Predation on the Teiid Lizard Dicrodon Guttulatum Duméril and Bibron, 1839 by the Pitviper Porthidium Arcosae Schätti and Kramer, 1993

Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 391-393 (2018) (published online on 09 May 2018)

Predation on the teiid lizard Dicrodon guttulatum Duméril and Bibron, 1839 by the pitviper Porthidium arcosae Schätti and Kramer, 1993

Nicole Acosta-Vásconez1, Martín Carrera1, Emilia Peñaherrera1, Diego Cisneros-Heredia1,*

Little information has been published about the at Museo de Zoología, Universidad San Francisco de rare Porthidium arcosae Schätti and Kramer, 1993, Quito (ZSFQ) and at Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad a small, nocturnal, and terrestrial pitviper (Campbell (Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales, MECN). and Lamar,2004; Valencia et al., 2011). This pitviper is Both specimens were donated to ZSFQ. endemic to the Ecuadorian biogeographic province or The prey was identified as Dicrodon guttulatum, a Tumbesian centre (Cisneros-Heredia, 2006; Morrone, lizard that occurs sympatrically with P. arcosae, and is 2014), inhabiting tropical dry forests and scrublands abundant in the area where the specimens were found. of a small region along the Pacific coasts and lowlands The lizard was ingested tail-first, and although it was of central Ecuador (Valencia et al., 2011). Only three shorter and the diameter of its body narrower than the prey species have been reported so far in the diet snake’s body diameter, we calculated the relative prey of P. arcosae: Microlophus occipitalis Peters, 1871 mass as 1.4. Pitvipers are able to eat large prey, thanks (Squamata: Tropiduridae), Ameiva septemlineata to their stout bodies, large heads, and long jaws (Arnold, Duméril, 1851 (Squamata: Teiidae) and Heteromys 1993; Greene, 1983; Pough and Goves, 1983; Cundall, sp. (Rodentia: Muridae) (Valencia et al. 2011). Here 2002). Our data support the suggestion by Valencia et we present the first evidence of predation on Dicrodon al. (2011) that juveniles of P. arcosae prefer to prey on guttulatum Duméril and Bibron, 1839 by Porthidium lizards. arcosae. This report expands knowledge on the predator- On 27 February 2017, a juvenile specimen of prey interactions involving Dicrodon guttulatum. Porthidium arcosae—killed by a local inhabitant a few Only two predators had been reported for this species: days earlier, was found in the rural surroundings of the Mastigodryas boddaerti (Sentzen, 1796) (Colubridae) city of Manta (01°0’36.45” S, 80°45’34.24” W, 55 m), and Callopistes flavipunctatus (Duméril & Bibron, province of Manabí, Ecuador. The pitviper had ingested 1839) (Teiidae) (Brennan, 2010; Crespo & Koch, a juvenile lizard. Both specimens were identified as 2015). Dicrodon guttulatum could be a frequent prey of juveniles, based on their chromatic, morphological and morphometric characteristics (Figure 1). Body measurements for both specimens are presented in Table 1. The pitviper was partially damaged and decomposed, Table 1. Measurements (in millimetres) of a juvenile while the lizard was incomplete due to digestion and 1 Porthidium arcosae (ZSFQ EP010) and a juvenile specimen 2 Table 1. Measurements (in millimetres) of a juvenile Porthidium arcosae and a juvenile specimen of Dicrodon decomposition. To estimate their size, we used linear 3 ofguttulatum Dicrodon. Both guttulatum specimens are deposited(ZSFQ inEP011). the collection of the ZUSF. 4 regressions based on juvenile specimens deposited 5 Measurements (mm) Porthidium arcosae Dicrodon guttulatum

Total length 167.8 137.6

Head length 12.6 11.1 1 Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Head width 8.1 7.0 Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Instituto de Zoología Snout-vent length 151.1 75.5

Terrestre & Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador Tail length 16.7 62.1 * Corresponding author. E-mail: Body mass [g] 4.3 5.9 [email protected] 6

1 392 Nicole Acosta-Vásconez et al.

