A Study of Predation by the Brown Anole ( Norops sagrei ) on Spiders in Chiayi County, Taiwan

Abstract

502 brown anoles ( Norops sagrei ) were collected for stomach content analysis from an area surrounding a plant nursery (23°25’51’’ N 120°28’30’’ E) in Santzepu, Sheishan District, Chiayi County, as part of an ongoing study on this invasive trunk-ground lizard species. All the collected lizards were killed with ether and dissected. The stomachs of 166 lizards contained spiders, which were removed for identification to establish a basis upon which future studies on spider predation by N. sagrei in Taiwan can be based. These spiders comprised of 298 individuals from 13 families. Unlike in other studies, in which it was found that this lizard species preyed mainly on web spiders, the majority of the spiders in this study are ground-living species. The results from this study are thus also an indication that this exotic invasive lizard species is most likely very terrestrial in this locality.