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Cnemidophorus ocellifer (Spix´s Whiptail). Cannibalism

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Raul Fernandes Dantas Sales at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
Raul Fernandes Dantas Sales
Leonardo B. Ribeiro at Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF)
Leonardo B. Ribeiro
Eliza M X Freire at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
Eliza M X Freire
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Herpetological Review 41(2), 2010 217
onto the unresponsive honeybee and after two successive tongue-
fl icks bit the bee on the head (Fig. 1B) and proceeded to consume
the dead honeybee (Fig. 1C–D). To my knowledge, this is the fi rst
recorded observation of scavenging by A. sonorae in situ.
I thank Wade Sherbrooke for positive identifi cation of the
whiptail and comments, and Danny Martin for confi guration of the
photographs. I would also like to thank Mike Nolan for sharing
some of his photographic expertise and hospitality during my trip
to Tucson.
Submitted by DAVID WOJNOWSKI, University of North
Texas, Department of Teaching, Education & Administration, 1155
Union Circle #310740, Denton, Texas 76203-5017, USA; e-mail:
david.wojnowski@unt.edu.
BARISIA CILIARIS (Northern Imbricate Alligator Lizard).
ANTIPREDATOR BEHAVIOR. The defensive loop posture
has been observed in other anguid lizards including Elgaria kingi
(Bowker 1987. Herpetol. Rev. 18:73–75), and Barisia imbricata
planifrons (Bille 1997. Herpetol. Rev. 28:202). Here we document
this defensive behavior in another anguid lizard, Barisia ciliaris.
This behavior has sequences of occurrence with the following
phenotypic categories, as defi ned by Greene (1988. In Gans and
Huey [eds.], Biology of the Reptilia, Vol. 16, Ecology B, pp.
1–152. Academic Press, New York), the following models were
recognized: 1) locomotory escape (attempting to avoid capture by
hiding in forest litter); 2) head hiding (attaining a loop posture, the
head is hidden under the tail); and 3) eversion of hemipenes. This
behavior is common in most lizards.
Barisia ciliaris is distributed in the mountainous regions of
the northern Mexican Plateau, from extreme southern Coahuila
to Guanajuato, east to San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Durango, and
Nuevo Leon (Smith and Taylor 1950. An Annotated Checklist and
Key to the Reptiles of Mexico Exclusive of Snakes. Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D.C. 253 pp.; Lemos-Espinal and Smith
2007. Anfi bios y Reptiles del Estado de Coahuila, México. Univer-
sidad Nacional Autónoma de México y Comisión Nacional Para
El Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. 550 pp.).
On 28 May 2007 an adult female Barisia ciliaris was caught
on Cerro El Potosí in the municipality of Galeana, Nuevo Leon,
(24.8675°N, 100.248338°W, elev. 3270 m, NAD27). The specimen
was found at 1650 h, and was basking on top of a dry log. Upon
detection of our presence, it immediately took refuge in a crevice
within the log. The lizard was extracted from the log for data col-
lection using a pair of forceps. Immediately after being captured,
it rolled its body into a tight coil, attempting to hide its head under
its tail. This posture was maintained until the lizard was released
a half hour later.
The specimen was 104.9 mm SVL, with 147.2 mm TL, weight
31.5 g, with 17°C dorsal temperature, and 15°C substrate tem-
perature. Surrounding habitat consisted of pine forest with Pinus
hartwegii as the dominant species.
Financial support was provided through project PAICYT CN-
1371-06.
Submitted by JORGE A. CONTRERAS-LOZANO (e-
mail: pichi_best@hotmail.com), DAVID LAZCANO (e-mail:
dlazcanov@hotmail.com), and ARMANDO JESUS CONTRE-
RAS-BALDERAS, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León,
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Herpetología,
Apartado Postal- 513, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo León, CP.
66450, México.
CNEMIDOPHORUS OCELLIFER (Spix’s Whiptail). CAN-
NIBALISM. Cnemidophorus ocellifer is a widely distributed
neotropical lizard, occurring in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and
throughout Brazil, excluding Amazonia (Vanzolini et al. 1980.
Répteis das Caatingas. Acad. Bras. de Ciênc., Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. 161 pp.). The diet of this lizard is composed mainly of
arthropods, in which termites, insect larvae, orthopterans, spiders,
and beetles are the main food items (Mesquita and Colli 2003. J.
