A population's of Cochranella ignota reproductive ecology (anura:centrolenidae)

During the first semester of 1994, we studied 30 marked males and 40 eggs clutches of Cochranella ignota in a cloud forest at 1900 m of elevation on the western Andes. The clumping of resident males at restricted sites and the regular spatial pattern of the individuals within the clumps suggest territoriality and male selection of display sites. The lack of patterns of the structural variables of the habitat used both by males and females suggest behavioral mechanisms of mate choice. The comparison of the reproductive strategy of this population with those of other species of anuran amphibians reveals the occurrence of Lek behavior in this species