Diet and parasitism in<i>Leposternon polystegum</i>(Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae) from coastal areas in the Brazilian Northeast

Amorim, Darciane Maria De; Perez, Renata; Ávila, Róbson Waldemar; Moura, Geraldo Jorge Barbosa de

doi:10.1080/00222933.2019.1667038

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 36 publications

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“…These studies showed that the amphisbaenian diet consists primarily of small arthropods found in the subsoil, including ants, termites, beetles, and spiders. Species of the genus Leposternon, such as Leposternon microcephalum Wagler, 1824, and Leposternon wuchereri (Peters, 1879), feed mainly on earthworms, while Leposternon polystegum (Duméril, 1851) feeds preferentially on termites, but also on ants and beetle larvae (Goeldi, 1902apud Gomes et al, 2009Barros-Filho and Valverde, 1996;Amorim et al, 2019). Since wormlizards are limbless and have vestigial eyes, their preys are preferably slow-moving and easy to capture (Al-Sadoon et al, 1999, 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food capture and escape behavior of Leposternon microcephalum Wagler, 1824 (Squamata: Amphisbaenia)

2024

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Amphisbaenians are fossorial reptiles that have a cylindrical and elongated body covered with scales arranged in rings, and are all apodal, except for the three species of the genus Bipes. The amphisbaenian diet consists of a variety of invertebrates and small vertebrates. As these animals live underground, many aspects of their natural history are difficult to study. Most feeding studies of amphisbaenians have focused on the composition of the diet and feeding ecology, and the data available on feeding behavior are based on precursory observations. The present study describes the food capture behavior of Leposternon microcephalum Wagler, 1824 in captivity. In this experiment we used non-live bait (moist cat food), which was placed near a burrow opening, on the surface of the substrate. Three animals were monitored visually and filmed using cellphone cameras deployed at fixed points, to capture images from the dorsal and lateral perspectives of the study subjects. Two principal types of behavior were observed: the capture of food and defense mechanisms. The strategies used to capture the food were similar to those observed in other fossorial species. Although the backward movement has already been observed and described, we were able to record this movement being used as an escape strategy. These findings enrich our knowledge on different aspects of the natural history of the amphisbaenians.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food capture and escape behavior of Leposternon microcephalum Wagler, 1824 (Squamata: Amphisbaenia)

2024

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Landscape and road features linked to wildlife mortality in the Amazon

Medrano-Vizcaíno,

Grilo,

Brito-Zapata

et al. 2023

Biodivers Conserv

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Roads impact wildlife around the world; however, dedicated studies are lacking in many biodiverse areas such as the Amazon. Identifying which species are more often hit by vehicles and which landscape and road-related features promote roadkill is essential to guide future development and ensure adequate mitigation actions. For six months, we monitored 240 km of roads in the Ecuadorian Amazon and recorded 1125 dead vertebrates (149 species). Reptiles were the most observed Class with 380 individuals (56 species), followed by amphibians with 278 individuals (11 species), birds with 259 individuals (62 species), and mammals with 208 individuals (20 species). We used Random Forest models to explore the role of various land cover types and road sinuosity on the observed mortality. Additionally, we created heatmaps to visualize the road segments where roadkills were more frequent. For all vertebrates, mortality was more likely in straight road sections near rivers. The effects of other variables were taxa-specific. Amphibian mortality was more likely near bare soil or forest, birds and mammals died more often near herbaceous-shrubby vegetation, and reptile mortality occurred more often in areas with high cover of agriculture. Road segments with high mortality (i.e., roadkill hotspots) varied across taxa. These hotspots identify areas where further research into mitigation is needed to assess road impacts and prevent collisions. Among records, we found rare and threatened species, for which road mortality could be a significant threat. Roadkill surveys not only aid in quantifying threats and informing future planning but can also provide insight into local biodiversity.

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