Herpetol. 37:498–509; Vitt 1995. Occas. Pap. Oklahoma Mus.
Nat. Hist. 1:1–29). Here, we report the fi rst recorded case of
cannibalism in a population of C. ocellifer from the Caatinga of
northeast Brazil.
During an ecological study of a population of C. ocelllifer
in the Ecological Station of Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte state
(06.5767°S, 37.2558°W; datum: WGS84; elev. 192 m), a sample
of 70 individuals was collected between September 2008 and
August 2009. The stomach contents of an adult female (70.7 mm
SVL), collected on 26 June 2009, revealed conspecifi c ingestion.
An undigested juvenile, indicative of recent ingestion, was found
whole (32.5 mm SVL, volume = 1170.9 mm3)(Fig. 1). The juvenile
exhibited bite marks on the head, which was pointed toward the
distal portion of the predator’s stomach. This evidence indicates
that the conspecifi c was captured in an attack and ingested head
fi rst, characteristic of a cannibalistic event.
To date, cases of cannibalism in Brazilian lizards have been
recorded in nine species belonging to the families Gekkonidae,
Liolaemidae, Scincidae, and Tropiduridae (see Siqueira and Ro-
FIG. 1. Cannibalism in Cnemidophorus ocellifer: (A) stomach being
removed; (B) young conspecifi c; note signs of bite marks on the head.
A
B
Herpetological Review 41(2), 2010218
cha 2008. S. Am. J. Herpetol. 3:82–87). In the cases involving
lizards with sexual dimorphism in body size, and when the sex of
the cannibal was reported, the cannibalistic act was always com-
mitted by the sex with the larger body size (Siqueira and Rocha
2008, op. cit.). In our study, the opposite occurred; cannibalism
was practiced by a single female, the sex with the smaller body
size in this species.
The frequency of cannibalism occurrence in the population was
low (1.4%), a fi nding consistent with the other reported cases of
cannibalism in populations of Brazilian lizards (frequency ranged
from 0.7 to 3.8%; Siqueira and Rocha 2008, op. cit.). According
to Vitt (2000. Herpetol. Monogr. 14:388–400), lizards that capture
large prey, such as vertebrates, may not need to forage for several
days, owing to the large amount of nutrients provided by the
ingested prey. Thus, what seems to be a “rare” event may be an
event rarely recorded by investigators.
During the time we recorded the cannibalistic event, we observed
an increased number of juveniles in the study area, refl ecting a
recruitment period. Relatively small body size, lack of experience
in detecting potential predators, and the still ineffi cient recognition
of habitat structure make juveniles potential prey for various types
of predators (Siqueira and Rocha 2008, op. cit.; Vitt 2000, op. cit.).
The elevated density of juveniles, along with the fact that a preda-
tor obtains greater nutritional benefi ts by capturing conspecifi cs
or phylogenetically similar prey (Mayntz and Toft 2006. J. Anim.
Ecol. 75:288–297; Pfennig 2000. Am. Nat. 155:335–345), might
have been the main factors that led to the occurrence of this can-
nibalistic event.
The female specimen of C. ocellifer was deposited in the her-
petological collection of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande
do Norte, Natal, Brazil (CHBEZ 2681). We thank the Conselho
Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científi co e Tecnológico (CNPq)
for fi nancing the PELD-Caatinga Program entitled Structure and
Functioning, and for the research scholarship granted to RFDS
(process 127543/2008-2), LBR (process 141993/2006-5), and
EMXF (process 304077/2008-9); IBAMA provided a permit
(Permit 206/2006 and Process 02001.004294/03-15).
Submitted by RAUL F. D. SALES (e-mail: raulsales17@gmail.
com), LEONARDO B. RIBEIRO (e-mail: ribeiro.lb@gmail.
com), and ELIZA M. X. FREIRE (e-mail: elizajuju@ufrnet.br),
Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia
e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio
Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, 59072-970, Natal, RN,
Brazil.
COLEODACTYLUS NATALENSIS (NCN). PREDATION.
