First record of egg burying behaviour in Pristimantis Jiménez de la Espada, 1870 highlights the link between direct development and specialized parenting strategies in frogs

We report the first case of egg burying behaviour in a neotropical direct-developing frog. An amplectant pair of Pristimantis chocoensis was found and we recorded oviposition and the subsequent burying of the clutch by the female. Both parents remained near the nest during the following day. This rare observation sheds light over the intricate reproductive behaviours of terrestrial amphibians and suggests that the evolution of direct development has selected for highly specialized forms of parenting.