Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 613-615 (2019) (published online on 18 Juni 2019)

New records of the dipsadid strigatus (Günther, 1858) preying on the characid fish Astyanax bockmanni Vari & Castro, 2007 in the Atlantic Forest of Southern

Dirley Bortolanza-Filho1, Ricardo Lourenço-de-Moraes1,*, Mileny Otani1, Giuliana Franklin Lemos1, and Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki1

The Thamnodynastes Wagler, 1830 currently h at Recanto das Águias, Iguaraçu Municipality, Paraná comprises 20 valid (Uetz et al., 2018). State, southern Brazil (23.1933°S, 51.8424°W). Just Thamnodynastes strigatus occurs in South America, after collection and placement into a containment bag, from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, to southern the snake regurgitated an intact individual of the fish and southeastern Brazil (Peters and Orejas-Miranda, Astyanax bockmanni Vari and Castro, 2007 (Fig. 1C). 1970; Lema et al., 1983, Lema 2002; Bernarde et al., The regurgitated fish was of moderate size (body length 2000; Achaval-Elena, 2001; Franco and Ferreira, 2002). = 7.8 cm; body width = 2.2 cm). Astyanax bockmanni However, due to the taxonomic complexity of the genus is an endemic omnivorous characid species native to the (Bailey et al., 2005; Bailey and Thomas, 2007; Bellini et al., 2013), the actual distribution and natural history of the species requires further investigation (Franco and Ferreira, 2002). Thamnodynastes strigatus is a semi-arboreal opistoglyphic snake, and an opportunistic, nocturnal predator, which frequently forages in aquatic environments (Bernarde et al., 2000; Marques et al., 2001; Franco and Ferreira, 2002; Ruffato et al., 2003). The species preys primarily on frogs but opportunistically consumes other vertebrates, including rodents, , and fish (Bernarde et al., 2000). There are only few records of T. strigatus feeding on fish, such as some small poeciliid species (Bernarde et al., 2000; Souza et al., 2003a; Rufatto et al., 2003), and there is one report of Hoplias aff. malabaricus, a larger, aggressive predator of vertebrates (see Montenegro et al., 2013; Proença et al., 2015). We collected a juvenile T. strigatus (snout–vent length = 39.0 cm; tail length = 10.0 cm, head length = 1.8 cm; head width = 0.8 cm; Fig. 1A) on 7 April 2018 at 2045

Figure 1. (A) Juvenile Thamnodynastes strigatus from Recanto das Águias in the Iguaraçu Municipality, Paraná 1 Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, State, Brazil. (B) Prey species composition by species number Maringá, Paraná 87020-900, Brazil. and percentage of T. strigatus. (C) The regurgitated Astyanax * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] bockmanni specimen. Dirley Bortolanza-Filho et al. 614

Table 1. DietaryTable composition 1. Dietary composition of Thamnodynastes of Thamnodynastes strigatus, incorporating strigatus, incorporating records from records the literature from th literature and current and observation. our current observation.

Species References Amphibians (Anura) Boana faber Souza et al., 2003b Boana latistriata Winkler et al., 2011 Boana pulchella Rufatto et al., 2003 Bokermannohyla circumdata Lema et al., 1983 Crossodactylus cf. bokermanni Kopp and Wachlevski, 2005 Dendropsophus minutus Bernarde et al., 2000; Toledo et al., 2007 Ischnocnema holti Winkler et al., 2011 Leptodactylus gracilis Rufatto et al., 2003 Leptodactylus ocellatus Rufatto et al., 2003 Leptodactylus sp. Bernarde et al., 2000; Hartmann et al., 2009 Lithobates catesbeianus Souza et al., 2003b Melanophryniscus moreirae Winkler et al., 2011 Odontophrynus americanus Souza et al., 2003b; Rufatto et al., 2003 Physalaemus cuvieri Bernarde et al., 2000 Physalaemus sp. Rufatto et al., 2003 Rhinella gr. crucifer Bernarde et al., 2000 Rhinella icterica Rufatto et al., 2003 Rhinella sp. Bernarde et al., 2000 Scinax fuscovarius Bernarde et al., 2000; Rufatto et al., 2003 Scinax perereca Bernarde et al., 2000 Scinax sp. Souza et al., 2003b; Rufatto et al., 2003

Fishes Astyanax bimaculatus Souza et al., 2003a Astyanax bockmanni present study Hoplias aff. malabaricus Proença et al., 2015 Hyphessobrycon luetkeni Rufatto et al., 2003 Palloceros caudimaculatus Rufatto et al., 2003 Poecilia sp. Bernarde et al., 2000

Mammals Olygoryzomys nigripes Rufatto et al., 2003 Unidentified rodents Bernarde et al., 2000

Reptiles Hemidactylus mabouia Bernarde et al., 2000 Dipsas ventrimaculatus Rufatto et al., 2003

Upper Rio Paraná system (Vari and Castro, 2007). Herein 20–50 cm tall vegetation along the margins of aquatic we present both literature review (Table 1) and direct environments with the head angled toward the ground. observations of T. strigatus predatory interactions. Prey species included 72.2% amphibians, 16.7% fishes, Two primary foraging techniques were common to 5.6% mammals and 5.6% reptiles (see Fig. 1B; Table T. strigatus, active search and ambush (sit-and-wait). 1), which suggested that T. strigatus has a generalist Most individuals used the sit-and-wait behaviour in diet that emphasises prey found most frequently on the New records of Thamnodynastes strigatus preying on Astyanax bockmanni 615 margins of waterways. Therefore, we hypothesised that Franco, F.L., Ferreira, T.G. (2002): Descrição de uma nova T. strigatus may increase the frequency with which it espécie de Thamnodynastes Wagler, 1830 (Serpentes, feeds on fish when amphibians are absent, especially in ) do nordeste brasileiro, com comentários sobre o gênero. Phyllomedusa 1: 57–74. a region where low levels of amphibian activity may Hartmann, P.A., Hartmann, M.T., Martins, M. (2009): Ecologia occur seasonally (e.g., Affonso et al., 2014). Our data e história natural de uma taxocenose de serpentes no Núcleo increase the knowledge about the diet of this species, Santa Virgínia do Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, no sudeste being the first record of T. strigatus preying on A. do Brasil. Biota Neotropica 9: 173–184. bockmanni. We suggest that new studies on the diet of Kopp, K., Wachlevski, M. (2005): Natural history notes. this species to better understand the ecological position Thamnodynastes strigatus (NCN). Diet. Herpetological Review of T. strigatus. 36: 71–72. Lema, T.D. (2002): Os Répteis do Rio Grande do Sul: Atuais e Fósseis, Biogeografia, Ofidismo. Porto Alegre, Brazil, Acknowledgments. We are grateful to José Sendenski at “Recanto Edipucrs. das Águias” for the support of our fieldwork. We thank Thiago Lema, T.D., Vieira, M.I., Araújo, M.L.D. (1983): Fauna reptiliana Silva-Soares for valuable comments that improved the manuscript do norte da Grande Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, and Gabriel Deprá (NUPÉLIA) for the A. bockmanni species Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 2: 203–227. identification. We thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento Marques, O.A.V., Eterovic, A., Sazima, I. (2001): Serpentes da Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for providing scholarships Mata Atlântica: Guia Ilustrado para a Serra do Mar. Ribeirão to DBF, MO, and GFL. RLM thanks the Conselho Nacional de Preto, Brazil, Holos. Pesquisa e Tecnologia (CNPq) Foundation (151473/2018-8) for Montenegro, A.K.A., Vieira, A.C.B., Cardoso, M.M.L., Souza, financial support. 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