Coleodactylus natalensis, described from the Parque Estadual
Dunas de Natal (Freire 1999. Bol. Mus. Nac. 399:1–14), is a gecko
considered to be endemic to Atlantic forest remnants in Rio Grande
do Norte State, Brazil (Sousa and Freire, in press). Considered the
smallest lizard in South America, it is a denizen of leaf litter within
shaded forests (Capistrano and Freire 2009. PublICa 4:48–56;
Freire 1999, op. cit.; Sousa and Freire, op. cit.). Aside from the
description of the species (Freire, op. cit.), few ecological studies
have been performed. Only some aspects of its diet, reproduction,
and habitat preference have been published (Capistrano and Freire,
op. cit; Lisboa et al. 2008. Herpetol. Rev. 39:221; Sousa and Freire,
in press, Herpetol. Rev.). Few studies are available regarding
prey-predator relationships between reptiles and arthropods within
Brazilian communities, due to the time required for sampling and
the elusive habits of many reptile species (Rocha and Vrcibradic
1998. Ciência e Cultura 50:364–368). Given the limited distribu-
tion of this species within remnant forests, additional information
on its ecological relationships are essential to understanding its
life history. Here, we report on an observation of predation on
Coleodactylus natalensis by the ant, Dinoponera quadriceps.
The ant genus Dinoponera contains species with body sizes
varying from 3–4 cm (Paiva and Brandão 1995. Ethol. Ecol. Evol.
7:297–312). Dinoponera ants are described as solitary foragers
with predominantly carnivorous habits, ranging from humid forest
soil to dry savannas (Fourcassié and Oliveira 2002. J. Nat. Hist.
36:2211–2227). The neotropical ant D. quadriceps is a typical
queenless species of the subfamily Ponerinae, found in the isolated
forest range (known locally as “Brejos de Altitude”) in the semi-
arid Caatingas, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest (Paiva and Brandão,
op. cit.).
During a study of behavioral ecology on 7 March 2009, in the
Parque Estadual Mata da Pipa (PEMP), municipality of Tibau do
Sul, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil (6.24861ºS, 35.05750°W;
datum WGS84; elev. 63 m), PAGS saw an adult male C. natal-
ensis (18.3 mm SVL) in the leaf litter of dense forest at 1100 h.
The gecko crossed paths with a D. quadriceps (~3 cm from the
anterior tip of the head to the posterior end of the abdomen) that
was foraging in the near vicinity. The ant immediately grabbed the
gecko by the neck with its jaws and proceeded to carry it to the
nest. The animals were intercepted in order to collect the lizard.
This is the fi rst record of a known predator for C. natalensis.
We deposited the specimen (CHBEZ 2518) in the herpetological
collection of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte,
Natal, Brazil. We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvim-
ento Científi co e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the research scholarship
granted to PAGS (process 127543/2008-2) and EMXF (process
304077/2008-9).
Submitted by PABLO AUGUSTO GURGEL DE SOUSA
(e-mail: pabloguitar2@hotmail.com), and ELIZA MARIA XA-
VIER FREIRE (e-mail: elizajuju@ufrnet.br), Laboratório de
Herpetologia, Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia,
Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do
Norte, Campus Universitário Lagoa Nova, CEP 59072-970, Natal,
RN, Brazil.
COLEODACTYLUS NATALENSIS (NCN). DIET. Coleodacty-
lus natalensis, described from the Parque Estadual Dunas de Natal
(Freire 1999. Bol. Mus. Nac. 399:1–14), is considered endemic
to Atlantic Forest remnants in Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil
(Sousa and Freire, in press). Considered the smallest lizard in
South America, it is a shaded forest leaf-litter dweller (Capistrano
and Freire 2009. PublICa 4:48–56; Freire 1999. Bol. Mus. Nac.
399:1–14; Sousa and Freire, op. cit.). The diet of C. natalensis in
Parque Estadual Dunas de Natal is mostly arthropods. Isopods and
spiders are the most frequent prey based on numbers, volume, and
frequency, implying a preference for large prey that is less abundant
in leaf litter (CMCAL, pers. obs.). Coleodactylus meridionalis has
a similar diet, differing only in its relatively larger prey (Dias et al.
... , and also for the teiid lizards Cnemidophorus ocellifer in the Brazilian semiarid Caatinga (Sales et al., 2010), and Ameiva festiva in Central America (Abarca and Knapp, 2010). Although A. ameiva can be considered an opportunistic predator lizard (Vitt and Colli, 1994), the behaviour of cannibalism has not yet been reported. ...
... In terms of prey ingestion behaviour, some saurophagic lizards swallow their prey head-first (Germano and Williams, 1994;Kohlsdorf et al., 2004;Abarca and Knapp, 2010;Sales et al., 2010), and others tail-first (Moraes and Santos, 2012;Lyakurwa, 2018;Ribeiro and Oliveira, 2018), which indicates that capture and swallowing behaviour is not conservative but depends on the occasion or on the species. ...
