Full text: Download
Anurans emit a variety of acoustic signals in different behavioral contexts during the breeding season. The release call is a signal produced by the frog when it is inappropriately clasped by another frog. In the family Phyllomedusidae, this call type is known only for Pithecophusayeaye. Here we describe the release call of four species: Phyllomedusabahiana, P.sauvagii, Pithecopusrohdei, and P.nordestinus, based on recordings in the field. The release calls of these four species consist of a multipulsed note. Smaller species of the Pithecopus genus (P.ayeaye, P.rohdei and P.nordestinus), presented shorter release calls (0.022–0.070 s), with higher dominant frequency on average (1508.8–1651.8 Hz), when compared to the bigger Phyllomedusa (P.bahiana and P.sauvagii) (0.062–0.107 s; 798.7–1071.4 Hz). For phyllomedusid species, the release call might indicate a phylogenetic signal, because species of the same genus have similar acoustic traits.