Feeding Patterns of the Strawberry Poison Frog, Dendrobates pumilio (Anura: Dendrobatidae)
1991; American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists; Volume: 1991; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/1446399
ISSN1938-5110
Autores Tópico(s)Species Distribution and Climate Change
Resumonumber of ants present in the stomach was positively correlated with body size. Females ate more ants than did males and juveniles. Feeding rates were obtained during behavioral observations of focal animals in the field; males and females consumed an average of seven prey/h, and juveniles consumed 14 prey/h. I assessed prey availability in frog territories and in unoccupied areas during the 1983 wet season. Prey availability differed significantly among days. The relative availability of mites and other arthropod types did not differ inside and outside of frog territories, but significantly more ants were captured in territories. The temporal variation in food utilization and the variation in insect-trapping rates suggest that D. pumilio alters its diet in response to naturally occurring fluctuations in food availability. Feeding also is influenced by age and sex. Therefore, placement along a continuum of ant utilization that places specialists on one extreme and avoiders on the other will depend on all of these variables.
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