Predation of Liolaemus Huacahuasicus Born Each Summer
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by CONICET Digital Cuad. herpetol., 24 (2):(2): 123123–124,–124, 20102010 123 N OTA ember 2009 at ca. 1500, we found an adult male scorpion (Brachistosternus PREDATION OF LIOLAEMUS intermedius) under a rock holding with HUACAHUASICUS (SQUAMATA: the chelae and eating the remains of a IGUANIA: LIOLAEMINI) BY neonate lizard (posterior midbody, mis- BRACHISTOSTERNUS sing tip of tail) (Fig. 1). We identified INTERMEDIUS (SCORPIONES: the remnant carcass as Liolaemus hua- BOTHRIURIDAE) IN CUMBRES cahuasicus with an estimated snout– vent length (SVL) of 30 mm and a tail CALCHAQUIES, TUCUMÁN length (TL) of 75 mm. Voucher speci- PROVINCE, NORTHWESTERN mens were housed in the herpetological ARGENTINA collection LJAMM-CNP of the Centro Nacional Patagónico (CENPAT-CONI- CET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argenti- CRISTIAN HERNÁN FULVIO PÉREZ na (LJAMM-CNP 13170). Liolaemus hua- LUCIANO JAVIER ÁVILA cahuasicus is a medium-sized (SVL = 76 CENPAT – CONICET, Boulevard Almirante Guiller- mo Brown 2915, U9120ACD, Puerto Madryn, Chu- mm), viviparous, and insectivorous li- but, Argentina zard inhabiting the Puna habitats of [email protected] Cumbres Calchaquies Mountains, in Ca- [email protected] tamarca and Tucumán provinces, Ar- [email protected] gentina (Cei, 1993). Brachistosternus in- termedius is a small scorpion that ran- ARLEY CAMARGO ges from southwestern Bolivia to nor- Department of Biology, Brigham Young Univer- thwestern Argentina from 2500–4000 m sity, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. (Ojanguren Affilastro, 2003); nothing is [email protected] known about its natural history. At the time of our finding, numerous Scorpions are often acknowledged as neonates of Liolaemus huacahuasicus preying on lizards and other small squa- were observed, sometimes in groups of mates (Bauer, 1990; McCormick and two or three individuals together under Polis, 1990), but observations of preda- rocks of different sizes, and usually with tion are relatively rare under natural an adult female. According to Halloy conditions. Large scorpions, such as and Halloy (1997) at the beginning of Centruroides exilicauda have been re- the summer (late December), females ported to eat Phyllodactylus sp. (leaf- give birth to 4–8 young after 8–10 mon- toed geckos), Parabuthus villosus prey ths of gestation. The scorpion was on Pachydactylus rangei (palmate desert found in a tunnel beneath the rock ea- geckos), Hadrurus sp. feed on Lepto- ting the neonate L. huacahuasicus. The- typhlops humilis (western blind snakes), re was another live neonate lizard at and similar interactions have been re- the end of the tunnel. During periods ported for other scorpion–vertebrate of food shortage, scorpions consume pairs (McCormick and Polis, 1990). fewer, smaller prey, whereas during pe- In the course of a herpetological sur- riods of food abundance, scorpions con- vey of the summit of the Cumbres Cal- sume the most abundant prey available chaquíes Mountains, on a rocky outcrop (McCormick and Polis, 1990). Given the facing south east, near Provincial Road abundance of juvenile lizards at this 352 (26º22'45.7”S, 65º43'54.7”W, 3612 m), site during our surveys, neonate L. 38.3 km W Hualinchay, Trancas Depar- huacahuasicus likely constitute a com- tment, Tucumán Province, on 16 Dec- mon prey for scorpions when they are Recibido: 08/07/10 – Revisado: 03/08/10 – Aceptado: 02/09/10 Ed. asoc.: R. Espinoza 124 C. H. F. PÉREZ et al.: Predation of Liolaemus huacahuasicus born each summer. To our knowledge, Scienze Naturali Torino Monogra- this is the first record of presumed pre- fie 14: 1–949. dation of L. huacahuasicus by a scor- BAUER, A. M. 1990. Gekkonid lizards pion (Brachistosternus intermedius). as prey of invertebrates and pre- dators of vertebrates. Herpetologi- cal Review 21: 83–87. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS HALLOY, M. & S. HALLOY. 1997. An in- direct form of parental care in a We thank M. Morando and F. Wer- high altitude viviparous lizard, Lio- neck for commenting previous drafts of laemus huacahuasicus (Tropiduri- this note. M. Magnanelli identified the dae). Bulletin of the Maryland Her- scorpion. Financial support for fieldwork petological Society 33: 139–155. was provided by NSF-OISE 0530267, MCCORMICK, S. & G. A. POLIS. 1990. FONCYT PICT 06-00506 and Field Su- Prey, predators, and parasites: pport Grants from Brigham Young Uni- 145–156. In: POLIS, G. A. (ed.), versity (Monte L. Bean Museum) issued Biology of Scorpions. Stanford to J.W. Sites, Jr. University Press, California, USA. OJANGUREN AFFILASTRO, A. A. 2003. The genus Brachistosternus LITERATURE CITED in Argentina, with a description of a new Patagonian species (Scor- CEI, J. M. 1993. Reptiles del Noroeste, piones, Bothriuridae). Journal of Noreste y Este de la Argentina. Arachnology 31: 317–330. Figure 1. Brachistosternus intermedius and the remains of a neonate Liolaemus huacahuasi- cus found under a stone at the summit of the Cumbres Calchaquíes Mountains, Tucumán Pro- vince, Argentina. Photograph by C. H. F. Perez..