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... It is sexually dimorphic in body size and shape; males exceed 100 mm and females are less than 80 mm in CRC (Anderson and Vitt 1990, Pianka and Vitt 2003, Sales et al. 2012. Predators of these lizards include a diverse range of animals, including invertebrates (Ribeiro et al. 2011, Moura et al. 2015, lizards (Sales et al. 2010, Gogliath et al. 2010, snakes (Vitt and Vangilder 1983, occ i ieri and endon a es ita et al. 2013, Oliveira et al. 2018, Coelho et al. 2019, mammals (Olmos 1993) and some birds (Morais and Pinho 2007, Almeida et al. 2013, Vieira et al. 2018, Lisboa et al. 2020 (Table 1). Sousa et al. Figure 1A). ...
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... They are active foragers and prey on small-sized arthropods, such as spiders, termites and roaches (Vitt, 1995;Dal Vechio et al., 2014). Despite the huge predation pressure that birds might exert on these small lizards (Pianka and Vitt, 2003;Poulin et al., 2001;Kupriyanov et al., 2012), mammals (Gomes et al., 2012) and lizards (Sales et al., 2010) also have their importance as predators. ...
The trade-off between color and size in lizards’ conspicuous tails
Article
  • Sep 2021
  • BEHAV PROCESS
A tail of conspicuous coloration is hypothesized to be an advantageous trait for many species of lizards. Predator attacks would be directed to a non-vital, and autotomizable, body part, increasing the chance of survival. However, as body size increases it also increases the signaling area that could attract predators from greater distances, increasing the overall chance of predation. Here, we test the hypothesis that there is a trade-off between tail color and size, affecting predation probabilities. We used plasticine replicas of lizards to study the predation patterns of small and large lizards with red and blue tails. In a natural environment, we exposed six hundred replicas subjected to the attack of free-ranging predators. Large red-tailed replicas were attacked more quickly, and more intensely, by birds. Mammals and unidentified predators showed no preference for any size or colors. The attacks were not primarily directed to conspicuous tails when compared to the bodies/heads of our replicas. Our study suggests that red color signals in large lizards could enhance their detection by visually oriented predators (i.e., birds). The efficacy of conspicuous tails as a decoy may rely on associated behavioral displays, which are hard to test with static replicas.
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... We did not record cannibalism for A. nigrigula in the present study, although predatory behaviour is known for this species (Travassos et al. 2017). Records of cannibalism in A. ocellifera group are only know for A. nigrigula (Travassos et al., 2017) and A. ocellifera (Sales et al., 2010), although there are records of saurophagy for A. ocellifera (Tavares et al., 2017), G. littoralis (Menezes et al., 2006), and Cnemidophorus lemniscatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Magnusson and Silva 1993). ...
Habitat use and diet of the endemic lizard Ameivula nigrigula (Squamata: Teiidae) in Caatinga domain, Northeastern Brazil
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2019
The lizard Ameivula nigrigula is endemic to Caatinga vegetation and the transition zone between the Caatinga and Cerrado domains in Brazil. It was recently described, but little is known about its biology. We analysed microhabitat use and the diet of this species in Caatinga vegetation in Santo Inácio, Bahia State. Its diet consisted mainly of arthropods and plant material, and in particular aggregate (e.g. termites) and large preys (e.g. Coleoptera, insect larvae and spiders), reflecting their nutritional and energy values and high water contents. With regard to habitat use, we found A. nigrigula using microhabitats with tall vegetation over accumulated leaf litter, which could potentially contribute to temperature regulation. Together, those characteristics contribute to the survival of lizards in environments with low water availability and high temperatures, such as the Caatinga domain.
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... According to Siqueira and Rocha (2008), saurophagia is common for lizards of the families Gekkonidae, Gymnophtalmidae, Liolaemidae, Phyllodactylidae, Scincindae, Teiidae, and Tropiduridae. The fragment of a tail of a lizard found in the digestive contents of an individual of A. pyrrhogularis (in Barro locality) suggests the possibility of cannibalism for this species, which has been reported for A. ocellifera (Mesquita and Colli 2003b;Sales et al. 2010Sales et al. , 2012Sales and Freire 2015). Cannibalism is an opportunistic predatory behavior in species of generalist habits and a way of gaining nutritional benefits by catching smaller lizards of the same or phylogenetically similar species (Vitt 2000;Mayntz and Toft 2006). ...
