Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 1203-1205 (2019) (published online on 08 December 2019) Predation on giant earthworms (Clitellata: Rhinodrilidae) by the Diving Lizard Uranoscodon superciliosus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata: Tropiduridae) Amanda M. Picelli1,*, Gabriel S. Masseli2, and Igor L. Kaefer1,2,3 The Diving Lizard Uranoscodon superciliosus the diet of U. superciliosus is quite generalist. However, (Linnaeus, 1758) is a tropidurid species that is widely in both studies there is a low taxonomic resolution of the distributed throughout the Amazon Basin and can be consumed food items, with categories usually restricted found along the edge of water courses in small tree to the level of order or reaching until family. The main trunks, or on branches and vines over the water’s orders of prey found by the authors were: Oligochaeta, surface (Howland at al., 1990; Vitt et al., 2008; Faria Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. et al., 2019). Despite being considered an abundant In the case of oligochaetes, these appear as one of the species in places where it occurs, the knowledge about most important categories in the feeding biology of U. ecological aspects and natural history of this lizard is superciliosus, representing 16-22% of the lizard’s diet. still very incipient (Howland et al., 1990; Gasnier et al., During nocturnal fieldwork on 03 August and 24 1994; 1997; Roberto et al., 2019). September 2018 we captured by active search a young Adults of U. superciliosus have up to 162 mm of female (SVL 89 mm; Fig. 1b) and a male (SVL 134 snout-vent length (SVL) and exhibit sexual dimorphism: mm) of U. superciliosus, respectively. Both were on males have dorsal yellow spots and females have a light branches at 1.50 m height of the water slide above small coloured lateral stripe (Gasnier et al., 1997). The breeding streams from a primary upland Amazonian forest (Fig. period of this species occurs during the dry season, 1a). Probably due to the stress of handling, both lizards between May and November in Central Amazonia, and began to regurgitate a giant earthworm that appeared to its clutch size varies from three to 16 eggs (Howland et have been recently ingested. After fixation, the length al., 1990; Brandt and Navas, 2011; Roberto et al., 2019). of the first giant earthworm was 63.9 mm (Fig. 1c) and With regard to the foraging behaviour, this lizard has of the second one was 191.2 mm (estimated value from been described as a typical sit-and-wait predator which the sum of the two regurgitated parts; Fig. 1d). Both spends most of the time camouflaged on tree trunks were identified as belonging to the family Rhinodrilidae feeding mainly on soil invertebrates (Howland et al., Benham, 1890 (James 2012; James and Davidson, 1990; Gasnier et al., 1994; 1997). 2012). We identified the earthworms only at family Howland et al. (1990) and Gasnier et al. (1994) level, because the reproductive traits that are necessary showed, through the analysis of stomach contents, that to determine genus and species (Feijoo et al., 2017; Hernández-García et al., 2018) were not available due to the state of maturity of the preyed specimens. Both events occurred at the dry season; the first at the Dimona reserve (-2.3401°S, -60.1028°W, 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Universidade elevation 74m) and the second at the Cabo Frio reserve Federal do Amazonas, 69067-005, Manaus, Amazonas, (-2.4031°S, -59.8971°W, elevation 106m). These Brazil. reserves are part of the Biological Dynamics of Forest 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional Fragments Project (BDFFP), the world’s largest and de Pesquisas da Amazônia, 69067-375, Manaus, Amazonas, longest-running fragmentation experiment (Laurance et Brazil. 3 Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do al., 2011), located about 80 km north of Manaus, Central Amazonas, 69067-005, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Amazonia, Brazil. The two prey items were deposited * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] in the zoological collection of the Universidade Federal 1204 Amanda M. Picelli et al. Figure 1. (A) A branch above a small stream where a (B) young female of U. superciliosus was found with a giant earthworm (Rhinodrilidae), in Manaus, Amazonas State, northern Brazil. Fixed immature giant earthworms preyed by (C) female and (D) male lizards. do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil (CZPB-CT 000001 al., 1990; Gasnier et al., 1994), this is the first record and CZPB-CT 000002). The lizards were released at of U. superciliosus preying upon giant earthworms same place of capture after sampling. Research was (Rhinodrilidae). Previous observations have shown that conducted under permit number 53851-4 issued by although being an arboreal species with daytime habits, the Brazilian Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação the Diving Lizard also feeds on terrestrial prey with da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) and approved by the nocturnal activities (Lavelle, 1988). It is worth noting ethics committee on animal use from Universidade that besides feeding on the ground, U. superciliosus Federal do Amazonas (protocol no.: 012/2016). also uses this substrate for laying its eggs (Roberto Earthworms are abundant invertebrates that inhabit the et al., 2019) demonstrating that, although commonly surface layers of the soil (Christoffersen, 2007). They found in the tree layer of lotic aquatic environments, can be considered an easy prey and also an important many aspects of the life history of this species depend protein source free from hard or keratinized parts on terrestrial environments available along the riparian (Strüssmann et al., 2013). Predation of earthworms by zone. lizards is not uncommon and has been reported for other lizard species in different biomes (Avery, 1966; Vitt et Acknowledgements. A. M. Picelli is grateful to CAPES al., 1996; Spencer et al., 1998; Vitt et al., 1998; Brown (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) et al., 2012). Although the use of oligochaetes as food and FAPEAM (Foundation for Research Support of the State of by U. superciliosus was already known (Howland et Amazonas) for the Doctorate Scholarship, and BDFFP Thomas Predation on giant earthworms by the Diving Lizard 1205 Lovejoy Research Fellowship Program for fieldwork support. (diving lizard). Reproduction. Herpetological Review 50: 146– We also thank Brazilian CNPq (National Council for Scientific 147. and Technological Development) for financial support (Universal Spencer, N.J., Thomas, B.W., Mason, R.F., Dugdale, J.S. (1998): 461.573/2014-8 and 429.132/2016-6). This is publication number Diet and life history variation in the sympatric lizards Oligosoma 776 in the BDFFP technical series. nigriplantare polychroma and Oligosoma lineoocellatum. 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