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Home , Clelia equatoriana, Liotyphlops albirostris, Micrurus, Micrurus ibiboboca, Phyllodactylus ventralis

Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 39-41 (2015) (published online on 10 March 2015)

Notes on the diet of the Pigmy Coral dissoleucus (Cope, 1860) in northern (Serpentes: )

Miguel Arévalo-Páez, Andrés Camilo Montes-Correa*, Efraín Rada-Vargas, Liliana Patricia Saboyá-Acosta and Juan Manuel Renjifo

Snakes are vertebrates with morphological and Solorzano, 2005). Micrurus venoms are significantly biochemical specializations, such as constriction and more toxic to the preferred prey than to non- venom injection for the capture and digestion of prey prey species (da Silva and Aird, 2001). However, little is (Hardy, 1994; Hayes and Duvall, 1991). The group known about the feeding ecology of Neotropical Coral also presents some morphological adaptations, such as , probably because of the burrowing habits of cranial kinesis and expandable skin that allow them to the species, making it difficult to be observed in field swallow preys that are equal to or even larger than their (Cavalcanti et al. 2010). own body size (Greene, 1997). The Pigmy Micrurus dissoleucus Previous observations indicate that some ophidians (Cope, 1860), is the smallest species of the (e.g. some species of the genera Agkistrodon, Atractaspis, (250-400 mm SLV), displays a triad-arranged colour Clelia, Cylindrophis, Drymarchon, Lampropeltis, pattern and is distributed throughout Panamá, Chocó, Micrurus, and Ophiophagus) commonly consume other lower Magdalena River, and Caribbean lowlands of snakes (ophiophagy) (Wall, 1921; Evans, 1948; Rose, Colombia and Venezuela up to the Orinoco delta. 1962; Hurter, 1893; Delia, 2009). Some ophiophagus This cryptozoic snake is often found in soils of dry species such as Clelia equatoriana (Amaral, 1924) ecosystems as thornscrub and deciduous tropical forests constrict their prey as a strategy of submission (Rojas- (Roze, 1966, 1996; Campell and Lamar, 1989), and Morales, 2013). Others, such as the coral snakes, are its venom is characterized by a predominant myotoxic highly venomous and subdue their prey by inoculating activity causing damage to the muscle fibers, interfering toxins (Greene, 1984; Gold et al., 2002). neurotransmission (Renjifo et al., 2012). The only prey The New World Coral Snakes are a monophyletic record for the Pigmy Coral Snake is a Cope’s Jungle- group, containing the genera Micrurus, Leptomicrurus, runner Ameiva bifrontata Cope, 1862 (Roze, 1996). and (Slowinski, 1995), of which Micrurus is The objective of this study is to provide data on the diet the most diverse with a distribution range from southern of M. dissoleucus based on specimens from Colombia United States of America to northern Argentina. These and, therefore, contribute to the knowledge of its diet snakes are commonly known as ophiophagus (Campbell composition. All specimens listed in this contribution and Lamar, 1989; Roze, 1996). Their diet includes other are deposited in the collection of the Centro snakes, lizards, legless lizards, worm lizards, caecilians de Colecciones Biológicas de la Universidad del and freshwater eels (Cunha and Nascimento, 1978; Magdalena (CBUMAG:REP). Roze, 1983; Greene, 1984; Sazima and Abe, 1991; In May 2013, at the campus of the Universidad del Magdalena, city of Santa Marta, Department of Magdalena, Colombia (11°13’18.31” N, 74°11’08.80 W, 21 m elevation), we collected a dead juvenile female of M. dissoleucus melanogenys (Cope, 1860) (CBUMAG: Grupo de Investigación en Manejo y Conservación de Fauna, REP:00088, total length – TL – without head = 181 mm). Flora y Ecosistemas Estratégicos Neotropicales (MIKU), , Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta, The coral snake contained in its stomach a Whitenose Colombia. Blind Snake Liotyphlops albirostris (Peters, 1857) * Corresponding author: [email protected] (CBUMAG:REP:00046; SVL=121 mm). The prey 40 Miguel Arévalo et al.

Figure 1. Size relationship between the Micrurus dissoleucus (181 mm TL) (CBUMAG:REP:00088) and the Liotyphlops albirostris (121 mm LT) (CBUMAG:REP:00048) (A). M. dissoleucus (CBUMAG:REP:00066) feeding on a Black Blind Snake (B). ventralis (CBUMAG:REP:00231) regurgitated by a Micrurus dissoleucus (CBUMAG:REP:00057) (C). Micrurus dissoleucus swallowing a Leptodeira annulata with a size very similar to its own (D). Photos by LP Saboyá-Acosta (A) and JM Renjifo (B, C, D).

measured ca. 66% of the predator’s TL (excluding the Leptodeira annulata (Linnaeus, 1758) with a TL very head of the coral snake and the tail of the blind snake) similar to its own (Fig. 1D). (Fig. 1A). Other coral snakes also show snakes or other legless In the same city, in Ziruma hills (11°12’47.37’’ N, as common preys. Other ophioform prey items 74°13’7.15’’ W), we collected two specimens of M. (i.e., snakes and amphisbaenians) were previously dissoleucus melanogenys (CBUMAG:REP:00057 and recorded for Micrurus albicintus Amaral, 1925, CBUMAG:REP:00066). The specimen CBUMAG: Micrurus ancoralis Jan, 1872, REP:00066 was photographed while feeding on a Black Merrem, 1820, (Merrem, 1820), Blind Snake Epictia goudotii (Duméril and Bibron, (Linnaeus, 1758), and Micrurus 1844) (Fig. 1B). Additionally, due to the stress caused by paraensis Cunha and Nascimento, 1973 (Marquez and being transported, the specimen CBUMAG:REP:00057 Sazima, 1997; Martins and Oliveira, 1998; Cisneros- regurgitated a Margarita Leaf-toed Phyllodactylus Heredia, 2005; Souza et al., 2011; Cavalcanti et al., ventralis (O´Shaughnessy, 1875) (CBUMAG: 2012). The most similar previous record is M. ibiboboca REP:00231; SVL=ca. 50 mm) (Fig. 1C). Finally, eating L. annulata (Cavalcanti et al., 2012). The dietary we observed and photographed in the city of Cúcuta, records of M. dissoleucus suggest that this species Department of Norte de Santander (7°51’36.48”N, can take advantage of several preys available in its 72°31’29.74”W) a non-collected specimen of M. d. microhabitat and that, probably, snakes are common dissoleucus (Cope, 1860) swallowing a Cat-Eyed Snake items in its diet. Notes on the diet of the Pigmy Coral Snake in northern Colombia 41

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