Dietary composition and feeding strategy of Leptodactylus fuscus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from a suburban area of the Caribbean Region of Colombia

Abstract

The use of trophic resources by anurans may be influenced by sexual dimorphism, ontogeneticvariation and resources available in the environment. However, most studies on anuran feedingbehavior lack of environmental prey availability data. In this study, the dietary compositionand the feeding strategy of Leptodactylus fuscus were evaluated considering the availability ofpotential prey in a sub-urban area of the Colombian Caribbean Region. Additionally, differencesin diet composition between adult and juvenile’ frogs were assessed. Prey items were obtainedthrough forced regurgitation technique and prey availability was assessed using pitfall traps.The importance of each prey category and prey selectivity were evaluated through a relativeimportance index and a food selection index, respectively. Twenty-four stomachs were analyzed,being Hymenoptera the most important prey category and the most abundant resourcein the environment. The population of L. fuscus showed a low prey selectivity and prey size wasassociated with frog’s body size. However, there was no variation in numeric and volumetricdietary composition related to ontogeny. Considering the relationship between the diet andprey availability, our results evidenced L. fuscus exhibits a generalist and opportunistic feedingbehavior, which highlight the importance of including information on prey availability to betterunderstand the anurans dietary behavior.