Diet of Physalaemus cf. cicada (Leptodactylidae) and Bufo granulosus (Bufonidae) in a semideciduous forest

Abstract

We determined the diet of the two most abundant anuran species which occur in the litter of a semideciduous forest (Lençóis, Bahia, Brazil), Physalaemus cf. cicada and Bufo granulosus in the dry and rainy seasons. Pitfall traps were used to collect anuran and invertebrate fauna, which showed the availability of prey in the environment. Physalaemus cf. cicada was present in both seasons and Bufo granulosus only in the rainy season. Both species fed mainly on Isoptera and Formicidae. However, there is a difference between the rainy and dry seasons concerning the diet of P. cf. cicada. During the rainy season P. cf. cicada consumed less Isoptera and more Formicidae than in the dry season. In the volumetric sense, Orthoptera was the most important alimentary category for P. cf. cicada and B. granulosus. The Jacobs' electivity index indicated that Physalaemus cf. cicada and Bufo granulosus were specialists in Isoptera.Keywords: Physalaemus cf. cicada, Bufo granulosus, diet, seasonality. Dieta de Physalaemus cf. cicada (Leptodactylidae) e Bufo granulosus (Bufonidae) em uma floresta semidecídua ResumoFoi determinada a dieta das duas espécies mais abundantes de anuros que ocorrem na serrapilheira de uma floresta semidecídua (Lençóis, Bahia, Brasil), Physalaemus cf. cicada e Bufo granulosus, nas estações seca e chuvosa. Armadilhas de queda foram usadas para a coleta de anuros e fauna de invertebrados que indicaram a disponibilidade de presas no ambiente. Physalaemus cf. cicada estava presente em ambas as estações e Bufo granulosus, só na estação chuvosa. Ambas as espécies alimentaram-se principalmente de Isoptera e Formicidae. Porém, houve uma diferença entre estações chuvosa e seca relativo à dieta de P. cf. cicada. Durante a estação chuvosa, P. cf. cicada consumiu menos Isoptera e mais Formicidae que na estação seca. Volumetricamente, Orthoptera foi a categoria alimentar mais importante para P. cf. cicada e B. granulosus. O índice de eletividade de Jacobs indicou que Physalaemus cf. cicada e Bufo granulosus são especialistas em Isoptera.

Feeding overlap in two sympatric species of Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae) of the Atlantic Rain Forest

“…Although other authors (LAJMANOVICH 1994, EVANS & LAMPO 1996, TEIXEIRA et al 1999, ISACCH & BARG 2002, ROSA et al 2002, SANTANA & JUNCÁ 2007 did not observe cockroaches in the diets of species of Rhinella, their abundance, occurrence, and volume were still important in the present study. The presence of aquatic prey, such as Plecoptera and Odonata naiads, an Ephemeroptera sub-imago, mosquito larvae, and some Coleoptera families (Pselaphidae and Hidrophilidae), suggests that R. icterica and R. crucifer feed in water bodies.…”

“…ISACCH & BARG (2002) found electivity by ants in Rhinella arenarum (Hensel, 1867) and Rhinella dorbignyi (Duméril and Bibron, 1841) in the Pampas (lowland plains): DAMASCENO (2005), studying Rhinella granulosa (Spix, 1824) in the Caatinga, found positive electivity for ants, and inferred that this preference could be associated with toxin synthesis, a relationship accepted for dendrobatids (CALDWELL 1996). SANTANA & JUNCÁ (2007), also studying Rhinella granulosa (Spix, 1824) in the Chapada Diamantina, found positive electivity for isopterans and low electivity for ants.…”

Diet of Aplastodiscus perviridis Lutz 1950 (Anura, Hylidae) in subtemperate forests of southern Brazil

“…fallen trunks, decomposing material) (Haddad and Prado, 2005;, which would increase the probability of encountering this prey. The number of prey that could not be identified due the advanced digestion degree (Other items) does not compromise the conclusions of this work, since this category is distributed in many of the individuals, besides being common in diet works (Siqueira et al, 2006), mainly in intestinal contents (Santana and Juncá, 2007;Moser et al, 2017).…”

Diet of the toad Rhinella icterica (Anura: Bufonidae) from Atlantic Forest Highlands of southeastern Brazil

“…However, most studies concentrated in the Atlantic Rain Forest (e.g. Siqueira et al 2006, Santana & Juncá 2007, Sabagh & Carvalho-e-Silva 2008, Ferreira & Teixeira 2009) involved species and populations living in lowland areas (e.g. Boquimpani-Freitas et al 2002, Siqueira et al 2006, Almeida-Gomes et al 2007, Ferreira & Teixeira 2009, Martins et al 2010, Almeida-Santos et al 2011, especially in the ombrophilous forest, with a marked lack of information on anurans feeding habits from highlands.…”