Reproductive Biology of Vitreorana parvula in the Southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Vitreorana parvula is a species of glassfrog found in the Atlantic Forest, although few data are available on its natural history. In the present study, we describe the reproductive biology of V. parvula, including its sexual dimorphism, breeding site selection, spawning, tadpole characteristics, and parental care. Fieldwork was conducted at the Papagaio Charão State Park in the municipality of Sarandi, northern Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil, and we obtained additional data on V. parvula spawning patterns from the Moreno Fortes Municipal Biological Reserve in the municipality of Dois Irmãos das Missões, in the same region of Rio Grande do Sul. Vitreorana parvula lays eggs in riparian vegetation associated with lotic environments and has exotrophic tadpole development, which is consistent with reproductive mode 25. No evidence of parental care was found in V. parvula, although it does present breeding site fidelity and prefers Neoblechnum brasiliense leaves as oviposition sites, laying 13–43 eggs with a diameter of 2.6–9 mm. Reproductive activity was not influenced by climatic factors. The total length of newly hatched tadpoles was 9.89–12.55 mm. This study is the first to document the reproductive biology of V. parvula in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.