Prey availability influences the diet of scinax fuscomarginatus in a cerrado area, central Brazil

Abstract

Prey availability influences the diet of Scinax fuscomarginatus in a Cerrado area, Central Brazil. Prey availability in an environment may change seasonally and these changes should be considered as determinant factors for the diets of anurans. Scinax species are generalist predators that feed on arthropods, but data concerning their diet in relation to prey availability are lacking. In this study, we describe the diet of Scinax fuscomarginatus by evaluating its possibly generalist diet related to prey availability in its environment. We studied the diet of Scinax fuscomarginatus by analysing the stomach contents of 48 individuals captured in the Campo Grande municipality, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. We found eight prey categories, the most common and most representative being Hemiptera. The selectivity index of the two most important prey varied inversely between dry and wet seasons. Prey availability also varied between seasons. These results suggest a temporal pattern in prey composition and in the diet of Scinax fuscomarginatus.