Odontophrynus americanus (Common Lesser Escuerzo): Tadpole predation

Abstract

Anuran tadpoles are frequently preyed upon by a number of invertebrate predators, including dragonfly larvae, aquatic beetles and their larvae, belostomatid bugs, and spiders (Wells 2007. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 1148 pp.). During fieldwork, on 20 November 2020, we observed a larva of a water beetle (ca. 52 mm total length) that had captured an Odontophrynus americanus tadpole (Fig. 1A)...