Feeding habits of the lizard Tropidurus hispidus (Spix, 1825) (Tropiduridae) in a transitional Caatinga-Rocky Field Habitat in Northeastern Brazil

Menezes, Vanderlaine AmaralAmaral, VanessaFontes, Angélica FigueiraSluys, Monique VanRocha, Carlos Frederico Duarte

Abstract We investigated the diet of the endemic Tropidurid lizard Tropidurus hispidus in a Caatinga (the semiarid biome in Northeastern Brazil) area of Morro do Chapéu, BA, Brazil. Lizards (n = 20) were collected and euthanized. In the laboratory, stomach contents were removed, analyzed and classified by order, excepting for plant material. We then correlated the lizards' morphological characteristics with the number, volume (in mm3), and the prey-size of the items. All lizards contained food items in their stomachs, encompassing a mix of arthropods, plant material, and a portion of vertebrate remains. The lizard's diet featured a significant amount of plant material, comprising 50.1% in terms of number and 45.8% volumetrically. Among the diet items, flowers (63.6%), ants (47.0%), and beetles (33.0%) were the most frequent. The diet composition was found to be similar among males and females. There was no correlation between the morphological characteristics of T. hispidus and the number, length, or volume of the ingested prey items. Our data showed that T. hispidus in the Morro do Chapéu region is omnivorous and that plant material and hymenopteran and coleopteran insects are predominant in its diet.