TY - JOUR T1 - The distribution and calls of Vraem’ Treefrog, Dendropsophus vraemi (Caminer, Milá, Jansen, Fouquet, Venegas, Chávez, Lougheed, and Ron 2017), with comments on its conservation status JF - Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Y1 - 2021 A1 - Germán Chávez A1 - Andy C. Barboza A1 - Michelle E. Thompson KW - Amphibia KW - Anura KW - Data Deficient KW - Peru KW - South America KW - vocalization AB -

Dendropsophus vraemi is a recently described frog that is only known from the type locality, in La Mar province, Ayacucho, Peru. Here, we present new data on its geographic distribution, coloration in life, and habitat, as well as descriptions of the advertisement and aggressive calls of this species. The new localities extend the known distribution range 151 km northwest and the elevation range down to 250 m asl, which is nearly 450 m lower than previously known. Our findings are inconsistent with its current IUCN categorization of Least Concern (LC), and we suggest that this species should be categorized as Data Deficient.

VL - 15 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The Acoustic behavior of the Brazilian Caatinga big rodent is incongruent to its actual position in Hidrochaerinae JF - Behavioural Processes Y1 - 2021 A1 - Raimundo Novaes Alencar-Jr A1 - Patrícia Ferreira Monticellia KW - alarm call KW - Hystricognathi rodents KW - semi-arid KW - social life KW - vocalization AB -

Our knowledge about the acoustic behavior of Caviinae species drove us to investigate Kerodon rupestris’s (Caviidae: Hydrochoerinae) repertoire. This species is endemic to Caatinga and states as vulnerable in the Brazilian list of endangered species. We recorded sounds uttered by individuals from Santa Luzia, State of Paraíba, Brazil. We promoted interactions among 13 animals during intra and intersexual pairing sessions, under undisturbed interactions in captivity, and in free-living conditions. We found a repertoire of 13 call types, most of them (all except three) shared with Cavia and only five possibly shared also with Hydrochoerus: (1) Close contact and cohesion: tonal and noisy contact calls, tweet, slow-whistle; (2) Social regulation (incitement, subordination or auto-defense): whine, peep-squeak, yelp; (3) Offensive aggression and status display: roar, snort, and teeth-chattering (4) Warning or intimidation: alarm-whistle, drrr, and drumming; (5) Courtship: purr and slow-whistle. The similarity of Kerodon signals to Hydrochoerinae species, despite the ecological differences, needs to be understood in comparative phylogenetic studies tracing back the origin of the courtship display in Caviidae. Thus, future research should focus on playback studies to test signals' biological function hypothesis.

ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Integrating bioacoustics, DNA barcoding and niche modeling for frog conservation – The threatened balloon frogs of Sri Lanka JF - Global Ecology and Conservation Y1 - 2018 A1 - Wijayathilaka, Nayana A1 - Senevirathne, Gayani A1 - Bandara, Champika A1 - Rajapakse, Sanath A1 - Pethiyagoda, Rohan A1 - Meegaskumbura, Madhava KW - Anura KW - Distribution modeling KW - Exploration KW - population monitoring KW - Species boundaries KW - vocalization AB -

Discovering and monitoring anuran populations that are in decline, and ascertaining boundaries for cryptic and rare species, is a challenge for their conservation management. Here, we integrate three techniques, bioacoustics (call), niche modeling and DNA barcoding as a test case to investigate how the combination of these methods can enhance search efficiency for previously unknown populations, especially for those species that are threatened. As a focal group, we considered a clade in the genus Uperodon earlier referred to as Ramanella, represented by four endemic species in Sri Lanka (U. nagaoi – Endangered; U. palmatus – Critically Endangered; U. obscurus – Vulnerable and U. rohani – possibly Least Concern); we focus on the two highly threatened species (U. nagaoi and U. palmatus). We used mitochondrial DNA barcodes (16S rRNA) to link species accurately to their call and subsequently predicted species distributions using MaxEnt-based niche modeling of known species locations and forest cover data to increase the efficiency of searching for new populations. Lastly, we analyzed call data for accurate and rapid identification of new and viable populations. Following enhanced predicted distribution models, we visited 14 potential sites and sampled for Uperodon calls of the two highly threatened species. Within a period of two weeks of fieldwork, we discovered two new populations of U. nagaoi and one population of U. palmatus by identifying their calls in areas predicted by niche modeling; we also confirm species identities at several previously unconfirmed locations. Finally, we included the new locations to enhance the distributional predictions for the threatened species. We discuss our results in the context of integrating methods to facilitate conservation of rare and threatened frog species.

UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2351989418301781https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S2351989418301781?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S2351989418301781?httpAccept=text/plain JO - Global Ecology and Conservation ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Evidence of individual discrimination in the maned wolf long-distance extended-bark JF - Behavioural Processes Y1 - 2018 A1 - Flora, Balieiro A1 - Patrícia, Ferreira Monticelli KW - acoustics KW - Chrysocyon brachyurus KW - discrimination KW - individuality KW - psychoacoustics KW - vocalization AB -

The acoustic channel is an efficient long-distance signalling system that may be especially effective for animals moving in the dark in a vast home range. The maned wolf’s extended-bark is a long-range vocalization that functions as a mechanism to increase spatial distance among conspecifics as well as to enable pair-mate reunion. Individual variations in this vocalization have been reported, but the possibility that they can be perceived and used by the species has never been tested. In our study, we used ABAB playback experiments to test if captive maned wolves could perceive individual variations. We ran 19 playback sessions with ten different subjects from six different zoos. After discarding nine sessions that did not fulfil minimal experimental conditions, in all except two of the ten valid trials, the subjects responded with displaying Oriented Attention. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the maned wolf is capable of discriminating among extended-barks of different individuals.

UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0376635718301906https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0376635718301906?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0376635718301906?httpAccept=text/plain JO - Behavioural Processes ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Working hypotheses on the meaning of general alarm calls JF - Animal Behaviour Y1 - 2018 A1 - Dezecache, Guillaume A1 - Berthet, Mélissa KW - alarm call KW - context KW - functional referentiality KW - general alarm call KW - informativity principle KW - Meaning KW - semantics KW - vocalization AB -

General calls are present in the vocal repertoire of a great number of animal species. Because of their lack of context specificity, they are typically argued to possess blurred meaning, or even no meaning at all. Although recent animal cognition studies have demonstrated a growing interest in these vocalizations, there is currently no clear definition of general calls, and their meaning is seldom discussed. Here, we propose a definition of general calls, and review various hypotheses regarding their meaning, focusing on alert contexts. We first discuss the hypothesis that general alarm calls have a general alert meaning. Second, we review an alternative view, that general calls in fact have a specific meaning. With this review, we encourage further research that could help delve into the mechanisms underlying vocal production and comprehension and would improve our understanding of general and specific calls in animals.

VL - 142 UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218301908https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218301908?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218301908?httpAccept=text/plain JO - Animal Behaviour ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Kinship and association do not explain vocal repertoire variation among individual sperm whales or social units JF - Animal Behaviour Y1 - 2018 A1 - Konrad, Christine M. A1 - Frasier, Timothy R. A1 - Rendell, Luke A1 - Whitehead, Hal A1 - Gero, Shane KW - dialect KW - kinship KW - matrilineal KW - social unit KW - sperm whale KW - vocal learning KW - vocalization AB -

Vocal learning often results in distinct dialects among individuals or groups, but the forces selecting for these phenomena remain unclear. Female sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, and their dependent offspring live in matrilineally based social units, and the units associate within sympatric clans. The clans have distinctive dialects of codas (patterns of clicks), as do, to a lesser extent, the units within clans. We examined the similarity of coda repertoires of individuals and units from the eastern Caribbean and related these to patterns of kinship and social association. Similarity in coda repertoires was not discernibly correlated with close kinship or association rates for either individuals or units (matrix correlation coefficients <0.12 for all tests using whole repertoires and data from all units). This supports the prevailing hypothesis that these vocalizations are culturally transmitted. The lack of correlation also indicates that vocal learning may occur broadly within clans, rather than preferentially from close kin or close social associates within social units, or that biases in vocal learning at lower levels of social structure are diffused by clan-level processes, such as conformity. Finally, an absence of signals of kinship in vocalization patterns suggests that a different mechanism, perhaps familiarity through repeated association, mediates kin selection among sperm whales.

