Field-recorded data on the diet of six species of European Hydromantes cave salamanders

Abstract

The availability of data on the feeding habits of species of conservation value may be of great importance to develop analyses for both scientific and management purposes. Stomach flushing is a harmless technique that allowed us to collect extensive data on the feeding habits of six Hydromantes species. Here, we present two datasets originating from a three-year study performed in multiple seasons (spring and autumn) on 19 different populations of cave salamanders. The first dataset contains data of the stomach content of 1,250 salamanders, where 6,010 items were recognized; the second one reports the size of the intact prey items found in the stomachs. These datasets integrate considerably data already available on the diet of the European plethodontid salamanders, being also of potential use for large scale meta-analyses on amphibian diet.

Peer Review #3 of "Ecology and life history of Meta bourneti (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from Monte Albo (Sardinia, Italy) (v0.1)"

“…Furthermore, the presence of two other species (Hydromantes flavus and Oxychilus oppressus) had a strong influence on spider abundance. While it is possible that M. bourneti shares the same microhabitat preference with these species (Ficetola et al, 2018), trophic interactions between M. bourneti and these two species may also explain this particular association (Curry & Yeung, 2013;Lunghi et al, 2018b;Mammola & Isaia, 2014). However, Manuscript to be reviewed observations were related to juveniles (~66%) and this may have biased the analysis performed at the species level.…”

“…A standardized survey method (7.5 min/sector) was used to collect data on the presence of six cave- Latreille, 1804 (Arachnida: Araneae), Oxychilus oppressus (Shuttleworth, 1877) (Gastropoda: Panpulmonata) and Limonia nubeculosa Meigen, 1804 (Insecta: Diptera). These species likely interact with Meta spiders, as they represent both potential prey and predators (Lunghi et al, 2018b;Novak et al, 2010). Meta spiders were also counted and ascribed to two different categories on the basis of body size (prosoma + opisthosoma): adults with fully developed pedipalps (body size ≥ 10 mm) and juveniles (body size <10 mm) (Bellmann, 2011;Mammola & Isaia, 2014;Nentwig et al, 2018).…”

Transgressive niche across a salamander hybrid zone revealed by microhabitat analyses

“…What might be the fitness advantages of tolerance to drought and light? Terrestrial salamanders feed on a large range of invertebrates (Lunghi, Cianferoni, Ceccolini, Mulargia, et al, 2018b). In cave environments, food resources are limited, and the richness of invertebrates is generally highest close to the surface.…”

Do Salamanders Limit the Abundance of Groundwater Invertebrates in Subterranean Habitats?

“…However, non-obligate cave-dwelling salamander species can also play a fundamental role in shaping cave food webs. Several species of surface salamanders are known to exploit underground environments where they can feed on invertebrates, guano, or other urodeles [17][18][19][20]. Moreover, some of them often breed in subterranean rivers and streams where their larvae are able to complete the entire lifecycle [21].…”