Publication trends on vocalizations of anurans in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Studies on anuran vocalizations have increased in Brazil in recent years. However, these studies remain asymmetrically distributed in terms of geographic and taxonomic coverage. In this study, we analyzed the current state of the art of anuran bioacoustics in the Northeast region of Brazil through a systematic online review of published scientific articles. We identified 123 scientific articles reporting research based on anuran vocalizations recorded in Northeastern Brazil. There has been an increase in the number of publications over the years, but the quality of available information was highly variable, with noticeable differences only in papers published in the last decade, when compared to previous years. Recordings could be assigned to 119 taxa, most belonging to the families Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Bufonidae and Odontophrynidae. Most studies included recordings made in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga biomes, whereas studies in locations within the Cerrado and the Amazon Forest biomes were scarce. Finally, we analyzed institutions and collaborations involved in the publications and found that there is a temporal trend of increase in the proportion of Northeastern institutions involved in the publications, along with a rise in the average number of authors per publication.