Dieta de Gonatodes humeralis (GUICHENOT, 1855) na Floresta Nacional de Palmares, Piauí, Brasil

Abstract

The food chains play a crucial role in ecology by revealing feeding interactions in ecosystems, in which lizards are important components of these food webs. In this study, we investigate the diet of the lizard Gonatodes humeralis in the Palmares National Forest, a tropical forest in Piauí State, Northeastern Brazil. Additionally, we evaluated if there is variation in the diet of males and females of G. humeralis and if the lizards’ size influences the richness, abundance, and volume of the consumed prey. For that, we carried out sampling through active search in two expeditions in the year 2024. We found 30 individuals (18 males and 9 females) of which 90% contained some food item. Overall, G. humeralis has a generalist diet, eating a larger variety of food items (46 prey labeled in 10 categories), being predominantly composed of Blattaria (termites). We found no significant differences in the diet composition of males and females. However, the lizards’ sizes influenced the abundance of consumed prey. Therefore, this study contributes to understanding the trophic ecology of G. humeralis, a Brazilian endemic species still poorly known regarding its natural history in Northeastern Brazil.