Summary: Townsend & Moger (1987)

Male Puerto Rican frogs Eleutherodactylus coqui are paternal throughout embryonic development of the eggs. Males stop calling (which is necessary for attracting mates) and reduce egg cannibalism during this period. Townsend & Moger (1987) analyzed the relationship between parental behaviour and androgens by analysing blood plasma from males captured in the field. They found that paternal males had lower androgen levels than males that were nonpaternal, calling or amplectant. They noted that the decline in circulating androgens between the sexually active state and the paternal care state was rapid, but also that androgen levels did not differ between males that were at differing stages of the paternal care period. Townsend & Moger's (1987) results suggest a relationship between circulating androgen levels, mating behaviour and the development of paternal care.