Abstract
In this study, we analyzed diet, sexual dimorphism and bromeliad use in three populations of the hylid frog Phyllodytes luteolus from restinga habitats along the Brazilian coast. We found 13 arthropods categories in 161 stomachs. Ants and termites were the dominant prey items. The similar trophic niche across populations suggests this species has a conservative diet. We found sexual dimorphism regarding body size and jaw width. We recordedP. luteolus in five bromeliad species, but predominantly inAechmeablanchetiana (35.6% of individuals recorded). We recorded solitary individuals in 44% of occupied bromeliads, and never found two males sharing the same bromeliad. The data is suggestive that populations ofP. luteolus has a conservative diet independent of area, with ants and termites the being most relevant prey items. The sexual dimorphism in jaw and the solitary males may suggest that this species have territorial behavior.
Highlights
Anurans commonly consume arthropods as a primary food resource (Duellman and Trueb 1986, Lima and Moreira 1993, Ferreira et al 2012), and kinds and sizes of prey consumed may differ (Sabagh et al 2012, Maia-Carneiro et al 2013, Coco et al 2014) between populations
Due to the high proportion of Formicidae and Isoptera consumed, these authors suggested that P. luteolus had a specialized diet, predominantly composed of colonial arthropods
P. luteolus has a conservative diet across sites, independently of local peculiarities and differences among sites
Summary
Anurans commonly consume arthropods as a primary food resource (Duellman and Trueb 1986, Lima and Moreira 1993, Ferreira et al 2012), and kinds and sizes of prey consumed may differ (Sabagh et al 2012, Maia-Carneiro et al 2013, Coco et al 2014) between populations. This may be due to prey availability, which can TATIANA MOTTA-TAVARES et al. An introduced population has been recorded for the municipality of Rio de Janeiro (Salles and SilvaSoares 2010) This species is common inside bromeliads from open areas, and avoids bromeliad axils containing less than 100 ml of water (Teixeira et al 1997). This fire destroyed more than 99.9% of the bromeliad Vrisea neoglutinosa (Rocha et al 1996), supporting the species strong dependence on bromeliads
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