Further investigations on Discoglossus bioacoustics:
Relationships between D. galganoi galganoi, D. g. jeanneae
and D. pictus scovazzi
Miguel Vences, Frank Glaw
Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Department of Herpetology, Adenauerallee
160, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Abstract. Advertisement calls of Discoglossus galganoi jeanneae from two localities in southern Spain and
D. pictus scovazzi from Ceuta were analyzed. Call duration as well as ratio of pulse group intensities and
durations clearly group D. pictus scovazzi with the other subspecies of D. pictus (pictus and auritus). The calls
of the taxon jeanneae show some differences to calls of populations of D. g. galganoi from northern Spain,
but are more similar to calls of D. g. galganoi than to those of D. pictus scovazzi. These data support the
status of jeanneae as subspecies of galganoi.
Introduction
The taxonomy of the genus Discoglossus and the relationships and differentiation among
the species and subspecies of this genus have been subject of several studies during the
last decades (Lanza et al., 1984; Capula et al., 1985; Busack, 1986; Clarke and Lanza,
1990; Glaw and Vences, 1991; Capula and Corti, 1993; Fritz et al., 1994). Presently
eight valid taxa are recognized (Lanza et al., 1986).
Species-specific differences between the advertisement calls of Discoglossus pictus
and D. sardus were first revealed by Weber and Schneider (1971) and Weber (1974).
In a previous publication (Glaw and Vences, 1991) we confirmed these differences and
described the advertisement calls of D. montalentii and D. galganoi, which also showed
several species-specific characteristics. We found no significant differences between the
advertisement calls of D. pictus auritus from France and D. pictus pictus from Sicily.
Except for the possibly extinct D. nigriventer from Israel, the calls of only two
Discoglossus taxa remained unknown: Discoglossus pictus scovazzi from Morocco and
Discoglossus galganoi jeanneae. The relationships of these taxa are of special interest
since Busack (1986) described D. jeanneae as a full species, and regarded D. jeanneae as
© E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1996 Amphibia-Reptilia 17: 333-340