Feeding habits of the endemic tropical parthenogenetic lizard Cnemidophorus nativo (Teiidae) in a restinga area of northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The population of Cnemidophorus nativo in the restinga of Guaratiba, Bahia State, Brazil, is carnivorous with a diet consisting predominantly of insect larvae and termites, which is similar to that of other cnemidophorines. The absence of seasonal variation in diet may be a consequence of the availability of termites throughout the year. The small size of the termites and the ease with which both juveniles and adults eat larvae independent of their length were probably the cause of the poor relationship between lizard body measurements and mean number and volume of prey consumed.

Keywords:

• Cnemidophorus
• food habits
• lizard
• restinga habitat
• Brazil

Acknowledgements

This study is part of the “Programa de Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo de Ecossistemas do Sudeste Brasileiro” and of the “Projeto Ecologia de Répteis do Leste Brasileiro”, both of the Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. We thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq for research grants to C.F.D.R. (307 653/03‐0 and 477715/06‐0) and a Graduate fellowship to V.A.M., and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for a Graduate fellowship to G.F.D. We are grateful to D. Vrcibradic and M. C. Kiefer for the review of the manuscript. The IBAMA supplied a license for collecting the lizards (096/99). This study was also partially supported by a grant from FAPERJ (through Programma Cientistas do Nosso Estado (Process E‐26/100. 471.2007) to CFDR.