Diet and Sexual Dimorphism ofLiophis poecilogyrus(Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the Wetland Regions of Northeast Argentina

Abstract

Feeding ecology is one of the most important aspects in the life history of snakes; however, studies about their trophic ecology are scarce and sometimes inaccurate. Liophis poecylogyrus is a medium-sized snake distributed widely in South America and relatively abundant in the study area. We describe the diet and sexual dimorphism of L. poecilogyrus from northeast Argentina based on the examination of museum specimens, and we compare our data with studies that include representative samples of this species. Amphibians were the most frequent prey (75%), but only one reptile was found (1%). Families represented were: Bufonidae (53%), Leiuperidae (19%), Leptodactylidae (14%), Hylidae (7%), Cycloramphidae (3%), Microhylidae (2%), and Gymnophthalmidae (2%). We observed that L. poecilogyrus has significant sexual size dimorphism in all morphometric characters analyzed but not in scalation variables. Despite the fact that L. poecilogyrus is considered by some to be an omni-carnivore, our data and other quantitative studies on distant populations from South America lead us to suggest that this species eats primarily anurans. The population studied has its own characteristics but retains similarities with geographically nearby and remote populations. This species is a specialist and its feeding habits seem to be conservative both in different populations of the same species and in phylogenetically related species. Sexual size dimorphism may be a common feature of the taxonomic group.

Comments on the diet of juvenile Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in the Paraguayan Chaco

“…Maciel (2003) mentioned that is active the entire year (except August); here we report activity of the snakes in August, when we found indivuals active during morning and late afternoon. Our observations also agree with Prieto (2012) that is a batracophagous specialist with feeding habits that seem to be conservative because their diet does not vary much geographically.…”

“…(Wied-Neuwied, 1825) is a medium-sized South American snake widely distributed from Venezuela to Uruguay and Argentina (Cei 1993, Cacciali 2009; it is predominantly terrestrial and active by day and by night (Vitt 1983, Pinto and Fernandes 2004, Martins 2008, Prieto 2012. The species also is widely distributed in Paraguay (Cacciali 2016) with two subspecies recorded-(Cope, 1862), in the Chaco and (Schlegel, 1837), which is restricted to the eastern part of the country, near the Río Parana (Cacciali 2009, Cacciali 2016.…”

“…The species also is widely distributed in Paraguay (Cacciali 2016) with two subspecies recorded-(Cope, 1862), in the Chaco and (Schlegel, 1837), which is restricted to the eastern part of the country, near the Río Parana (Cacciali 2009, Cacciali 2016. feeds mainly on anurans (Vitt 1983, Vitt and Vangilder 1983, Carreira-Vidal 2002, Pinto and Fernandes 2004, Prieto 2012; infrequently, it also feeds on Motte 2010, Prieto 2012, Bellini 2016. Herein, we describe attempted frog predation by in northern Paraguay, and comment on the diet and foraging habits of juveniles of this subspecies.…”

“…attempting to feed on large prey, to feed on and Hylid frogs usually are arboreal and previously were reported as prey items of (Vitt 1983, CarreiraVidal 2002, Pinto and Fernandes 2004, Prieto 2012. However, hylids found on the ground [e.g., and (Linnaeus, 1758)] also have been reported as prey items and et al…”

Feeding ecology of Erythrolamprus jaegeri jaegeri (Günter, 1858) and Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus sublineatus (Cope, 1860) in the coastal zone of Subtropical Brazil (Serpentes, Dipsadidae)

“…The composition of the diet in our study area was also very similar to the L. poecilogyrus diet in the wetlands of northeastern Argentina (Prieto et al 2012), where the same anuran families were recorded, with the exception of the lizard C. schreibersii. Erythrolamprus p. poecilogyrus, in contrast, presented a strictly anurophagous diet in southeastern Brazil (Pinto and Fernandes 2004), composed of bufonids and hylids.…”