Variacion Anual en la Alimentacion y Condicion Fisica de Sceloporus mucronatus (Sauria: Iguanidae) en la Sierra del Ajusco, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Comparative morphology and trophic ecology in a population of the polymorphic lizard Sceloporus minor (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae) from central Mexico

“…Consumption of insects is common in the diet of lizards in general, as these prey provide an excellent source of nutrients for growth, development, and daily activities (Gadsden et al, 2011; Zamora-Abrego & Ortega-León, 2016). The observed frequency of consumption of plant material was also high, confirming previous reports of this behavior in S. minor (García-Rosales et al, 2019), close relatives such as S. mucronatus Cope, 1885 (Méndez-De la Cruz, Casas-Andreu & Villagrán-Santa Cruz, 1992), and S. torquatus (Feria-Ortiz, Nieto-Montes de Oca & Salgado-Ugarte, 2001), and species of the lacertid genus Podarcis (Pérez-Mellado & Corti, 1993), among others. Potential benefits to consumption of plant material include increasing water uptake in dry environments (Méndez-De la Cruz, Casas-Andreu & Villagrán-Santa Cruz, 1992; Sazima, Sazima & Sazima, 2005; Serrano-Cardozo, Lemos-Espinal & Smith, 2008), supplementing nutritional intake when insect abundance is low (Greene, 1982; Búrquez, Flores-Villela & Hernández, 1986), improving the digestive process (Búrquez, Flores-Villela & Hernández, 1986), and reducing foraging time, given that plant material often offers a relatively abundant and accessible source of energy (Durtsche, 1992).…”

“…During reproductive activity, males ingest a smaller amount of food, since their activities during this time (especially courtship, mating, and territory defense) limit the time of foraging. Therefore, food intake is maximal during the pre-reproductive period in the spring and summer, with energy stored in fat bodies; this stored energy is utilized during the reproductive period, allowing males to decrease foraging and maximize their reproductive activities (Méndez-De la Cruz, Casas-Andreu & Villagrán-Santa Cruz, 1992; Ramírez-Bautista & Olvera-Becerill, 2004; Hernández-Salinas et al, 2010).…”

Sexual Dimorphism and Feeding Ecology of the Black-bellied Bunchgrass Lizard Sceloporus aeneus (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae) in Central Mexico

“…The main prey categories consumed by Sceloporus aeneus were from the Formicidae family and the orders Hemiptera and Coleoptera (A), which coincides with the diet patterns of other species of the genus like S. grammicus (Leyte-Manrique and Ramírez-Bautista, 2010) and S. jarrovii (Gadsden et al, 2011). These results are also similar to those reported for other species from temperate environments of central Mexico, such as S. mucronatus Cope, 1885(Méndez-de La Cruz et al, 1992 and S. torquatus (Feria-Ortíz et al, 2010). Diet composition may be influenced by the foraging mode of the species, which are classified as "sit and wait" (Huey and Pianka, 1981;Reilly et al, 2007), a characteristic of the genus Sceloporus.…”

Plant Consumption of Insular and Mainland Populations of a Tropical Lizard

“…This pattern may suggest that the lizards tend to consume less plant material when animal prey is abundant, as suggested by other studies (e.g., Mé ndez De La Cruz et al, 1992;Schluter, 1984; but see Durtsche, 1995). Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the two areas with the highest values of total arthropod volume sampled (Cumuruxatiba and Santa Bárbara island) were also the ones where the lizards consumed the lowest proportions of plant matter.…”