Diet of five anuran species in a forest remnant in eastern acre state, Brazilian Amazonia

Abstract

The diet of anuran species is based on a large variety of prey items, which may be related to the availability of prey in the environment. In Amazonia, studies on the diet of anurans have occurred mainly in primary forests. Because forest fragmentation promotes changes in the environment, it is expected that the diet of anuran species will also be affected. Here we describe the diet composition of anurans captured in a forest remnant at Fazenda Amoty, municipality of Plácido de Castro, state of Acre, Brazil. Stomach contents of 34 specimens of Allobates femoralis (Aromobatidae), Adenomera hylaedactyla, Engystomops freibergi (Leptodactylidae), Rhinella sp. (Bufonidae), and Elachistocleis muiraquitan (Microhylidae) had 877 prey items belonging to 19 prey categories. The diet of most species were arthropods. Myrmicinae ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) was the most abundant and frequent item in A. hylaedactyla, Rhinella sp. and A. femoralis stomachs. Termitidae (Isoptera) was the second most abundant taxon in Rhinella sp. and A. hylaedactyla, and the only taxon found eaten by E. freibergi and E. muiraquitan. Most studied species showed generalist diet, which is the habit for most anuran species. Contrarily, E. freibergi and E. muiraquitan are likely specialized in Isoptera. © 2019, Societas Europaea Herpetologica. All rights reserved.