Trophic ecology of Scinax rostratus (Peters, 1863) and Scinax ruber (Laurenti, 1768) (Anura: Hylidae) in tropical dry forests of northern Colombia

Abstract

We describe the diet of two syntopic Scinax species, S. rostratus and S. ruber, from northern lowlands of Colombia. These frogs do not seem to exhibit a marked preference for the consumption of a particular type of prey. However, in their diets, orthopterans were a well-represented category. Scinax ruber showed a positive and significant relationship between the size of the jaw and the average volume of consumed prey. The diets of both species overlap (54%), containing orthopterans, hemipterans and acari. Considering the trophic characteristics of both species, we classify them as generalist predators that use the sit-and-wait strategy to capture their prey.