Diet of a bromeligenous species of treefrog in the Brazilian semiarid

Abstract

Phyllodytes tuberculosus is a bromeligenous anuran species whose geographic distribution is restricted to areas of the Caatinga and to transition zones between Caatinga and Atlantic Forest in the central-south of the state of Bahia. Its existence in close relationship with bromeliads and its occurrence in dry and highly seasonal environments drove us to the supposition that species is opportunistic/generalist regard to diet. We collected the items present in the stomach of 43 P. tuberculosus individuals with stomach-flushing method. Of these, 18 stomach contents were obtained during the dry period (April–October), and 25 during the rainy period (November–March). We recorded nine classes of prey, finding the greatest relative importance for the categories Formicidae and Coleoptera in dry season and Blattodea (Termites), Formicidae and Coleoptera in the rainy season. Phyllodytes tuberculosus presented a varied, possibly opportunistic diet in semiarid environments. Additionally, we report an apparent temporal differentiation related to the typical Caatinga seasonality. This study adds to the data on the natural history of an anuran species adapted to a semiarid environment with a narrow geographic distribution.

Diet and Habitat Use of Proceratophrys ararype (Anura: Odontophrynidae), an Endemic Frog from the Chapada do Araripe, Northeastern Brazil

“…Seasonal environments can favor generalist species with an opportunistic foraging strategy (Oliveira et al, 2021). This type of environment and the generalist diet of Proceratophrys ararype could explain the high overlap between males and females.…”

“…Currently, Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 comprises 40 species (Segalla et al, 2019; Mângia et al, 2020; Frost, 2021) distributed mainly in Brazil, with some species also occurring in Argentina and Paraguay (Frost, 2021). Species of this genus are important components of leaf litter communities in Neotropical forests (Boquimpani-Freitas et al, 2002), being one of the most common species of forest floor amphibians (e.g., Bernarde, 2007; Bernarde and Macedo, 2008; Condez et al, 2009; Oliveira et al, 2021). Most species have been recorded in forest or edge areas where they feed on a broad spectrum of prey (Klaion et al, 2011), and they are easily found in leaf litter and puddles in the forest interior during the breeding season (Bernarde, 2007; Condez et al, 2009).…”