Abstract
We present the first data on the vocalizations of large odorous frogs (Odorrana graminea, previously Odorrana livida), from southern China. The males produce diverse broadband signals most of which contain ultrasonic harmonics. Six basic call-types were identified based on the number of call notes, fundamental frequency, call/note duration, frequency modulation patterns and spectral composition. O. graminea is one of only a few non-mammalian vertebrates able to detect ultrasound, but its tympanic membranes are not recessed. These results should stimulate further studies to provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying high-frequency communication in anurans.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 30730029 to JXS), the National Science Foundation (no. CRCNS-0422073 to ASF), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (no. R01DC00222 to PMN), and the Paul S. Veneklasen Research Foundation to PMN. All experiments were conducted following the Animal Care and Use Guidelines approved by the Institute of Biophysics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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Shen, JX., Xu, ZM., Feng, A.S. et al. Large odorous frogs (Odorrana graminea) produce ultrasonic calls. J Comp Physiol A 197, 1027–1030 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0660-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0660-7