Arginine vasotocin induces calling behavior with a female social stimulus and interacts with gonadotropins to affect sexual behaviors in male Xenopus tropicalis.

Arginine vasotocin (AVT) and the mammalian homologue, arginine vasopressin (AVP), modulate vertebrate social behaviors, including vocalizations in male anurans. To study the impact of AVT and social stimuli on calling in male Xenopus tropicalis, we injected males with vehicle, 1 μg, or 10 μg AVT and recorded vocalizations under four social contexts (no stimulus, with male call playback, with a female, and with call playback and a female). More males called when injected with 10 μg AVT.