Spatio-temporal Variation in Diet and its Association with Parasitic Helminths in Ameivula pyrrhogularis (Squamata: Teiidae) from Northeast Brazil
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2019
We investigated the spatial and temporal variation of the diet of the Brazilian whiptail Ameivula pyrrhogularis using lizards sampled in four Caatinga locations, during the rainy and dry seasons 2015-2016. We also evaluated the importance of diet in the transmission of helminths, considering that changes in the environment can influence the diet and can be one important factor in the transmission of parasites. The predominant food items consumed were insects of Isoptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera. We observed only spatial diet variations what may be a reflection of changes in the foraging strategies of the lizard influenced by environmental pressures, whether due to local characteristics or human activities. As for parasitism, we found 43% overall prevalence of a helminth, distributed among Cestoda, Acanthocephala, and Nematoda. In the analysis of the association between diet and helminth fauna, there was a positive correlation of adult insects of Coleoptera with the abundance of the cestode Oochoristica travassosi. Although the biological cycle of O. travassosi is unknown, given this correlation, it is possible that these prey are intermediate hosts of this cestode. The present study can help to understand the relative importance of diet and foraging strategies of A. pyrrhogularis in Caatinga environments. In addition, the interaction of invertebrates and parasites is extremely relevant to comprehend the biological cycle of helminths with a heteroxenous cycle and their transmission mechanisms. Resumo.-Investigamos a variação espacial e temporal da dieta do calango cauda-de-chicote Ameivula pyrrhogu-laris, usando lagartos amostrados em quatro locais na Caatinga, durante as estações chuvosa e seca 2015-2016. Também avaliamos a importância da dieta na transmissão de helmintos, considerando que mudanças no ambiente podem influenciar a dieta e podem ser um fator importante na transmissão de parasitas. Os itens alimentares mais consumidos foram insetos de Isoptera, Coleoptera e Lepidoptera. Observamos apenas variações espaciais na die-ta, o que pode ser um reflexo de mudanças nas estratégias de forrageamento do lagarto influenciadas por pressões ambientais, seja devido a características locais ou atividades humanas. Quanto ao parasitismo, encontramos 43% de prevalência total de helmintos, distribuídos em Cestoda, Acanthocephala e Nematoda. Na análise da associação entre dieta e helmintos, houve correlação positiva de adultos de Coleoptera com a abundância do cestóide Oocho-ristica travassosi. Embora o ciclo biológico de O. travassosi seja desconhecido, dada essa correlação é possível que essas presas sejam hospedeiras intermediárias desse cestóide. O presente estudo pode ajudar a entender a impor-tância relativa da dieta e estratégias de forrageamento de A. pyrrhogularis em ambientes de Caatinga. Além disso, a interação de invertebrados e parasitas é extremamente relevante para compreender o ciclo biológico dos helmintos com o ciclo heteroxênico e seus mecanismos de transmissão.
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... Cannibalism and saurophagy has previously been reported in lizards (e.g., Anderson, 1960;Bowie, 1973;Polis, 1981;Blanco et al., 2012), and appears to be linked to common predatory behaviours (Polis & Myers, 1985). Previous records of cannibalism and saurophagy exist for in A. ameiva (Rocha & Vrcibradic, 1998), A. ocellifera (Sales et al., 2010), H. mabouia (Bonfiglio et al., 2006;Pombal & Pombal, 2010), P. macrorhyncha and T. torquatus (Teixeira, 2001). ...
The diet of six species of lizards in an area of Caatinga, Brazil
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Full-text available
  • Apr 2017
  • HERPETOL J
We characterised the diets of a community of lizards in the Caatinga area in the Monumento Natural Grota do Angico (MNGA), Sergipe, Brazil. We evaluated food availability during the wet and dry season, and analysed the stomach contents of 427 individuals from six species, identifying plant material and invertebrates to the taxonomic level of Order. In general, different lizard species had similar diets. Isoptera was the most important prey for Ameivula ocellifera, Gymnodactylus geckoides, Lygodactylus klugei and Brasiliscincus heathi, whereas Formicidae was the most important prey for Tropidurus hispidus and Tropidurus semitaeniatus. Prey consumption by each species in dry and wet seasons was similar with regard to prey categories used, but differed in the most commonly consumed orders (except for Brasiliscincus heathi). There was no significant difference between diet and prey availability, with the exception of Collembola and Acari which were rarely consumed. The limited seasonal differences in lizard diets may reflect the abundance and availability of prey.
