Abstract

 Studies on the use of food resources and trophic niche of different species can help understand ecological relationships. In this study, we evaluated the diet of three sympatric species of Physalaemus from the Brazilian semiarid. We analyzed a total of 264 individuals, being 100 specimens of Physalaemus albifrons, 93 of P. cicada, and 71 of P. cuvieri. Seven prey categories were recorded: three for P. cicada and P. albifrons, and six distinct categories for P. cuvieri. The orders Coleoptera, Isoptera and the family Formicidae were the most representative categories in the diet of P. cicada, P. cuvieri, and P. albifrons, respectively. Although there is a high trophic niche overlap, differences in preference for food categories may reduce potential competition in these frog species from the Caatinga.
Highlights
The genus Physalaemus Fitzinger, 1826, currently comprises 43 species (Segalla et al, 2019), distributed from Mexico to southern South America (Nascimento et al, 2005; Grant et al, 2006; Frost, 2019)
Specimens were collected by hand in two temporary ponds during visual searches, which consist of walking and visually exploring all possible microhabitats (Bernarde, 2012)
Fragments that could not be identified due to the high level of digestion were grouped into the category unidentified arthropods (UA)
Summary
The genus Physalaemus Fitzinger, 1826, currently comprises 43 species (Segalla et al, 2019), distributed from Mexico to southern South America (Nascimento et al, 2005; Grant et al, 2006; Frost, 2019). Species of this genus inhabiting the Atlantic Forest domain and the phytophysiognomies of the Cerrado, Pantanal, Amazonia, and Caatinga in Brazil (Lisboa & Haddad, 2009; Caldas et al, 2010; Frost, 2019), occupying a wide variety of microhabitats (Heyer et al, 1990). From the Brazilian semiarid, ecological data, especially on diet, are scant
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