Details
Engystomops pustulosus
The túngara frog is a small frog of Central America and northern South America, named for the male's distinctive tung-like call. It is a classic study animal for mate choice and predation risk.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It ranges from southern Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad. Forest edges, grassland, farms and villages are used, with puddles and ditches serving as rainy-season breeding sites.
Adults are about 2.3-3.5 cm long. The brown, rounded body has warty bumps that blend with soil and leaf litter, and calling males inflate a conspicuous vocal sac.
Nocturnal males call from shallow water. Adding extra notes can attract females, but it also makes the caller easier for predators such as bats to locate.
Small insects, spiders, mites and other tiny invertebrates are eaten. The frog hunts on damp ground.
Pairs build floating foam nests at the water surface, protecting the eggs inside the froth. As rains fill pools, tadpoles leave the foam and develop in water.
This species has contributed heavily to behavioral ecology, especially studies of mate choice, acoustic communication and predator eavesdropping.
