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Natura Croatica : Periodicum Musei Historiae Naturalis Croatici, Vol. 35 No. 1, 2026.

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20302/NC.2026.35.13

Microhabitat use and observations on parental care in Hyloxalus cepedai (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from the Andean foothills of the Colombian Llanos

Juan Manuel Acosta-Ortiz orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-8714-3826 ; Research Group on Environmental Management and Natural Resources of Colombia, Universidad Santo Tomás, 110211, Bogotá, Colombia *
Andrés S. Sierra-Rueda ; Concesionaria Vial del Oriente, Km 6+750 National Route 6510, Villavicencio – Restrepo road, 500007, Villavicencio, Colombia
Erika Suárez-Rojas ; Concesionaria Vial del Oriente, Km 6+750 National Route 6510, Villavicencio – Restrepo road, 500007, Villavicencio, Colombia

* Corresponding author.

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Abstract

Hyloxalus cepedai is an endemic frog from the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, currently categorized as Vulnerable due to its restricted distribution and the ongoing transformation of its habitat. Despite its conservation status, ecological information about this species remains scarce. In this study, we characterized the microhabitat occupied by H. cepedai in four localities of the municipality of Aguazul, Casanare, in eastern Colombia, and provided observations on parental care. Fieldwork was conducted in April through daytime visual encounter surveys in gallery forests. For each individual, we recorded the substrate, vertical position, and horizontal position. A total of 72 individuals were observed. Most were recorded in leaf litter (n = 52), on the exposed surface of the substrate (n = 59), and in horizontal position I (n = 53). Chi-square analyses revealed that the use of these microhabitat variables was not random, but instead showed significant differences across all categories evaluated, indicating consistent patterns of space utilization. In addition, four males were observed carrying 8 to 10 larvae on their backs, moving across different substrates and at short distances (0–3 m) from the water. These records expand the knowledge of the ecology of H. cepedai by documenting both its non-random microhabitat use patterns and aspects of its parental care.

Keywords

Colombia; dendrobatid frogs; habitat; resources; reproductive strategies

Hrčak ID:

346269

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/346269

Publication date:

30.6.2026.

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