REGISTRO DE NECROFAGIA POR GIRINOS DA FAMÍLIA HYLIDAE (AMPHIBIA, ANURA) EM FRAGMENTO DE FLORESTA ATLÂNTICA, NORDESTE, BRASIL

Necrophagy performed by anuran amphibian tadpoles are incidental and incipient events. In this work, tadpoles of the species Boana albomarginata, Boana crepitans, and Dendropsophus minutus were recorded for the first time, feeding on the corpses of Physalaemus cuvieri and Rhinella crucifer in an area of Atlantic forest in northeastern Brazil. We can consider that although the record is occasional in a ephemeral environment, this behavior can occur more frequently in nature.

Safety Bubbles: A Review of the Proposed Functions of Froth Nesting among Anuran Amphibians

The adults of several anuran amphibian species deposit their eggs externally in mucus secretions that are purposely aerated to produce a froth nest. This type of clutch structure has evolved independently several times in this group and has been proposed to serve a variety and often simultaneous adaptive functions associated with protecting offspring from sub-optimal conditions during embryogenesis and later stages after hatching has occurred. These functions range from buffering offspring from sub-optimal temperatures and desiccation, to defending against predation and improving oxygenation. This versatility has likely helped facilitate the reduced reliance of egg development on water and thus the penetration of anurans into environments where permanent aquatic systems are not always available. In this paper, I review the hypothesised functions of the anuran froth nest as a mucus-based solution to the environmental challenges offspring face during development, with consideration of the functions of froth nest breakdown and communal froth nesting, as well.