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... . Additionally, a case of cannibalism by a female C. ocellifer was described in a Caatinga area in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (Sales et al., 2010a). Other predators of Cnemidophorus lizards include birds (Morais & Pinho, 2007;Carvalho-Filho, 2008), centipedes (Bocchiglieri & Mendonça, 2009) and snakes (Peloso & Pavan, 2007;Bocchiglieri & Mendonça, 2009). ...
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... In this sense, we propose that cannibalism in T. hispidus may represent an opportunistic feeding habit when an increase in the juvenile population occurs. A similar phenomenon was observed for the teiid Cnemidophorus ocellifer in the same study area during the recruitment period of this species, when a whole juvenile was found in the stomach contents of an adult female (Sales, Ribeiro and Freire, 2010). The voucher specimen T. hispidus (CHBEZ 3447) was deposited in the herpetological collection of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil. ...
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Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Caatinga, northeastern Brazil: Detailed and updated overview
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Full-text available
  • Aug 2022
The Caatinga is the largest seasonal dry tropical forest in South America and it has been historically neglected in terms of its bio- diversity. Regarding lizards, different studies led to the current knowledge of diversity and endemism in Caatinga, but detailed syntheses are scarce in the literature. We present the most detailed and up-to-date synthesis of knowledge about Caatinga lizards by providing a detailed (i) list of species; (ii) taxonomic richness patterns; (iii) knowledge gaps and spatial biases; and (iv) detailed distribution maps of all species that contain at least one occurrence record within Caatinga limits. We created a distribution database using occurrences of lizards in Caatinga based on scientific collections, field collection, and literature. We produce up-to-date dis- tribution maps, calculate the Extent of Occurrence and provide the environmental and bioclimatic profile for each species recorded. We draw taxonomic richness and sampling gap maps. Our database has 20,538 records of occurrence of lizards of the Caatinga. We recorded 93 lizard species (13 families), 52.7% of which are endemic. Forthy-four percent of the species present restricted distri- butions. We identified that 53% of the Caatinga area (or 70% of the municipalities) has no record of occurrence of lizards. The data presented are an important step towards synthesizing in detail the accumulated knowledge about Caatinga lizards and is crucial for accurate strategies for the conservation planning. It directs actions to advance our knowledge on Caatinga lizards: to concentrate inventories in sample void areas; continuous update of the species occurrence database, advance in the generation of autoecology data for species.
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The ecology of Cnemidophorus ocellifer (Squamata, Teiidae) in a neotropical Savanna
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Full-text available
  • Sep 2003
We studied the ecology of the lizard Cnemidophorus ocellifer Spix 1825 in the central Brazilian Cerrado. Cnemidophorus ocellifer was active on open ground, in sandy soils and rocky fields, during the hottest hours of the day. Mean body temperatures (37.5°C) were high, relative to sympatric lizard species, and more associated with substrate temperatures than with air temperatures. The thermal ecology of C. ocellifer seems to be tightly associated with an active mode of foraging. Termites were the most important prey, and there was no significant association between head dimensions and prey dimensions. Cnemidophorus ocellifer showed strong sexual dimorphism in body size and shape, with males having larger bodies and head dimensions, and females having longer and thicker bodies. Clutch size averaged 2.1 and was positively correlated with female SVL. Females were reproductively active during the dry season (May to September) and recruitment occurred from July to November. Males were reproductively active throughout the year, peaking from March to August, coinciding with the period of female reproduction. The reproductive cycle in C. ocellifer may be determined by the greater availability of direct sunlight and its physiological effects upon breeding activities, such as courtship and mating, during the dry season.
