Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 453-454 (published online on 12 August 2015) Predation on a Discoglossus pictus (Anura: Discoglossidae) tadpole by the larva of a water beetle (Dytiscidae: Dytiscinae: Dytiscus sp.) in Tunisia Hendrik Müller* and Axel C. Brucker Anurans and their larvae are frequently preyed upon aquatic systems worldwide (e.g. Channing et al., 2012; by a number of invertebrate predators, particularly Ohba and Inantani, 2012; Zina et al., 2012; Larson and spiders, belostomatid bugs, dragonfly larvae, and Müller, 2013), and have also been recorded as predators aquatic beetles and their larvae (see Wells, 2007 for of D. pictus tadpoles (Knoepfler, 1962), but predation recent review). While searching for amphibians on Cap events remain scarcely documented for North African Bon Peninsula, Tunisia, on 4 April 2015 at around 3pm, populations. we observed a large aquatic larva of a water beetle that had captured a tadpole in a water-filled ditch adjacent References to a countryside road north of Dar Chaabane Al Fehri, Channing, A., Rödel, M.-O., Channing, J. (2012): Tadpoles of Nabeul Governorate, Tunisia (N36.49012, E10.75959, Africa. Chimaira, Frankfurt/M. 402 pp. 40 m asl). The ditch was shallow, with a maximum Engelmann, W.-E., Fritzsche, J., Günther, R., Obst, F.J. (1993): depth of ca. 25 cm and an overall size of about 1 m x Lurche und Kriechtiere Europas. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul. 7 m. Besides numerous unidentified tadpoles, the only 440pp. metamorphosed amphibians observed were subadult and Gosner, K.L. (1960): A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica 16: 183– adult Pelophylax saharicus. Upon closer examination, 190. the tadpole, which was already dead, turned out to be Discoglossus pictus Otth 1837. Discoglossus pictus is the only alytid anuran present in Tunisia (Sicilia et al., 2009) and its tadpoles are easily distinguished from all other Tunisian anuran larvae by the midventral position of the spiracle and the double rows of keratodonts on the oral disc (Engelmann et al., 1993). The tadpole was at Gosner (1960) stage 37, had a body length of 9.5 mm and approximately half of the posterior end of the tail was missing. The diving beetle larva was 51 mm in total length and identified as Dytiscus sp. (Dytiscidae: Dytiscinae). Aquatic insects and especially larvae of dytiscid beetles are common predators of tadpoles in Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Figure 1. Tadpole of Discoglossus pictus as the prey of a 07743 Jena, Germany Dytiscus sp. beetle larva near Dar Chaabane Al Fehri, Cap Bon * Corresponding author: [email protected] peninsula, Tunisia. 454 Hendrik Müller & Axel C. Brucker Knoepffler, L.-P. (1962): Contribution à l’étude du genre Discoglossus (Amphibiens, Anoures). Vie et Milieu 13: 1–94. Larson, J.G., Müller, H. (2013): Predation on a Tomopterna luganga (Anura: Pyxicephalidae: Cacosterninae) tadpole by the larva of a water beetle (Dytiscidae: Dytiscinae) in Iringa, southern Tanzania. Herpetology Notes 6: 361–362. Ohba, S.Y., Inatani, Y. (2012): Feeding preferences of the endangered diving beetle Cybister tripunctatus orientalis Gschwendtner (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Psyche 2012: Article ID 139714, 3 pages. doi:10.1155/2012/139714. Sicilia, A., Marrone, F., Sindaco, R., Turki, S., Arcuelo, M. (2009): Contribution to the knowledge of Tunisian amphibians: notes on distribution, habitat features and breeding phenology. Herpetology Notes 2: 107–132. Wells, K.D. (2007): The ecology and behaviour of amphibians. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 1400 pp. Zina, J., Gally, M., Almeida, A., Benetti, C.J. (2012): Rhinella granulosa and Physalaemus kroyeri: invertebrate dytiscid predators. Herpetological Bulletin 119: 39–41. Accepted by Arie van der Meijden.