VL - 145 UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218302811https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218302811?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218302811?httpAccept=text/plain JO - Animal Behaviour ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Temporal adjustment of short calls according to a partner during vocal turn-taking in Japanese macaques JF - Current Zoology Y1 - 2018 A1 - Katsu, Noriko A1 - Yamada, Kazunori A1 - Okanoya, Kazuo A1 - Nakamichi, Masayuki KW - primate KW - rhythm KW - turn-taking KW - vocalization AB -

Turn-taking is a common feature in human speech, and is also seen in the communication of other primate species. However, evidence of turn-taking in vocal exchanges within a short time frame is still scarce in nonhuman primates. This study investigated whether dynamic adjustment during turn-taking in short calls exists in Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata. We observed exchanges of short calls such as grunts, girneys, and short, low coos during social interactions in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques. We found that the median gap between the turns of two callers was 250 ms. Call intervals varied among individuals, suggesting that call intervals were not fixed among individuals. Solo call intervals were shorter than call intervals interrupted by responses from partners (i.e., exchanges) and longer than those between the partner’s reply and the reply to that call, indicating that the monkeys did not just repeat calls at certain intervals irrespective of the social situation. The differences in call intervals during exchanged and solo call sequences were explained by the response interval of the partner, suggesting an adjustment of call timing according to the tempo of the partner’s call utterance. These findings suggest that monkeys display dynamic temporal adjustment in a short time window, which is comparable to turn-taking in human speech.

UR - https://academic.oup.com/cz/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cz/zoy077/5132690 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The vocal repertoire of the domesticated zebra finch: a data-driven approach to decipher the information-bearing acoustic features of communication signals JF - Animal Cognition Y1 - 2016 A1 - Elie, Julie E. A1 - Theunissen, Frédéric E. KW - Acoustic signature KW - classification KW - Meaning KW - Regularization KW - Songbird KW - vocalization AB -

Although a universal code for the acoustic features of animal vocal communication calls may not exist, the thorough analysis of the distinctive acoustical features of vocalization categories is important not only to decipher the acoustical code for a specific species but also to understand the evolution of communication signals and the mechanisms used to produce and understand them. Here, we recorded more than 8000 examples of almost all the vocalizations of the domesticated zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata: vocalizations produced to establish contact, to form and maintain pair bonds, to sound an alarm, to communicate distress or to advertise hunger or aggressive intents. We characterized each vocalization type using complete representations that avoided any a priori assumptions on the acoustic code, as well as classical bioacoustics measures that could provide more intuitive interpretations. We then used these acoustical features to rigorously determine the potential information-bearing acoustical features for each vocalization type using both a novel regularized classifier and an unsupervised clustering algorithm. Vocalization categories are discriminated by the shape of their frequency spectrum and by their pitch saliency (noisy to tonal vocalizations) but not particularly by their fundamental frequency. Notably, the spectral shape of zebra finch vocalizations contains peaks or formants that vary systematically across categories and that would be generated by active control of both the vocal organ (source) and the upper vocal tract (filter).

