Diet of Invasive Rough Bent-Toed Geckos, Cyrtopodion scabrum (Heyden, 1827), in Southeastern Algeria.

Abstract

Rough Bent-Toed Gecko, Cyrtopodion scabrum (Heyden, 1827), is an invasive species in Algeria and northwestern Africa. We provide detailed information on the morphometry and diet of C. scabrum from an urban area in Debila (northeastern Oued Souf), Algeria. We found a significant correlation between morphological characters (body length, snout-vent length, and tail length) in individuals within each sex, but no differences in morphometry between females and males. Analysis of stomach contents of 30 specimens (15 adult males, 15 adult females) resulted in identification of 198 prey items belonging to 2 classes, 8 orders, 20 families, and 29 genera. The diet of C. scabrum was mainly composed of arthropods and was highly diverse (Shannon index = 4.3). Insects were the main food item, accounting for 96.5% of prey consumed, followed by arachnids (3.5%). The most important prey categories were Hymenoptera (40.4%), Diptera (19.7%), Lepidoptera (12.6%), and Coleoptera (12.1%).