458 Herpetological Review 38(4), 2007
LEPIDOPHYMA TUXTLAE (Tuxtla Tropical Night Lizard).PREDATION.
Lepidophyma tuxtlae is a viviparous lizard endemicto tropical rain
forest in the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas,Mxico (Bezy
and Camarillo 2002. Contrib. Sci. Los AngelesCounty Mus. 493:141).
Data on predators of this species are scarcebecause L. tuxtlae is
secretive, inhabiting narrow concealed refugesmostly beneath fallen
logs, under tree bark and within decayinglogs (Castillo-Cern and
Lpez-Gonzlez 1990. Bull. MarylandHerpetol. Soc. 26:153158; unpubl.
data). Here we describe anobservation of predation on L.
tuxtlae.
At ca. 1400 h on 14 July 2006 during a diurnal
herpetofaunalsurvey, we found an immature wolf spider (prosoma = 8
mm,opisthosoma = 9 mm) of the genus Hogna feeding on a neonate
L.tuxtlae (ca. 28 mm SVL, 35.5 mm tail) beneath the bark of
adecaying log. We made this observation in a small fragment
oftropical rain forest in the Los Tuxtlas region, Veracruz,
Mexico(1836'6.72"N, 9508'18.76"W, datum: WGS84, elev. 570 m).
Thespider held the neonate with its chelicera and the neonates
headand anterior body were partly digested.
Many spiders display opportunistic feeding behavior, and
severalrecords exist of spiders feeding on lizards (Corey 1988. J.
Arachnol.16:392393; Hampton et al. 2004. Herpetol. Rev.
35:269270);however, our observation represents the first record of
predationon night lizards by wolf spiders.
We thank Alejandro Valdez for identifying the spider, and J.Cime
for assistance in the field. The L. tuxtlae neonate (CNAR12228) was
deposited in Coleccin Nacional de Anfibios yReptiles, Instituto de
Biologa, Universidad Nacional Autnomade Mxico.
Submitted by ELISA CABRERA GUZMN and VCTORHUGO REYNOSO, Coleccin
Nacional de Anfibios y Reptiles.Instituto de Biologa. Departamento
de Zoologa, UniversidadNacional Autnoma de Mxico. Circuito
exterior, CiudadUniversitaria, Mxico D.F., C.P. 04510;
e-mail:[email protected].
LEPOSTERNON WUCHERERI (NCN). VERTEBRATEPREY. The diet of the
Brazilian amphisbaenian Leposternonwuchereri is mainly composed of
soft items such as oligochaeteworms and coleopteran larvae (Barros
Filho and Valverde 1996.Sitientibus 14:5768); ants, termites,
beetles, lepidopteran andother insect larvae are the most frequent
prey of otheramphisbaenians (Kearney 2003. J. Herpetol. 37:379464).
Al-though amphisbaenians are sometimes fed small vertebrates
incaptivity (e.g., Gans 1971. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. His. 144:379464),
consumption of vertebrates in the wild has been rarely
dem-onstrated (e.g., Barbadillo et al. 1998. Herpetol. Rev. 29:236;
Colliand Zamboni 1999. Copeia 1999:733742). Here, we report
thefirst case of L. wuchereri feeding on vertebrates.
During faunal rescue at the site of the Santa Clara
Hydroelec-tric power plant, municipalities of Nanuque and Serra dos
Aimors(mean air temperature: 23.1C), Minas Gerais state,
southeasternBrazil (1753'S, 4011'W; elev. 105 m), 146 L. wuchereri
cap-tured were transported to the hydroelectric plant laboratory
andkept in a ventilated wooden collection box (40 20 20 cm)
with-out temperature control for 23 days. Wet cotton wads were put
inthe box to maintain humidity, but the animals were not fed.
Ani-
mals were subsequently sacrificed, fixed in 10% formalin,
placedin a storage solution of 70% alcohol, and deposited at Museu
deCincias Naturais da Pontifcia Universidade Catlica de MinasGerais
(MCNR 279425). During examination of the stomach ofan adult (393 mm
SVL) female L. wuchereri (MCNR 294), wefound some small bones
(three pterygoids, one ileum, a frontopa-rietal, two maxillae and a
phalange) belonging to anurans and fivekeratinized claws (probably
of some lizard species).
Environmental conditions during flooding of a previously
ter-restrial area by a new hydroelectric dam represent novel
localenvironmental conditions. As the water floods the area, some
ani-mals escape, typically to higher ground, which may cause
localand presumably temporary increases in species densities. This
hasthe potential to either decrease food availability or increase
com-petition, and may force individuals to feed on atypical prey.
