Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 389-391 (2015) (published online on 12 August 2015)

Predation of Ameivulla ocellifera (Spix, 1825) (Squamata:Teiidae) by sp. (Linneaus, 1758) (Chilopoda: Scholopendridae) in the vegetation of the Caatinga biome, northeastern

Lucas Otávio Guimarães Moura1, Charlles Myller Santana Machado1, Adilson de Oliveira Silva2, Breno Moura da Conceição2, Anthony Santana Ferreira2 and Renato Gomes Faria3,*

Ameivulla ocellifera is a of the Teiidae family, Chilopodans kill their prey with their venomous claws distributed throughout Brazil, except in the Amazon and subsequently crush them with their jaws (Ross et al., (Vanzolini et al., 1980; Dias and Rocha, 2007). The 1982; Borror and DeLong, 1988; Ruppert and Barnes, genus Ameivulla is typically composed of diurnal 1994; Hickman et al., 1997; Triplehorn and Johnson, and classified as active foragers. It is commonly found 2005). The gigantic Scolopendra (genus of Chilopoda) in areas of the Restinga vegetation along the Brazilian can also attack lizards, serpents, and (Molinari coast (Dias and Rocha, 2007; Santana et al., 2010). The et al., 2005). most common predators of these are This study reports the predation of A. ocellifera by (Rocha and Vrcibradic, 1998; Silva and Araújo, 2008), the Scolopendra sp. in an area of Caatinga, other lizards (Araújo, 1991; Rocha and Vrcibradic, at the Monumento Natural Grota do Angico, MNGA 1998), (Silva and Araújo, 2008), and birds (-38.516667º, -9.683333º) in the municipality of Poço (Gallup, 1973; Constantini et al., 2007). Redondo, state of Sergipe, Brazil. This conservation The Chilopoda class is found on every continent unit encompasses 2,183 hectares of hilly, arboreal, and except Antarctica (Lewis, 1981; Edgecombe and bushy scrubs on relatively shallow soils of the margin of Giribet, 2007). They have nocturnal habits and prefer the São Francisco River (see Silva, 2011). damp places, hiding during the day and feeding at night. The event occurred in pitfall traps placed in the area They are strictly carnivorous, feeding mainly on aimed to capture lizards (Collection License /SEMARH: (Ruppert and Barnes, 1994; Hickman et al., 1997). 03200001145/2012-6). During the inspection of the traps in the morning (21 February 2013) we observed a Scolopendra sp. (151.61 LAS) attacking a male adult lizard A. ocellifera (69.52 mm SVL). After a three minutes the lizard died and the chilopodan sank its fangs in the left ventrolateral side of the lizard`s neck, 1 Graduando em Biologia (UFS), Universidade Federal de just below its head, and began eating the inner content Sergipe, Cidade Universitária Prof. José Aloísio de Campos of the teiid (Fig. 1). - CEP 49100-000 - São Cristóvão, Brasil. After observing the event, the specimens were 2 Pós-Graduado no Programa de Ecologia e Conservação collected. The lizard was deposited in the Herpetological (PPEC), Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Cidade Collection of the Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil Universitária Prof. José Aloísio de Campos - CEP 49100-000 (accession number CHUFS C4357), and the chilopodan - São Cristóvão, Brasil. was deposited in the Arachnids and Chilopoda Collection 3 Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Cidade Universitária Prof. José Aloísio de Campos - CEP in the Instituto Butantan. 49100-000 - São Cristóvão, Brasil. Predator-prey interactions between chilopodans and * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] lizards are poorly documented. Probably, this lack is 390 Lucas Otávio Guimarães Moura et al.

Figure 1. Predation of Ameivulla ocellifera by Scolopendra sp. in a pitfall trap.

mainly due to differences in temporal niches, e.g., A. Acknowledgments. The fieldwork reported here was authorized ocellifera and Scolopendra sp. are diurnal and nocturnal by the Secretaria de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos de Sergipe species, respectively (Ross et al., 1982; Borror and (SEMARH/SE) through license SEMARH: 03200001145/2012-6. We thank the Federal University of Sergipe by logistics; CAPES DeLong, 1988; Ruppert and Barnes, 1994; Vanzolini (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) et al., 1980). In this case, the interaction of these for fellowships and Sylvia M. Lucas and Antônio D. Brescovit was facilitated by the pitfall trap that kept both (Laboratório de Artrópodes/Instituto Butantam, São Paulo, SP, specimens together, the stress of the predator and the Brazil) for their help in identifying the chilopoda. escape incapacity of the prey may have contributed to the occurrence of the event. References The predation of lizards is not easily observed in Aguiar, L.F.S., Di-Bernardo, M. (2004): Diet and feeding the wild (Malkmus, 2000; Aguiar and Di-Bernardo, behavior of Helicops infrataeniatus (Serpentes: Colubridae: 2004). Over the past five years, three similar reports of Xenodontinae) in southern Brazil. Studies on Neotropical Fauna lizard predation by in pitfall traps were and Environment 39:7-14. published, all of them were cases of predation Araújo, A.F.B. (1991): Structure of a White sand dune lizard upon the genus Tropidurus in Brazil also recorded in community of coastal Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology pitfall traps (Vieira et al., 2012; Ferreira et al., 2014). 51:857-65. Borror, D., DeLong, D. (1988): Introdução ao Estudo dos Insectos. This short communication improves the knowledge on São Paulo: Edgard Blücher. the trophic interactions between and lizards Constantini, D., Bruner, E., Fanfani, A., Dell’Omo, G. (2007). in Brazil, reporting for the first time A. ocellifera as a Male-biased predation of western Green lizards by Eurasian prey of a chilopodan. Kestrels. Naturwissenschaften 94: 1015-1020. Dias, E. J. R., Rocha, C. F. D. (2007): Niche differences between two sympatric whiptail lizards (Cnemidophorus abaetensis and Predation of Ameivulla ocellifera by Scolopendra sp. in northeastern Brazil 391

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Accepted by Fabio Hepp