Xenohyla truncata, commonly known as the Izecksohn’s Brazilian Tree Frog, may not seem particularly unusual, but this unique species is the only known frugivorous frog in the world. The species, one of two in its genus, lives in the restingas of Rio de Janeiro, an environment threatened by human occupation. While taking an inventory of the fauna in the municipality of Búzios, a research group composed of technicians and graduate students from various universities recorded the vocalizations of these animals for the first time, and was surprised to observe that they jump into flowers and spend up to 15 minutes drinking the nectar. This is a unique food preference among amphibians, which could benefit plants through pollination and seed dispersal. Whether the frogs act as pollinators depends on whether the pollen reaches other flowers of the same species intact, which needs to be confirmed by further studies. It is possible that the pollen is damaged by substances secreted by the tree frogs’ skin. “We don’t know what led these animals to adopt this diet,” says zoologist Luís Felipe Toledo of the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), who supervises two of the students involved in the discovery. “We continue to find animals doing unexpected things,” he points out (Food Webs, March 28).
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A tree frog linked to flowers
Xenohyla truncata jumps into flowers to drink the nectar
Carlos Henrique de Oliveira Nogueira /UFMS