Manyunpublished observations indicate that, when crowded in a
cap-tive environment, amphisbaenians bite one another and larger
in-dividuals eat smaller ones (Gans 1966. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
Hist.134:185260). Our data might indicate that L. wuchereri is
ca-pable of varying its food habits under such unusual
circumstances.If so, the species may be a generalist-opportunist as
has alreadybeen suggested for other amphisbaenians (Cabrera and
Merlini1990. Herpetol. Rev. 21:5354).
We thank Ronald Carvalho Jnior for methodological
informa-tion.
Submitted by RENATO FILOGONIO, Ps-graduao emGesto de Projetos
Ambientais, Instituto de Educao Continuada,Pontifcia Universidade
Catlica de Minas Gerais, Avenida Brasil,2023, 7 andar, Funcionrios,
30140-002, Belo Horizonte, MinasGerais, Brazil; and LUCIANA BARRETO
NASCIMENTO,Ps-graduao em Zoologia de Vertebrados, Museu de
CinciaNaturais, Pontifcia Universidade Catlica de Minas
Gerais,Avenida Dom Jos Gaspar 290, 30535-610, Belo Horizonte,
MinasGerais, Brazil (e-mail: [email protected]).
LIOLAEMUS CHACOENSIS (NCN). BODYTEMPERATURE. Liolaemus
chacoensis is an oviparous lizardthat inhabits entangled thorny
vegetation in the forested landscapesof Chaco Phytogeographic
Province, northeastern Argentina(Cabrera and Willink 1980.
Biogeografa de Amrica Latina.O.E.A.Washington D.C. 109 pp.). It can
maneuver nimbly amongwell-armed cacti, such as Opuntia sulphurea,
that hinder its capture.Limited study has addressed its
reproduction (Cruz and RamrezPinilla 1996. Rev. Espaola Herpetol.
10:3339), but data arelacking on its thermal ecology. Here, we
present preliminary dataon L. chacoensis thermal ecology.
On 25 February 2006, we conducted field work in Las
Tumanas,Departmento Valle Frtil, San Juan Province (3052'S,
6719'W,datum: WGS84; elev. 750 m). Data are based on 11 captures
(7females and 4 males) obtained from randomized visits to shrubsand
cacti across the study site. Each individual was captured
bynoosing. For each capture, cloacal (Tc), substrate (Ts) and air
(Ta)were measured (to nearest 0.1C) with a digital
Barnantthermometer. We took Ts at the precise point where an animal
wasfirst sighted and Ta 1 cm above the substrate, both
immediatelyfollowing captures. We also recorded microhabitat type
(as barrensubstrate or vegetation litter) for each capture.
Individuals were
Herpetological Review 38(4), 2007 459
sacrificed and fixed in the field with 10% formalin.
Afterward,SVL was measured (to nearest 0.02 mm).
Mean body temperature of the 11 adult L. chacoensis was 33.3C(SD
= 4.0C). No significant differences were found between thesexes
(F1,9 = 0.2, P = 0.9). Body size was unrelated to Tc (SpearmanRank
correlation: rs = 0.21, P = 0.66). An ANOVA revealedsignificant
differences between Tc and Ta (F1,20 = 6.72, P = 0.01).In contrast,
neither Tc nor Ts (F1,20 = 0.04, P = 0.84) or Ta and Ts(F1,20 =
2.83, P = 0.10) differed significantly from one another.Cloacal
temperature and each of Ts and Ta were correlated(Spearman Rank
correlation: Ts: rs = 0.75, P = 0.006; Ta: rs = 0.87,P = 0.0004).
We found no significant differences in temperaturebetween the two
habitat type (Chi-square: 2 = 0.81; df = 1; P =0.36).
Based on correlations among Tc, Ts and Ta, thermoregulation inL.
chacoensis is similar to that in L. olongasta (Cnovas et al.2001.
Herpetol. Rev. 37:88), L. wiegmanni (Martori et al. 1998.Rev.
Espaola Herpetol. 12:1926), L. koslowsky (Martori et al.2002. Cuad.
Herpetol. 1:7899), L. sanjuanensis (Acosta et al.2004. Herpetol.
Rev. 35:171), and L. cf. elongatus (Acosta et al.2006. Herpetol.
Rev. 37:466467), which show a stronger rela-tionship between Tc and
Ta. In contrast, L. pseudoanomalus(Villavicencio et al. 2007.
Amphibia-Reptilia 28:163165) and L.elongatus (Ibargengoyta and
Cussac. 2002. Herpetol. J. 12:131134) show a more significant
correlation between Tc and Ts. Ouranalysis suggests that L.
chacoensis is heliothermic and movesamong microhabitats to
thermoregulate.
Submitted by ALEJANDRO LASPIUR e-mail:[email protected]),
HCTOR JOSVILLAVICENCIO*, and JUAN CARLOS ACOSTA,Departamento de
Biologa e Instituto y Museo de Ciencias Natu-rales, Facultad de
Ciencias Exactas, Fsicas y Naturales,Universidad Nacional de San
Juan. *Becario CONICET. AvenidaEspaa 400 (N), Caixa Postal 5400,
San Juan, Argentina.
