Predation of a Juvenile Iguana rhinolopha (Squamata: Iguanidae) by Basiliscus plumifrons (Squamata: Corytophanidae) in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Alvarado, Randy; Alvarado, Elián Villalobos; López, Lucía I.; Umaña, Dinia; Mora, José Manuel

doi:10.18475/cjos.v52i2.a7

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Selva Verde Lodge is situated in the Tropical Wet Forest (TWF) life zone, which experiences an average annual rainfall of about 4,000 mm (Alvarado et al 2022). The TWF is characterized by tall, multi-stratal, evergreen forest, with some canopy species briefly deciduous.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Neotropical Snakes Attacked as Prey by Army Ants in Costa Rica

Mora,

Vargas,

Alvarado

et al. 2023

Caribbean Journal of Science

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Geophis hoffmanni and Ninia sebae belong to a group of snake species informally referred to as "goo-eaters" due to their diet consisting entirely of soft-bodied invertebrates. Geophis hoffmanni is a nocturnal, terrestrial, and fossorial snake often found in herbaceous vegetation and leaf litter near humid areas. Ninia sebae is both terrestrial and fossorial, and is commonly found under logs, boards, leaf piles, and various types of cover objects. One of the most formidable predators in many tropical forests are army ants, which forage in "raids" involving large numbers of ants searching for food simultaneously in confined areas. The most prevalent species is Eciton burchelli, widely distributed across the Neotropics. In Costa Rica, Labidus spininodis is also common, primarily inhabiting wet forest areas. On January 2, 2022, we observed a colony of Eciton burchellii attacking a Geophis hoffmanni individual at Selva Verde Lodge. The ants killed the snake, but we couldn't observe what happened afterward. On September 23, 2022, we encountered a swarm of Labidus spininodis ants attacking a Ninia sebae individual at Soltis Center. We couldn't determine whether the ants killed the snake, but it remained motionless after approximately 40 minutes of ant attacks, and some ant workers were seen cutting pieces from the snake's body. Both incidents occurred in the northern lowlands of the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica. These are two unprecedented cases of predation on Neotropical dipsadid snakes by two species of army ants. These instances mark the first reported cases of these emblematic terrestrial predators capturing relatively large vertebrates.resumen-Geophis hoffmanni y Ninia sebae pertenecen al grupo de serpientes "comedoras de gusanos" pues su dieta consiste exclusivamente en invertebrados de cuerpo blando. Geophis hoffmanni es nocturna, terrestre, fosorial y se encuentra frecuentemente en la vegetación herbácea y la hojarasca de áreas húmedas. Ninia sebae es terrestre, fosorial y se encuentra comúnmente debajo de troncos, montones de hojas y tablas entre otros. Uno de los depredadores más formidables en bosques tropicales son las hormigas guerreras, que se alimentan en grandes grupos en áreas confinadas. Eciton burchelli está ampliamente distribuida en toda la región neotropical. En Costa Rica, Labidus spininodis también es común y habita principalmente áreas de bosque húmedo. El 2 de enero de 2022, observamos una colonia de Eciton burchellii atacando y matando a una Geophis hoffmanni en Selva Verde Lodge, aunque no pudimos observar qué sucedió después. El 23 de septiembre de 2022, encontramos un grupo de Labidus spininodis atacando a una Ninia sebae en el Centro Soltis. No pudimos determinar si las hormigas mataron a la serpiente, pero esta permaneció inmóvil después de aproximadamente 40 minutos de ataques de las hormigas, e incluso se observó a algunas obreras cortando trozos del cuerpo de la serpiente. Los dos sitios mencionados se ubican en las tierras bajas de la vertiente norte de Costa Rica. Estos son dos cas...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Neotropical Snakes Attacked as Prey by Army Ants in Costa Rica

Mora,

Vargas,

Alvarado

et al. 2023

Caribbean Journal of Science

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“…1). Selva Verde is located in the Tropical Wet Forest (TWF), a life zone with a mean annual rainfall of about 4,000 mm (Alvarado et al, 2022). The TWF is a tall, multistratal, evergreen forest, although some canopy species are briefly deciduous.…”

Section: Mora Et Al-bromeliad Spider Feeding On Yellow-headed Geckomentioning

confidence: 99%

DEPREDACIÓN DE UN GECO DE CABEZA AMARILLA (Gonatodes albogularis) POR UNA ARAÑA DE BROMELIA Cupennius coccineus

Mora,

Alvarado,

Alfaro Lara

2023

Rev Latin Herp

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La diversidad de lagartijas en el Neotrópico es notablemente alta, participan en varias interacciones ecológicas y son componentes relevantes de la red alimentaria en muchos de los ambientes donde habitan. Sphaerodactylidae es una familia muy diversa de pequeños gecos diurnos, con seis especies en Costa Rica, incluido el geco de cabeza amarilla Gonatodes albogularis. Las arañas de cuerpo grande, como algunas Trechaleidae, son capaces de depredar lagartijas, como la araña de bromelia Cupiennius coccineus. Esta no construye telas, sino que embosca y captura presas directamente de la superficie de las hojas y otras partes de las plantas que utilizan para enviar y recibir vibraciones. Reportamos el caso de un geco de cabeza amarilla depredado por una araña de bromelia como el primer reporte de esta interacción trófica en el Bosque Húmedo Tropical del norte de Costa Rica.

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“…other species. If the adult size is small, large species will prey on adults of smaller species (Alvarado et al 2022). Some predatory relationships may be frequent but scarcely observed such as a Green Basilisk, Basiliscus plumifrons Cope, 1875, that ate a young Green Iguana, Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Alvarado et al 2022).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…If the adult size is small, large species will prey on adults of smaller species (Alvarado et al 2022). Some predatory relationships may be frequent but scarcely observed such as a Green Basilisk, Basiliscus plumifrons Cope, 1875, that ate a young Green Iguana, Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Alvarado et al 2022). Basilisks in general have been reported as participants in trophic relationships involving other lizard species (Hirth 1963, Gutsche 2005, Bock et al 2018, Leenders 2019.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%