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Sintopy of two Tropidurus lizard species (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in a rocky Cerrado habitat in Central Brazil
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  • Dec 2004
  • Braz J Biol
We studied the ecology of Tropidurus itambere and T. oreadicus that occur syntopically in rocky habitats of Cerrado vegetation in central Brazil during the dry season (April to September 2000). The two species are ecologically similar, but somewhat differentiated in vertical microhabitat use. The two species preferred rocky surface microhabitat. Both species demonstrated a unimodal activity pattern, with a peak between 10 and 15 h. Their diets were similar in composition and prey size. The most frequent item used by both species was ants, whereas the most important preys volumetrically were termites and ants. Small morphological differences observed between the two Tropidurus species could explain minor microhabitat divergence: T. itambere is slightly smaller, heavier, and more robust, and uses lower perches. T. oreadicus is larger, lankier, with longer extremities (tail, fore- and hindlegs), and uses a larger vertical microhabitat range. These ecological differences are slight, when compared with those observed between sympatric species of Tropidurus in spatially more heterogeneous landscapes. Considering the slight ecomorphological divergence between the two Tropidurus species and their high abundance in outcrops, we suggest that interspecific territoriality is the mechanism of coexistence.
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Lizard Assemblages from Natural Cerrado Enclaves in Southwestern Amazonia: The Role of Stochastic Extinctions and Isolation
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  • Dec 2003
  • BIOTROPICA
We used null model analyses to investigate the existence of structure in lizard assemblages from open vegetation enclaves in Rondônia, southwestern Amazonia, in relation to species richness, species co-occurrence, diet, and size overlap. These enclaves presumably have been isolated since the Holocene, providing a history of long-term isolation. We assumed that the presence of structure in lizard assemblages from the Rondônia enclaves is consistent with the notion that extinctions are a deterministic process, some species being more prone to extinction than others. We grouped enclaves into four categories: latosoil cerrado, sandy cerrado, transitional forest, and rocky field. We collected 14 Cerrado lizard species, consisting of five families in all sampled areas. Analyses of species richness, co-occurrence, diet overlap, and size overlap patterns suggested lack of organization in the assemblages. The assemblages from the rocky fields of Guajará–Mirim and the sandy cerrados in Vilhena were significantly structured in diet overlap, whereas the remaining assemblages lacked structure. This probably resulted from phylogenetic inertia and not from ecological interactions. Our results suggest that extinctions proceeded in a stochastic fashion and that historical factors had a dominant role in shaping lizard assemblages in detriment of present-day ecological factors. In addition, we identified endemic species in the enclaves as well as a tight association between unique ecogeographic features of the landscape and species occurrences. We propose that conservation measures in the region must adequately preserve these features to ensure the survival of the species.
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Ecological Consequences of Body Size in Neonatal and Small-Bodied Lizards in the Neotropics
Article
  • Jan 2000
I investigated the relationship between lizard body size and prey size, particularly as it relates to challenges faced by neonatal lizards in the Neotropics. Within the large-bodied teiid lizard Ameiva ameiva, juveniles feed on smaller prey than adults, but adults continue to feed on prey eaten by juveniles. Adults eat invertebrates and vertebrates, including other lizards, and these likely have a much higher payoff in terms of energy gained per unit risk. Prey types and sizes vary among lizard species in an Amazonian rain forest near the Rio Curuá-Una. Larger lizard species feed on larger prey, and smaller lizards, by virtue of their small body sizes, cannot feed on many prey taken by large lizards. Large lizards continue to take small prey. The larger non-vertebrate prey taken by lizards in this assemblage are mostly spiders and centipedes, many of which are larger than smaller lizard species and individuals. A combined data set from numerous Neotropical sites shows that the trend observed at the Curuá-Una is a general one even though the smallest clade of lizards eat prey smaller than predicted based on body size alone. I suggest that small lizards, neonates in particular, are at great risk in diverse lizard assemblages because of their body size relative to other organisms. They likely compete with adults of their own and other species for food, they are eaten by larger lizards and other vertebrates, and they are likely prey for numerous highly abundant predaceous arthropods, especially spiders and centipedes.
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Cnemidophorus ocellifer (whiptail lizard). predation
  • Jan 2005
  • 438-438
  • B A Beltrão
  • D E G A Rocha
  • J C Mascarenhas
  • L C Souza Junior
  • S T M Pires
  • V G D Carvalho
Beltrão, B.A., Rocha, D.E.G.A., Mascarenhas, J.C., Souza Junior, L.C., Pires, S.T.M. & Carvalho, V.G.D. (2005). Diagnóstico do município de Tenente Laurentino Cruz, estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Brasil: Serv. Geol. Brasil, Prog. Des. Energ. Estad. Municípios. Bocchiglieri, A. & Mendonça, A.F. (2009). Cnemidophorus ocellifer (whiptail lizard). predation. Herpetol. Rev. 40, 438-438.