Ecology of the Worm-Lizard Amphisbaena alba in the Cerrado of Central Brazil

Due to their secretive habits, very little is known about the ecology of amphisbaenians. Based on a large series of specimens from the Cerrado of central Brazil, the diet composition, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism of Amphisbaena alba are described. Amphisbaena alba displayed a relatively diver...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Copeia 1999-08, Vol.1999 (3), p.733-742
Main Authors: Colli, Guarino R., Zamboni, Dario S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphisbaena alba
Ants
Beetles
Body size
Brazil
Cerrado
Diet
Insect larvae
Lizards
Pupae
Sexual dimorphism
Stomach
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Due to their secretive habits, very little is known about the ecology of amphisbaenians. Based on a large series of specimens from the Cerrado of central Brazil, the diet composition, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism of Amphisbaena alba are described. Amphisbaena alba displayed a relatively diverse diet, even ingesting vertebrates and plant material. Beetles, ants, and spiders dominated the diet numerically, whereas ants, insect larvae, and beetles were more important volumetrically. No association was observed between prey size and body dimensions. The smallest reproductive male was 422 mm SVL (snout-vent length), and the smallest reproductive female was 457 mm SVL. Clutch size ranged from 8-16, one of the largest known for amphisbaenians, and is possibly influenced by the large body size of A. alba. Reproduction is apparently seasonal and restricted to the dry season. No intersexual differences were observed, either in morphometric or meristic characters, presumably because of functional constraints related to fossoriality.
ISSN:0045-8511
1938-5110
DOI:10.2307/1447606