VL - 19 UR - http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10071-015-0933-6 IS - 2 JO - Anim Cogn ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Temporal patterns of chimpanzee loud calls in the Issa Valley, Tanzania: Evidence of nocturnal acoustic behavior in wild chimpanzees JF - American Journal of Physical Anthropology Y1 - 2018 A1 - Piel, Alex K. KW - great ape KW - pant hoot KW - passive acoustic monitoring KW - vocalization AB -

Objectives: Much is known about chimpanzee diurnal call patterns, but far less about night-time vocal behavior. I deployed a passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) system to assess 24-hr temporal acoustic activity of wild, unhabituated chimpanzees that live in a woodland mosaic habitat similar to hominin landscapes from the Plio-Pleistocene. A primary aim was to apply findings to our broader understanding to chimpanzee 24-hr activity patterns, and what implications this may have for reconstructing hominin adaptations to similarly hot, dry, and open landscapes. I also tested whether chimpanzees conform to the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, and produce loud calls dur- ing periods of optimal sound transmission.


Methods: Nine custom-made solar-powered acoustic transmission units (SPATUs) recorded con- tinuously for 250 days over 11 months in the Issa Valley, western Tanzania. I complemented acoustic data with environmental data from weather stations as well as behavioral data collected on chimpanzee nest group sizes to assess the relationship between party size and calling.


Results: Chimpanzees called at all hours of the day and night in both wet and dry seasons, and night and day calls exhibited parallel rates/month, although twilight calls were produced signifi- cantly more in the dry, compared to the wet season. Calls were more likely during warmer temperatures and lower humidity. Call rate was positively associated with (nest) party size and counter-calls exhibited no temporal variation in their origins (similar vs. adjacent valleys).


Conclusions: Chimpanzees were acoustically active throughout the 24-hr cycle, although at low rates compared to diurnal activity, revealing night-time activity in an ape otherwise described as diurnal. Chimpanzee loud calls partially, and weakly, conformed to the acoustic adaptation hypoth- esis and likely responded to social, rather than environmental factors. Call rates accurately reflect grouping patterns and PAM is demonstrated to be an effective means of remotely assessing activ- ity, especially at times and from places that are difficult to access for researchers.

VL - 166 UR - http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/ajpa.v166.3 IS - 3 JO - Am J Phys Anthropol ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Male hyraxes increase countersinging as strangers become ‘nasty neighbours’ JF - Animal Behaviour Y1 - 2017 A1 - Goll, Yael A1 - Demartsev, Vlad A1 - Koren, Lee A1 - Geffen, Eli KW - advertisement KW - animal communication KW - floating territory KW - neighbour-stranger relationships KW - social mammals KW - vocalization AB -

Many territorial animals interact less aggressively with neighbours than with strangers, a phenomenon known as the ‘dear enemy’ effect, although some species show the opposite behaviour. Rock hyraxes, Procavia capensis, are social mammals that communicate via a rich acoustic repertoire. Male hyraxes produce elaborate advertisement calls (i.e. songs) both spontaneously and in response to occasional attention-grabbing events (e.g. pup screams, agonistic interaction), as well as to conspecific male songs. When replying to conspecific songs, male hyraxes tend to respond more to familiar males than to strangers, reflecting the ‘nasty neighbour’ effect. Our study relates to the general question of why some species respond aggressively towards neighbours, while others are more aggressive towards strangers. We hypothesized that male hyraxes eventually familiarize themselves with a stranger, subsequently perceiving its intentions as highly threatening and deserving of a vocal response. To simulate the presence of a stranger in the area we exposed wild hyrax groups to playbacks of natural songs of un- familiar hyraxes. Male rock hyraxes became more likely to reply to a stranger's song over time, but this was independent of the number of times they heard the song. This suggests that either (1) the threat presented by a stranger increases when it is no longer perceived as transient or (2) because listeners do not physically encounter the stranger, they perceive replying aggressively as a low-risk response. Our work implies that species may demonstrate a range of condition-dependent behaviours instead of a dichotomy between the ‘nasty neighbour’ and ‘dear enemy’ strategies.

