Feeding ecology, reproductive biology, and sexual dimorphism of <i>Boana raniceps</i> (Anura: Hylidae) in an area of Caatinga, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The number of studies on the ecology of the genus Boana is vast in Brazilian biomes. Among the different species of this genus, B. raniceps is considered a common and widely distributed species. Despite this, only a few studies have explored the ecology of this species in the Caatinga biome. In this study we present information on the diet composition, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism of B. raniceps in the Caatinga biome, northeastern Brazil, providing additional information about the natural history of the species. We observed that B. raniceps has a generalist diet, consuming a great diversity of prey categories, but with a numerical and volumetric prevalence of Coleoptera. Interestingly, there was an ontogenetic and sexual variation in the diet, with the Relative Importance Index (RII) for each prey category differed between males, females, and juveniles. Females were found bearing mature eggs in both the rainy and dry seasons. The number of eggs carried by each female ranged from 153 to 3904. There was sexual dimorphism in body size, with females larger than males. However, size was not a limiting factor in fecundity. Here, we present new information on the natural history of B. raniceps and reinforce the need for further studies with widely distributed and known species. This is the first study to demonstrate ontogenetic and sexual variation in the diet of anurans of the genus Boana.