Ecologia trófica de Coleodactylus meridionalis (Boulenger, 1888)(Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae) Nordeste, Brasil

Abstract

The genus Coleodactylus is composed of five species distributed in South America, but with a low degree of study about it. The Coleodactylus meridionalis, one of the species of the genus, has a wide distribution in the Brazilian territory, occupying several habitats in the Caatinga, Restinga, ”Brejos de altitude” and Atlantic Forest ecosystems. Knowing that the study of diet can tell us a lot about the natural history of the species, this study focused attention on one of the smallest species of lizard in the northeast region of Brazil. Based on the above, the objective was to characterize the trophic ecology of C. meridionalis, identifying prey at the lowest possible taxonomic level and investigating the presence of variation between age and sex, as well as compiling data from the literature that provide information on the trophic ecology of the genus Coleodactylus. The animals used were provided by the Herpetological Collection of the Laboratory of Herpetological and Paleoherpetological Studies of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (LEHP- UFRPE), of the Herpetological Collection of the Animal Ecology and Conservation Center of the Catholic University of Salvador (CHECOA-UCSAL) and from the Herpetological Collection of the Regional Center for Ophiology at the Federal University of Ceará (CHUFC-NUROF). Due to the low N of individuals analyzed with stomach content by ecosystem, this work can better understand the trophic patterns of animals from the ”Brejos de altitude”. The animals were measured in relation to snout-vent length (CRC) with a digital pachymeter and opened through a longitudinal incision, having their stomachs removed and opened for analysis of their content, in cases where it was possible to measure the stomach content, these were measured, and identified at the lowest possible taxonomic level, then preserved in 70% alcohol. The diet of the animals analyzed was divided into 8 categories of ingested prey, with hymenoptera (Ants), arachnids (mites, spiders and Pseudoscorpions) and coleoptera (Beetles) being most of the diet of the analyzed lizards. The analysis of variance test (ANOVA) found sexual dimorphism in the species, with females being larger in size compared to males, the study also found the absence of the influence of sex or age on the species' diet, with females, males and juveniles sharing the same diet. This tends to generate intraspecific and interspecific competition since other individuals of the genus also feed on a large part of the diet of C. meridionalis. The largest numbers of prey were hymenoptera, which may demonstrate passive foraging behavior (Sit-and-wait). Data compiled from the literature show the low amount of data on the genus, mainly on diet, where species such as C. brachystoma and C. elizae do not have this type of data studied. This study deepens the knowledge about a genus so little scientifically targeted and with such scarce data, studies that can come to help in the creation of conservation projects and more efficient management of the species and the ecosystems where it lives.