Microhabitat use and feeding habits of Crossodactylus bokermanni Caramaschi and Sazima, 1985 (Anura, Hylodidae) at a site in south‐eastern Brazil

Abstract

We studied a population of Crossodactylus bokermanni in a stream at the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural, Santuário do Caraça, south‐eastern Brazil, with respect to microhabitat use and diet. We characterized microhabitats based on substrate, distance to water and exposure level of the occupying individual (exposed or sheltered), and adjacent aquatic microhabitats (evaluated as potential nesting sites based on observed nests), according to water current (absent, slow or fast), substrate and depth. Calling males, silent males, ovigerous females, non‐ovigerous females and juveniles showed spatial niche overlap higher than that expected by chance, with calling males showing the strongest preference for microhabitats close to potential nesting sites (with intermediate depths, fast current and sandy bottom). Only 14 males out of 48 individuals examined for stomach contents had prey in their stomachs. The food items with the highest electivity values were Coleoptera and Diptera, but preys with both high and low mobility were exploited.

Keywords:

• Crossodactylus bokermanni
• microhabitat use
• diet
• prey electivity
• south‐eastern Brazil

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Izabela M. Barata and Pedro Fatorelli for help during field work, Adalberto J. dos Santos for spider identification, Conrado A.B. Galdino, Carlos Frederico D. Rocha and two anonymous reviewers for suggestions on the manuscript, the staff of the RPPN Serra do Caraça for permits and logistics, the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis for specimens collection permit (128/2004), the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), the Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (FIP) of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (Fapemig CRA 405/03) for financial support.