Answer
You need very recent version of the auto tools. Here's what I'm using:
[jimg@zoey libdap]$ autoconf --version autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.68 Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille. [jimg@zoey libdap]$ automake --version automake (GNU automake) 1.11.1 Written by Tom Tromey <tromey@redhat.com>. [jimg@zoey libdap]$ libtool --version ltmain.sh (GNU libtool) 2.2.8
On the Mac (OS/X) all three tools are present, but generally the versions are old and in the way; update to new versions. By default, the source packages build very easily and install into /usr/local/{bin,lib,...} and will not break other things. Make sure to add /usr/local/bin to $PATH in your shell startup script (likely ~/.bashrc and also in environment.plist if you want these to be accessible to programs started by/in the Finder.