Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 1141-1143 (2021) (published online on 20 August 2021) Predation by Kentropyx calcarata Spix, 1825 (Squamata: Teiidae) on Physalaemus camacan Pimenta et al., 2005 (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in a mangrove area in northeastern Brazil Maurivan Vaz Ribeiro1,2,* and Alexandre Schiavetti1 Amphibians prey mainly on invertebrates and The Striped Forest Whiptail, Kentropyx calcarata are preyed on by lizards, snakes, birds, mammals, Spix, 1825 (Squamata: Teiidae) is a medium-sized invertebrates, as well as other amphibians (Walters, lizard (maximum SVL in males 119 mm, in females 1975; Vitt, 1991; Franzini et al., 2017). While 111 mm; Vitt, 1991) with a wide distribution in the mangrove environments function primarily as nursery eastern Amazon (eastern Venezuela, Guyana, French habitat for many fish species, some amphibian and Guiana, Suriname, Bolivia; Ávila-Pires, 1995; Uetz reptile species can also be found there (Kathiresan and et al., 2021). In Brazil, in addition to the Amazon Bingham, 2001; Roberto et al., 2012). Understanding region, it can be found in Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, the ecological functions of reptiles and amphibians in and Caatinga habitats (Avila-Pires, 1995; Sousa and mangroves is fundamental for the conservation of the Freire, 2008). It is a terrestrial, heliothermic species species that occupy these environments (Sandilyan and that inhabits mainly forested areas (Vitt, 1991; Vitt et Kathiresan, 2012), particularly since habitat loss due to al., 1997) and has excellent swimming skills (Roberto human invasion is a major factor causing the decline of et al., 2012) that the species uses as an escape strategy many species (Kathiresan and Bingham, 2001). when facing predators (Pianka and Vitt, 2003). Their Physalaemus camacan Pimenta et al., 2005 (Anura: diet consists mainly of arthropods (Vitt et al., 1997; Leptodactylidae) is an endemic foam frog species of Franzini et al., 2019). In mangrove environments, the Atlantic Forest and its distribution is restricted to crabs (family Grapsidae) have been reported as part southern Bahia State in Brazil (Frost, 2021). There of their diet (Roberto et al., 2012). Occasionally, it can is not much information about its natural history or also feed on other lizards (Franzini et al., 2017). biology available in the literature, with the exception of On 4 September 2020 at 10:36 h, we observed a its vocalization (Hepp et al., 2020) and the description predation event by K. calcarata on an individual of P. of its tadpole (Pimenta et al., 2005). For this reason, it is camacan in a mangrove swamp in Ilhéus Municipality, considered as Data Deficient (DD) by the International Bahia State, Brazil (14.6933°S, 39.0746°W). The Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2021). observation took place in an area of hydromorphic This species is characterized by its medium size soil (Furukawa, 1996) that is characterized by (maximum snout–vent length, SVL, in males 24.1 mm, typical mangrove vegetation, such as Rhizophora in females 23.9 mm; Pimenta et al., 2005) compared mangle (Rhizophoraceae), Avicennia germinans to other, larger species in the Physalaemus signifier (Avicenniaceae), and Laguncularia racemosa group. So far, only a single predation event of this (Combretaceae) (Roberto et al., 2012; Gonçalves et species by a spider (Ctenus rectipes) has been reported al., 2017; Fig. 1A–C). On this occasion, the whiptail in the literature (Mira-Mendes et al., 2018). captured the frog on the ground and then took refuge in a bush (Fig. 1D). From this vantage point, it slapped the frog several times against the ground until it stopped struggling (Fig. 2). Subsequently, the whiptail 1 Laboratório de Etnoconservação e Áreas Protegidas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662- ingested the frog and ran off into the mangroves. The 900, Brazil. entire event lasted about 5 min. 2 Laboratório de Herpetologia Tropical, Universidade Estadual Mangrove environments act as nurseries and shelter de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Bahia 45662-000, Brazil. for many species and as a source of abundant prey for * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] others (Laegdsgaard and Johnson, 1995). Recently, © 2021 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. the Brazilian federal government proposed to repeal 1142 Maurivan Vaz Ribeiro & Alexandre Schiavetti Figure 1. (A–D) Views of the characteristic mangrove environment in Ilhéus Municipality, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil, where the predation event took place. The red ellipse in (D) shows the place where the Striped Forest Whiptail, Kentropyx calcarata, took refuge to finish swallowing its prey, the foam frogPhysalaemus camacan. Photos by Tadeu Medeiros. resolution 303/2012 of the Conselho Nacional de Meio Frost, D.R. (2021): Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Ambiente, a rule that protects mangrove environments Reference. Version 6.1 (06 April 2021). Electronic Database (Menegassi, 2020), which ignited a warning about the accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index. php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. real human impacts on these environments for species Furukawa, K., Wolanski, E. (1996): Sedimentation in mangrove and their ecological relationships (Jin-Eong, 1995). forests. Mangroves and salt marshes 1(1): 3–10. Because of this, studies that aim to understand these Gonçalves, A.L., Cruz, V.M.S. da, Prazeres Campos, J.R. dos, aspects can provide important information for the Souza, D.V. 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