Diet of brachycephalus brunneus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) in the Atlantic rainforest of paraná, Southern Brazil

Pedro Luiz Fontoura, Luiz Fernando Ribeiro, Marcio Roberto Pie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (journal)peer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Saddleback toads (Brachycephalidae: Brachycephalus) are a remarkable group of highly endemic species from the southern Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil. They are brightly colored, diurnal, minute frogs that live in the leaf litter of high-elevation cloud forests. Little is known about the natural history of these frogs, particularly their diet. In the present study we provide the first published account of a Brachycephalus species diet. Specimens of Brachycephalus brunneus Ribeiro, Alves, Haddad & Reis, 2005 (N = 20) were collected from two locations in the Serra do Mar mountain range in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. A total of 137 food items were recorded, with Acari being the most common item (62.4%). This prevalence is much higher than the actual availability of Acari in their environments (37.7% of all items in leaf litter samples) and therefore indicate their preference for this food item.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)687-689
Number of pages3
JournalZoologia
Volume28
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Nov 2011

Keywords

  • Acari
  • Feeding
  • Foraging
  • Litter frog

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