Figure 1. A) Porthidium arcosae containing a half-digested Dicrodon guttulatum. B) Head of P. arcosae (dorsal view). C) Head of P. arcosae (lateral view). D) Head of D. guttulatum (dorsal view). E) Head of D. guttulatum (lateral view).

several pitvipers and colubrids, being sympatric across References its distribution with Porthidium arcosae, Bothrops Arnold, S.J. (1993): Foraging theory and prey-size-predator-size asper, B. barnetti, B. pictus, Chironius grandisquamis, relations in snakes. In: Snakes. Ecology and behaviour, p. 87– Drymarchon melanurus, Mastygodryas reticulatus, M. 115. Seigel, R., Collins, J., Eds., New York, McGraw-Hill. pulchriceps, Oxyrhopus fitzingeri, and O. petolarius Brennan, R. (2010): Un estudio ecológico de las lagartijas del valle (Schmidt & Walker, 1943; Campbell & Lamar, 2004; seco de Buenavista y de los valles húmedos de La Josefina y Cisneros-Heredia & Touzet, 2004; Valencia et al., Salango. �ndependent Study Project Collection, Paper 828. SIT Graduate Institute. Available at: http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ 2011). isp_collection/828. Accessed on 4 June 2017. Campbell, J.A., Lamar, W.W. (2004): �he venomous reptiles of Acknowledgments. We thank Costecam Consulting for their the western hemisphere. Ithaca, USA, Comstock Publishing field work support; to the local people for telling us about the (Cornell University Press). killed snake; to Izan Chalen for logistics assistance; to Mario Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. (2006): Distribution and ecology of the Yánez-Muñoz, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, for access to western Ecuador frog Leptodactylus labrosus (Amphibia: MECN specimens; to Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ Anura: Leptodactylidae). Zoological Research 27(3): 225–234. for lab support (under project ID 48 “Taxonomía, Biogeografía Cisneros-Heredia, D.F., Touzet, J.M. (2004): Distribution and y Conservación de Anfibios y Reptiles”); to Programa “Becas conservation status of Bothrops asper (Garman, 1884) in de Excelencia”, Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Ecuador. Herpetozoa 17(3/4): 135–141. Tecnología e Innovación (SENESCYT) for supporting DFCH’s Crespo, S., Koch, C. (2015): Notes on natural history and research work. Specimens reported in this publication were distribution of Callopistes flavipunctatus (Squamata: Teiidae) in donated to Museo de Zoología, Universidad San Francisco de northwestern Peru. Salamandra 51: 57–60. Quito, which works under Patente de Manejo de Vida Silvestre Cundall, D. (2002): Envenomation strategies, head form, and 2016 No. 005-2016-FAU-DPAP-MA, issued by Ministerio del feeding ecology in vipers. In: Biology of the vipers, p. 139–148. Ambiente, Dirección Provincial del Ambiente Pichincha. Schuett, G.W., Höggren, M., Douglas, M.E., Greene, H.W., Ed., Eagle Mountain, USA, Eagle Mountain Publishing. Greene, H.W. (1983): Dietary correlates of the origin and radiation of snakes. American Zoologist 23: 431–441. Predation on Dicrodon guttulatum by Porthidium arcosae 393

Morrone, J J. (2014): Biogeographical regionalisation of the Neotropical region. Zootaxa 3782(1): 1–110. Pough, F.H., Groves, J. (1983): Specializations of the body form and food habits of snakes. American Zoologist 23: 442–454. Schmidt, K.P., Walker, W.F. (1943): Snakes of the Peruvian coastal region. Zoological Series of the Field Museum of Natural History 24(27): 297–324. Valencia, J., Vaca-Guerrero, G., Garzon, K. (2011): Natural history, potential distribution and conservation status of the Manabi Hognose Pitviper Porthidium arcosae (SCHÄTTI & KRAMER, 1993) in Ecuador. Herpetozoa 23: 31–43.

Accepted by Maximilian Dehling