Amphisexual parental behavior of a terrestrial breeding frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei in Guyana

Parental care in Elcutherodactylus johnstonei, a terrestrially breeding frog, was uniparental, but was uniparental, bu care was provided by either sex. I tested Maynard Smith's evoluntionarily stable strategy, continous breeding model III, by examining social and ecological conditions under which the provided parental care in Georgetown, Guyana, South America. During the long wet season most males chosen by frmales as mates provided parental care. No males that acquired females through satellite behavior and displacement competition provided care. Females provided parental care in most cases when males failed to do so, and some returned to nests for 72 h, even after being repeatedly driven away by attending males. Females initiated maternal care up to 72 h after oviposition following temporary removal of males. Male-biased operational sex ratios were significantly different for wet and dry months, and no females provided care when rainfall was ≪ mm. Additionally operational sex ratio multiply regressed on paternal and maternal care and rainfall indicated that paternal and maternal care were significantly correlated with operational sex ratio. Rainfall was not related to opeational sex ratio. During the dryer months only males provided care. Males provided less care during weter months, when moe gravid females were avialable as mates. Significant to protect progeny. Although there was support for Maynard Smith's model of evolution of amphisexual cae form biparental care, it was difficult to ascertain clearly whether amphisexual parental behavior from either biparental bahiour or no care. This uncertailty ensues because the behaviour of females and males and development of progeny may have become coadapted after the initial evolution of care in E. johnstonsi.