Notes on behaviour, communication and reproduction in captive Hyloxalus toachi (Anura: Dendrobatidae), an endangered Ecuadorian frog

We studied, under laboratory conditions, behavioural traits related to social interactions, parental care and commu- nication in Hyloxalus toachi. This species is diurnal. Females spent most of their time maintaining and defend- ing territories and were more territorial than <<.Male vocalizations included long-range advertisement calls, two kinds of close-range courtship calls, aggression calls and sounds produced while attempting to clasp ,,.During body contact, << and ,, produced encounter calls. Preovipositional amplexus was cephalic and lasted 10– 15minutes. During terrestrial oviposition, the < climbed onto the dorsum of the , in an axillary position, but without clasping the ,. Fertilization occurred as the eggs were deposited. When oviposition was completed, the < left the ,, while the , remained close to the clutch for up to 5 hours. The mean clutch size was 11 eggs. Eggs had a mean diameter of 2  4mm. The incubation time was 13–16days.During that time, egg attendance and transport of tadpoles to water were performed exclusively by the <. Tadpoles were carried on the <’s dorsum for up to 5 days. The behaviours and features reported here are useful for interpreting trends in the evolution of dendroba- tid behaviour.