Herpetology Notes, volume 10: 477-478 (2017) (published online on 13 September 2017)

First report of predation by Pseudopaludicola mystacalis (Anura, )

Pedro de Oliveira Calixto1,* and Lucas Batista Crivellari2

The Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 inferences about community structure, resource use, and belongs to the family Leptodactylidae, subfamily spatial distribution (Toft, 1985), as well as evolutionary (Pyron and Wiens, 2011), and includes 21 endemic to the Neotropics (Frost, 2016). Pseudopaludicola mystacalis (Cope, 1887) is a small- sized (maximum snout–vent length 16.3 mm in females) widely distributed throughout South America (Pansonato et al., 2014; Frost, 2016). However, some populations across the distribution range show distinct karyotypes, morphology, and vocalizations, suggesting the presence of a species complex (Fávero et al., 2011; Pansonato et al., 2013). Individuals of P. mystacalis typically show crepuscular activity, and males call from small swamps formed by headwaters and flowing rainwater, with creeping vegetation composed by grasses (Santana and Tostes, 2007). In addition, habitat use patterns by P. mystacalis are affected by grazing management and cattle (Pelinson et al., 2016). However, studies about diet and predator-prey interactions of this species are still absent. On 27 October 2016 at 21:00 h, we observed a male individual of P. mystacalis preying on an ant of the genus Tranopelta Mayr, 1866 (family Formicidae, subfamily Myrmicinae; Fig. 1). The event occurred in an artificial pond located in the rural area of Acreúna Municipality, Goiás State, Central Brazil (17.3617° S, 50.1650° W). Observations of predator-prey interactions improve our understanding of relationships among taxa. Additionally, this basic information allows ecological

1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Figure 1. Male Pseudopaludicola mystacalis preying on an ant Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná (Tranopelta sp.). (A) The moment before predation, with the 80060-000, Brazil frog eyeing the ant. (B) The moment of predation, with only 2 Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, the tip of the ant’s wing (arrow) still protruding from the frog’s Curitiba, Paraná 80060-000, Brazil mouth. (C) A specimen of the predated ant, genus Tranopelta. * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Scale bar = 20 mm. Photos by Pedro de O. Calixto. 478 Pedro de Oliveira Calixto & Lucas Batista Crivellari patterns (Meyer and Kassen, 2007). Duré et al. (2004) serrana Toledo, 2010 (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae). identified 11 prey types in the congener P. boliviana Advances in Zoology 2014: 13. Parker, 1927 where the most important prey items in Pansonato, A., Veiga-Menoncello, A.C.P., Mudrek, J.R., Jansen, M., Recco-Pimentel, S.M., Martins, I.A., Strüssmann, C. (2016): number and volume were dipterans, collembolans, Two new species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 arachnids, and coleopterans, while hymenopterans from (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae) from eastern Bolivia and the family Formicidae were among the least important. western Brazil. Herpetologica 72: 235–255. Our observation is the first record of P. mystacalis Pelinson, R.M., Garey, M.V., Rossa-Feres, D.C. (2016): Effects preying on an ant, a piece of natural history information of grazing management and cattle on aquatic habitat use by recorded from in situ observations. Overall, the natural the anuran Pseudopaludicola mystacalis in agro-savannah history and biology of Pseudopaludicola species are landscapes. PloS ONE 11: e0163094. Pyron, R.A., Wiens, J.J. (2011): A large-scale phylogeny incipient and scarce (Duré et al., 2004; Santana and of Amphibia including over 2800 species, and a revised Tostes, 2007; Giaretta and Facure, 2009; Sousa et al., classification of extant , salamanders, and caecilians. 2011; Pansonato et al., 2013, 2014, 2016). We wish Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 61: 543–583. to emphasise that field observations improve our Santana, D.J, Tostes, L.M.F. (2007): Aspectos da história natural understanding of natural history because they provide e territorialidade de Pseudopaludicola mystacalis (Cope, 1887) key evidence about trophic ecology and behaviour. (Anura, Leiuperidae). Duc in Altum 7: 11–14. Sousa, V.T.T., Teresa, F.B., Rossa-Feres, D.C. (2011): Predation risk and jumping behavior in Pseudopaludicola aff. falcipes Acknowledgments. We thank John E. Lattke for identification of tadpoles. Behavioral Ecology 22: 940–946. the ant, Luís Fernando Fávaro and André Bruinje for reviewing Toft, C.A. (1985): Resource partitioning in and reptiles. the manuscript, and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Copeia 1985: 1–21. Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for a research fellowship for Pedro de Oliveira Calixto (132606/2016-0).

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