LIOLAEMUS DARWINII (NCN). CANNIBALISM. Liolaemusdarwinii is a
medium-sized liolaemid lizard of arid western Ar-gentina. Males of
this species are territorial (Cei 1986. Reptilesdel Centro,
Centro-oeste y Sur de la Argentina. Herpetofauna deZonas ridas y
Semiridas. Monografie IV, Museo Regionale diScienze Naturali,
Torino, Italy. 527 pp.). Some aspects of theirdiet, known to
include insects, have been described (Avila andAcosta 1993. Facena
10:5761; De Viana et al. 1994. Rev. Biol.Tropical 42:379381; Videla
1983. Deserta 7:192202). Here, wereport an observation of
cannibalism by an adult male L. darwiniion a hatchling.
In February 2001, we collected lizards at Mdanos Grandes,Caucete
in San Juan Province, Argentina (3111'S, 6810'W; elev.600 m) during
an ecological study of this species. Examination ofthe stomach
contents of an adult (54 mm SVL) male L. darwiniirevealed a
hatchling (25 mm SVL) conspecific, and some antsand other
Hymenoptera.
Cannibalism has been documented in two other species ofLiolaemus
(L. koslowskyi: Avila and Belver 2000. Herpetol. Rev.31:174; L.
petrophilus: Avila and Morando 2002. Herpetol. Rev.33:52). The
relative importance of cannibalism in Liolaemus popu-lation
dynamics remains to be investigated.
Specimens (MCN-UNSJ 1845a and 1845b) were deposited inthe
Herpetological Collection of the Instituto y Museo de
CienciasNaturales de la Universidad Nacional de San Juan
(MCN-UNSJ).
Submitted by YANINA RIPOLL (e-mail:[email protected]) and
JUAN CARLOS ACOSTA (e-mail: [email protected]), Departamento
de Biologa eInstituto y Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de
CienciasExactas Fsicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San
Juan,Avenida Espaa 400 (Norte), CP: 5400, San Juan, Argentina.
NOROPS HUMILIS (Ground Anole). INTERSPECIFIC IN-TERACTION.
Aggressive interactions among organisms exhibita gradient of
intensity and frequency depending on how relatedparticipating
individuals may be. Interactions between conspecif-ics are usually
more intense and more frequent than those betweencongeners.
Aggressive contacts among species of different taxo-nomic classes,
not taking into account predator/prey interactions,are infrequent.
These interactions can arise because of interfer-ence or
exploitative competition (Shields and Bildstein 1979. Ecol-ogy
60:468474), mistaken identification (Hess and Losos 1991.J.
Herpetol. 25:256259), or interspecific territoriality (Robinsonand
Terborgh 1995. J. Anim. Ecol. 64:111).
At 1215 h on 10 August 2006 in Pacuare-Matina Forestry Re-serve,
Limn Province, eastern Costa Rica (1012'31.5"N,8315'57.2"W, datum:
WGS84; elev. 3 m), we observed an adultmale N. humilis (ca. 37 mm
SVL) on a branch 54 cm above theground. The male perched on the
branch for ~90 min, and thenjumped to a horizontal stem and did
several dewlap extensions,some accompanied with headbobs. We
attemped to locate anotherN. humilis nearby, but found none. After
a few minutes of remain-ing immobile, the male ran down the stem
and approached a Straw-berry Poison-dart Frog, Dendrobates pumilio,
that was hoppingupon a log about 1.5 m away. The lizard initiated a
new series ofdewlap extensions and headbobs every time the frog
hopped, andafter these displays the frog stopped and raised its
body on its fourlegs, remained in this position without movement
for a few sec-onds and moved again. Both individuals repeated these
interac-tions for around 10 min until the frog finally jumped away
fromthe log and disappeared behind some bushes.
Whether the interactions we describe resulted from competi-tion,
mistaken identification, or interspecific territoriality is
un-clear. The substantial difference in body shape between N.
humilisand D. pumilio may make mistaken identification less likely
thanthe other possibilities. Likewise, competition and
interspecific ter-ritoriality could reflect the same intensity of
behavior if a limitingresource, such as space, exists, and both
species occur at high den-sities. Both species inhabit primarily
the forest floor, are highlyterritorial, and exhibit high densities
where we made our observa-tions. Males N. humilis have been
reported to spend ca. 20% oftheir time defending their territories
(Talbot 1979. Copeia1979:472481), and aggressive contacts among D.
pumilio con-specifics are frequent in habitats where they reach
high densities(Prhl 1997. Amphibia-Reptilia 18:437442).
Observations were made during MDBs masters thesis field-work. We
acknowledge Pacuare-Matina staff for support, and thankPablo Allen
for suggestions.
