Feeding ecology, reproductive biology, and sexual dimorphism of Boana raniceps (Anura: Hylidae) in an area of Caatinga, northeastern Brazil

The number of studies on the ecology of the genus Boana is vast in Brazilian biomes. Among the different species of this genus, B. raniceps is considered a common and widely distributed species. Despite this, only a few studies have explored the ecology of this species in the Caatinga biome. In this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Caldasia 2024-01, Vol.46 (1), p.71-80
Main Authors: Machado, Heitor Tavares de Sousa, Silva, Cristiana Ferreira da, Benício, Ronildo Alves, Ávila, Robson Waldemar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anura
Boana
Boana raniceps
Body size
Coleoptera
Diet
Dry season
Ecology
Eggs
Fecundity
Females
Hylidae
Juveniles
Males
Natural history
Ontogeny
Prey
Rainy season
Sexual dimorphism
Species
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Summary:The number of studies on the ecology of the genus Boana is vast in Brazilian biomes. Among the different species of this genus, B. raniceps is considered a common and widely distributed species. Despite this, only a few studies have explored the ecology of this species in the Caatinga biome. In this study we present information on the diet composition, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism of B. raniceps in the Caatinga biome, northeastern Brazil, providing additional information about the natural history of the species. We observed that B. raniceps has a generalist diet, consuming a great diversity of prey categories, but with a numerical and volumetric prevalence of Coleoptera. Interestingly, there was an ontogenetic and sexual variation in the diet, with the Relative Importance Index (RII) for each prey category differed between males, females, and juveniles. Females were found bearing mature eggs in both the rainy and dry seasons. The number of eggs carried by each female ranged from 153 to 3904. There was sexual dimorphism in body size, with females larger than males. However, size was not a limiting factor in fecundity. Here, we present new information on the natural history of B. raniceps and reinforce the need for further studies with widely distributed and known species. This is the first study to demonstrate ontogenetic and sexual variation in the diet of anurans of the genus Boana.
ISSN:0366-5232
2357-3759
DOI:10.15446/caldasia.v46n1.99220