Feeding ecology in the small neotropical amphisbaenid Amphisbaena munoai (Amphisbaenidae) in southern Brazil

Jorge S Bernardo-Silva,Eduardo M Von-Mühlen,Jochen Ketterl,Marcos Di-Bernardo

doi:10.1590/s0073-47212006000400014

Abstract

We analyzed the alimentary tract of 66 specimens of Amphisbaena munoai Klappenbach, 1969 from the Serra do Sudeste, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Forty specimens (60.6%) had prey items in their gut. The diet consisted mainly of small invertebrate prey, such as termites, insect larvae and ants. The most abundant prey item was termites, found in 62.5% of the non empty stomachs. The high number of individual prey items in the majority of stomachs, the small size of the regular prey items, and the absence of gut content in specimens of A. munoai kept alive for about two days, indicate that this species forages very frequently. The predominance of fossorial prey items and the occasional records of nomadic ants lead us to suggest that A. munoai usually feeds underground, and occasionally forages on the surface.

Highlights

We analyzed the alimentary tract of 66 specimens of Amphisbaena munoai Klappenbach, 1969 from the Serra do Sudeste, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil
The dietary information is primarily based on museum specimen studies, as in Amphisbaena darwinii Duméril & Bibron, 1839 (CABRERA & MERLINI, 1990), A. gonavensis Gans & Alexander, 1962 (CUSUMANO & POWELL, 1991), Blanus cinereus Vandelli, 1797 (LÓPEZ et al, 1991), Cercolophia roberti Gans, 1964 and A. mertensii Strauch, 1881 (CRUZ-NETO & ABE, 1993), A. alba L., 1758 (COLLI & ZAMBONI, 1999), Zygaspis quadrifrons Peters, 1862 and Monopeltis anchietae Bocage, 1873 (WEBB et al, 2000), and Anops kingii Bell, 1833 (VEGA, 2001)
The high incidence of individuals of A. munoai with prey items in their guts, the small size of the regular prey items, and the absence of gut content in specimens kept alive for about two days after collecting, indicate that this species feeds very frequently, as expected to amphisbaenians in general (WEBB et al, 2000)

Summary

Introduction

O elevado número de presas em cada indivíduo na maioria dos estômagos, o tamanho pequeno de presas regulares e a ausência de itens alimentares em espécimes de A. munoai mantidas vivas por aproximadamente dois dias, indicam que está espécie é forrageadora freqüente. Amphisbaena munoai Klappenbach, 1969 is a small neotropical amphisbaenid, with adults attaining a maximum snout-vent length of ca.172 mm. It occurs from northeastern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to southern and central Uruguay (GANS, 1966). Available data on specific aspects of the biology of the main prey items allow us to make inferences on the feeding behavior of the species

Methods

Results

Conclusion