VL - 134 UR - http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730324X JO - Animal Behaviour ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The advertisement call and comments on the distribution of Eleutherodactylus bilineatus Bokermann, 1975, an endemic frog of Bahia State, Brazil (Amphibia, Anura) JF - ZooKeys Y1 - 2017 A1 - Iuri Ribeiro Dias A1 - Mira-Mendes, Caio Vinicius de A1 - Souza-Costa, Carlos Augusto A1 - Juncá, Flora Acuña A1 - Mirco Solé KW - Atlantic Forest KW - bioacoustics KW - Holoadeninae KW - range extension KW - vocalization AB -

Advertisement calls can be used to aid solving taxonomic problems and understanding the evolution of certain groups. In this study, the advertisement call of Eleutherodactylus bilineatus is described. It is composed by two different notes with a total duration of 0.529–4.241 seconds and dominant frequency of 1.72–3.45 kHz. Additionally, new data is provided on the geographical distribution of Eleutherodactylus bilineatus and the most inland record for this species.

VL - 677 UR - http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=12309 JO - ZK ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The use of bioacoustics in anuran taxonomy: theory, terminology, methods and recommendations for best practice JF - Zootaxa Y1 - 2017 A1 - Jörn Köhler A1 - Martin Jansen A1 - Ariel Rodríguez A1 - Philippe J. R. Kok A1 - Luís Felipe Toledo A1 - Emmrich, Mike A1 - Frank Glaw A1 - Célio F. B. Haddad A1 - Mark-Oliver Rödel A1 - Miguel Vences KW - Amphibia KW - Anura KW - call KW - call analysis KW - call description KW - call variation KW - definitions KW - note KW - pulse KW - sound KW - species delimitation KW - taxonomy KW - vocalization AB -

Vocalizations of anuran amphibians have received much attention in studies of behavioral ecology and physiology, but also provide informative characters for identifying and delimiting species. We here review the terminology and variation of frog calls from a perspective of integrative taxonomy, and provide hands-on protocols for recording, analyzing, comparing, interpreting and describing these sounds. Our focus is on advertisement calls, which serve as premating isolation mechanisms and, therefore, convey important taxonomic information. We provide recommendations for terminology of frog vocalizations, with call, note and pulse being the fundamental subunits to be used in descriptions and comparisons. However, due to the complexity and diversity of these signals, an unequivocal application of the terms call and note can be challenging. We therefore provide two coherent concepts that either follow a note-centered approach (defining uninterrupted units of sound as notes, and their entirety as call) or a call-centered approach (defining uninterrupted units as call whenever they are separated by long silent intervals) in terminology. Based on surveys of literature, we show that numerous call traits can be highly variable within and between individuals of one species. Despite idiosyncrasies of species and higher taxa, the duration of calls or notes, pulse rate within notes, and number of pulses per note appear to be more static within individuals and somewhat less affected by temperature. Therefore, these variables might often be preferable as taxonomic characters over call rate or note rate, which are heavily influenced by various factors. Dominant frequency is also comparatively static and only weakly affected by temperature, but depends strongly on body size. As with other taxonomic characters, strong call divergence is typically indicative of species-level differences, whereas call similarities of two populations are no evidence for them being conspecific. Taxonomic conclusions can especially be drawn when the general advertisement call structure of two candidate species is radically different and qualitative call differences are thus observed. On the other hand, quantitative differences in call traits might substantially vary within and among conspecific populations, and require careful evaluation and analysis. We provide guidelines for the taxonomic interpretation of advertisement call differences in sympatric and allopatric situations, and emphasize the need for an integrative use of multiple datasets (bio-acoustics, morphology, genetics), particularly for allopatric scenarios. We show that small-sized frogs often emit calls with frequency components in the ultrasound spectrum, although it is unlikely that these high frequencies are of biological relevance for the majority of them, and we illustrate that detection of upper harmonics depends also on recording distance because higher frequencies are attenuated more strongly. Bioacoustics remains a prime approach in integrative taxonomy of anurans if uncertainty due to possible intraspecific variation and technical artifacts is adequately considered and acknowledged.

VL - 4251 UR - http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4251.1 IS - 1 JO - Zootaxa ER -