Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 129-131 (2018) (published online on 29 January 2018)

Predation on Chironius bicarinatus (Wied, 1820) (Serpentes: Colubridae) by a Roadside Hawk Rupornis magnirostris (Gmelin, 1788) (Aves: )

Jairo J. Zocche1,*, Karoline Ceron2, Gabriel Schmidt Gonzaga3, Gustavo Piletti Plucenio3 and Fernando Carvalho1

Knowledge on feeding habits is important for studies of inhabits open woods, clearings, edges of an ecological community’s natural history, interactions, tropical , and farmlands (Peña and Rumbol, and energy flux (e.g., Falico et al., 2012; Linares et al., 1991; Ferguson-Lees and Christie, 2001; Sigrist, 2013), 2016). Food is a crucial resource for all , and and, to a lesser extent, open fields near woodlands quantifying diets is one of the first steps in the study (Canevari et al., 1991). Highly opportunistic in terms of of ecology (Sih and Christensen, 2001). What its prey, roadside hawks are characterized as a passive species eat, and how and where this resource is obtained, search predator (Panasci and Whitacre, 2000), feeding can help in understanding the influence of seasons on mainly on (beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, the exploitation of resources and inter- and intraspecific bees, ants, centipedes, cicadas, and scorpions), spiders, interactions (Law and Blackford, 1992; Johnson et al., amphibians, reptiles, , and small (Beltzer, 1996; Granzinolli and Motta-Junior, 2007). 1990; Howell and Webb, 1995; Baladrón et al., 2011; The Roadside Hawk, Rupornis magnirostris (Gmelin, Sigrist, 2013; Bierregaard et al., 2017). 1788), is a common raptor species in the Neotropics Colubrid snakes of the Chironius are endemic to (Baladrón et al., 2016). Twelve subspecies of R. the Neotropical region, and they are distributed from the magnirostris are currently recognized (Bierregaard Caribbean coast of and to southern et al., 2017) and these have historically ranged from , , and northeastern (Klaczko northern through the Rio Negro Valley in et al., 2014). Chironius bicarinatus (Wied, 1820) is a central Argentina (Thiollay, 1994). Rupornis m. large snake that occurs exclusively within the Atlantic magniplumis (Bertoni, 1901) ranges from southern biome in eastern Brazil, extreme northeastern Brazil into northeastern Argentina (Misiones) and Argentina, and northwestern Uruguay (Dixon et al., adjacent (Bierregaard et al., 2017). This 1993; Marques and Sazima, 2004). It is most active during the day, and its diet includes anurans, lizards, and birds (Dixon et al., 1993; Oliveira, 2008; Bovo and Sueiro, 2012; Vrcibradic and Eisfeld, 2016). We here report on a predation event of R. m. magniplumis upon 1 Laboratório de Ecologia de Paisagem e de Vertebrados, an individual of C. bicarinatus. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, During fieldwork on 15 May 2017 at 1530 h, we Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, Santa Catarina 88806-000, Brazil recorded an adult R. m. magniplumis preying on a 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, juvenile C. bicarinatus (SVL 501.3 mm) in a lowland Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia de Anfíbios e Atlantic Forest periurban patch (28.4254°S, 49.2442°W, Répteis (Mapinguari), Instituto de Biociências, Universidade elevation 47 m) in Criciúma Municipality, Santa Catarina Federal de do Sul, Cidade Universitária, Campo state, southern Brazil. The hawk was captured in a mist Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul 79002-970, Brazil net while carrying the dead snake in its claws (Fig. 1a). 3 Laboratório de Ecologia de Paisagem e de Vertebrados, Curso The snake had puncture injuries on the first and second de Ciências Biológicas – Bacharelado, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, Santa Catarina 88806- thirds of its body, and its spine was broken (Fig. 1b). 000, Brazil It was collected (collection permit SISBIO#45889-1) * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. and deposited into the collection of the Laboratório de 130 Jairo J. Zocche et al.

Figure 1. (A) A Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris magniplumis) captured in a mist net with a juvenile Chironius bicarinatus (SVL = 501.3 mm) in Criciúma Municipality, Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. (B) Dorsal and (C) ventral views of the snake, showing injuries to the first and second thirds of its body.

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Accepted by Hinrich Kaiser