Feeding Ecology of Acanthochelys spixii (Testudines, Chelidae) in the Cerrado of Central Brazil

Brasil, Marcela Ayub; Horta, Gabriel de Freitas; Neto, Habib Jorge Fraxe; Barros, Thiago Oliveira; Colli, Guarino R.

doi:10.2744/ccb-0846.1

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Several studies are available for the other three species of the genus Acanthochelys, focusing on behavior, locomotion, feeding, and other aspects on ecology (Rhodin et al 2009;Brasil et al 2011;Neto et al 2011;Vinke et al 2011). However, biological data on A. radiolata is still scarce (Souza 2004), with the exception of the studies of Molina (1998) and Mocelin et al (2008) that dealt with the reproduction of this turtle in captivity (Mocelin et al 2008 also mentioned one nest found in nature).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological variation in the Brazilian Radiated Swamp Turtle Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) (Testudines: Chelidae)

Garbin

Karlguth

Fernandes

et al. 2016

Zootaxa

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The freshwater turtle Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) is endemic to the Atlantic Forest domain in Brazil and few studies have been done on the morphology, geographic variation and taxonomy of this species. In this paper we record the morphological variation, as well as sexual dimorphism and ontogenetic changes in A. radiolata throughout its distribution range. We analyzed 118 morphological characters from 41 specimens, both quantitative and qualitative, and performed statistical analyses to evaluate size and shape variation within our sample. Morphological analysis revealed that A. radiolata is a polymorphic species, especially regarding color and shape. Two color patterns were recognized for the carapace and three for the plastron. Diagnostic characteristics of the species, such as the rounded tubercles on the neck and the shallow dorsal sulcus between the 2^nd and 4^th vertebral scutes, varied considerably. Acanthochelys radiolata also showed a high level of ontogenetic variation characterized by a change on the color pattern of plastron and limbs starting from the 4^th month of life. Sexual size dimorphism was observed for the first time on nine morphometric variables and females showed larger sizes than males. Based on these results we conclude that A. radiolata represents one single polymorphic species distributed in the lowlands of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest from the state of Alagoas to the state of Rio de Janeiro and the south of Minas Gerais state.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological variation in the Brazilian Radiated Swamp Turtle Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) (Testudines: Chelidae)

Garbin

Karlguth

Fernandes

et al. 2016

Zootaxa

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“…Molluscs, fish, and anurans act as intermediate hosts of digeneans belonging to Cryptogonimidae (Cribb et al, 2003;Miller & Cribb, 2008). The host species of the present study were considered generalist and/or opportunistic, with the diet composed of invertebrates (Insecta, Gastropoda, Crustacea, Hirudinea, Arachnida, Malacostraca, and Oligochaeta), anurans, fish and plant fragments (Huckembeck et al, 2007;Bonino et al, 2009;Alcade et al, 2010;Brasil et al, 2011;Assman et al, 2013). In this context, helminth infections may be related to the diet of the freshwater turtles, since these infections may be influenced by the habitat and eating habits of their hosts (Ferguson & Smales, 2006).…”

Section: Caimanicola Braunimentioning

confidence: 95%

New records of helminths in Chelidae freshwater turtles (Testudines) in South America

Chaviel

Mascarenhas

Bernardon

et al. 2020

Rev. Bras. Zoociências

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Helminthological studies with Chelidae freshwater turtles in South America were conducted in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, where nematodes, digeneans and monogeneans were reported. In this context, the study aims to report new cases of gastrointestinal helminth parasites of Acanthochelys spixii, Hydromedusa tectifera, and Phrynops hilarii. A total of 65 hosts from the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were examined. Seven taxa belonging to Nematoda, Digenea, and Monogenoidea have new cases on hosts Chelidae in South America, as well as a Nematoda and two Digenea have new host cases for Brazil. Thus, the study expands the knowledge about the diversity of helminths and the geographic distribution of taxa associated with Chelidae turtles.

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“…Acanthochelys spixii (Duméril & Bibron, 1835) inhabits marshy areas in eastern Uruguay, northeastern Argentina and in the Brazilian states of Bahia, Goiás, Brasília, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo (Lema and Ferreira 1990, Brasil et al 2011, Rhodin et al 2017, Sánchez et al 2019. Hydromedusa tectifera Cope, 1870, inhabits many types of environments even on highly urban impacted water ecosystems (Bujes and Verrastro 2008) along southeastern Paraguay, central and north eastern Argentina, almost all Uruguay and in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo (Rhodin et al 2017, Sánchez et al 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The diet of A. spixii is known only for Central Cerrado (Brasil et al 2011) and southern Rio Grande do Sul (Assmann et al 2013) populations. The main food items re-ported in these studies were immature and adults of different groups of insects together with small vertebrates such anurans, fish, and even algae and aquatic macrophytes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of <i>Acanthochelys spixii</i> and <i>Hydromedusa tectifera</i> (Chelidae) in the southern Brazil

et al. 2022

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Data about the diet of the freshwater turtles Acanthochelys spixii and Hydromedusa tectifera from southern Brazil populations remain little known. In this context, the digestive tract of 21 A. spixii and 20 of H. tectifera individuals from three municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil were examined. The food items were identified at the lowest possible taxonomic level, quantified, and conserved in ethanol 70°GL. The frequency of occurrence (F %) and volume percentage (V %) were estimated, as well as the food importance index (IAi %). The range of the trophic niche and the feeding strategy of both species were analyzed. The diet of A. spixii and H. tectifera was compared through the Mann-Whitney test (P < 0.05). Both species presented a generalist food strategy, consuming mainly insects, represented by Hemiptera, Odonata, Coleoptera, and Diptera. There was no significant difference in the volume of items consumed by both species (Mann-Whitney test, z =-0.387, P = 0.69). Concerning the trophic niche range, we observed low values for both species, it was of 0.41 for A. spixii and 0.39 for H. tectifera suggesting a more restricted diet with uniformity in food consumption, however, we highlight that a more restricted diet does not suggest a trophic specialization, because the availability of food items have variation in time and space. The study contributed information on the diet of species in the region, generating data that can be used in programs for the conservation of species and their habitats.

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Feeding Ecology of Acanthochelys spixii (Testudines, Chelidae) in the Cerrado of Central Brazil

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Morphological variation in the Brazilian Radiated Swamp Turtle Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) (Testudines: Chelidae)

Morphological variation in the Brazilian Radiated Swamp Turtle Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) (Testudines: Chelidae)

New records of helminths in Chelidae freshwater turtles (Testudines) in South America

Diet of <i>Acanthochelys spixii</i> and <i>Hydromedusa tectifera</i> (Chelidae) in the southern Brazil

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