Diet of the lizard Ecpleopus gaudichaudii (Gymnophthalmidae) in Atlantic Rainforest, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

In this study we analyzed the diet of the gymnophthalmid lizard Ecpleopus gaudichaudii Duméril & Bibron, 1839, a typical inhabitant of the forest-floor leaf litter, in an Atlantic Forest area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. The 26 individuals sampled during the study had a mean snout-vent length (SVL) of 36.2 ± 4.2 mm and a mean jaw width (JW) of 4.1 ± 0.5 mm. We did not find differences in SVL between males and females, though the sexes differed in JW when the effect of body size was factored out, with females presenting higher values. The diet of the lizards was composed exclusively of arthropods, especially isopods and orthopterans. The similarity in trophic niches among seasons (volumetric and numerical proportions of prey categories consumed) were 0.096 and to 0.43, respectively. There were also no detectable seasonal differences in mean number and mean volume of prey ingested, as well as no significant influence of lizard SVL on prey number and of lizard JW on mean prey volume, which may reflect the tendency of E. gaudichaudii to feed on few, relatively large prey

Microhabitat use and diet of Anotosaura vanzolinia(Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) in a Caatinga area, Brazil

“…Thus, in terms of microhabitat use, A. vazolinia is similar to other gymnophthalmids of the Amazon and Atlantic rainforest (Vitt et al 2007, Maia et al 2011). However, the results of this study show the use of other habitats by the species in the Caatinga, since the work of Delfim & Freire (2007) for gymnophthalmid lizards recorded only arboreal dense vegetation or dense shrubby-arboreal vegetation as a habitat.…”

“…However, the relative importance of each of these heat sources might vary interspecifically with the habitat in which the lizard is found (Vargens et al 2008). The use of different microhabitats by Brazilian lizards has been described in the Amazon rainforest (Vitt et al 2007), in Restingas (Menezes et al 2006), in Atlantic forest (Maia et al 2011) and also in the Caatinga (Arzabe et al 2005, Dias & Rocha 2007, Santana et al 2011.…”

Diet and endoparasites of the lizard Gymnodactylus darwinii (Gekkota, Phyllodactylidae) from an Atlantic Rainforest area in southeastern Brazil

“…In another study carried out in an anthropically modified area of Atlantic Rainforest in the state of Espírito Santo, the diet of G. darwini was numerically dominated by isopods, dipterans, and spiders, and the most frequently consumed prey were isopods, spiders, and cockroaches (TEIXEIRA, 2002). For the lizard Ecpleopus gaudichaudii (Gymnophtalmidae), isopods and orthopterans were among the most frequently consumed items in a population occurring sympatrically with G. darwini at the REGUA (MAIA et al, 2011). Isopods have also been reported as the main prey item in the diet of the similar-sized leaf-litter lizard, Leposoma scincoides (Gymnophtalmidae), in an Atlantic Rainforest area in the state of Espírito Santo (TEIXEIRA;FONSECA, 2003).…”

Herpetofauna of the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA) and its surrounding areas, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Besides, there are isolated occurrence records and ecological observations on some species of frogs (Weber et al 2007, Silva-Soares et al 2008, Klaion et al 2011, MaiaCarneiro et al 2012a, b, 2013, Salles et al 2012), lizards (Goyannes-Araú jo et al 2009, Maia et al 2011, Almeida-Gomes et al 2012, and snakes (Alves et al 2005, Silveira et al 2010). Here, we present the list of amphibian and reptile species based on records obtained during nearly ten years of surveys at REGUA and its surroundings.…”