive and non-consecutive) was 3.00 ± 1.41 (mean plusmn;sd; max = 6 nights, N = 15 males). The modal nearest neighbor distance was 2.5 m and about 58% of the inter-male distances were below 6 m. The Clark and Evans index (R) and the Thompson's test, performed for each observation night, indicated that males distributed themselves regularly in most nights. There was a positive association between R and nearest neighbor distances (Spearman rs = 0.72, p = 0.04), thus, regular spacing was associated with spatial segregation among males. The results indicate that breeding aggregations of P. fischeri males are structured but dynamic, because males space themselves within the aggregation and show site fidelity, but only during a few nights. Male segregation is suggestive of acoustically mediated spacing, because male-male combat was rare. In addition, spacing and occupation of a stable position over short periods may entail breeding advantages that still remain to be investigated.