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1 April 2012 Clutch Size Variation in Egg-Brooding Stefania
Patricia E. Salerno, Gregory B. Pauly
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Among the numerous and varied reproductive modes observed in anurans, some of the most uncommon are found in hemiphractids. For example, the hemiphractid genus Stefania is one of the rare anuran taxa in which females brood their eggs openly upon their backs with the embryos undergoing direct development. Much remains to be learned about reproductive patterns in Stefania and other hemiphractids. Here, using museum specimens, literature records, and specimens recently collected by us, we present data on clutch size variation and the relationship between clutch size and female snout-vent length throughout Stefania. We found a statistically significant correlation between clutch size and female snout-vent length for Stefania (46 individuals, 8 of 19 species) and for three of the four species examined individually (S. evansi, S. ginesi, and S. satelles). Only one species, S. ayangannae, showed no correlation between these traits although this result may be due to low sampling rather than the correlation being absent.

© 2012 Brazilian Society of Herpetology
Patricia E. Salerno and Gregory B. Pauly "Clutch Size Variation in Egg-Brooding Stefania," South American Journal of Herpetology 7(1), 47-54, (1 April 2012). https://doi.org/10.2994/057.007.0106
Received: 22 November 2011; Accepted: 1 March 2012; Published: 1 April 2012
KEYWORDS
clutch size
egg-brooding
Guiana Shield
Hemiphractidae
Parental care
Stefania
tepui
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