Table 4.
Main prey items encountered in gastrointestinal tracts of Melanophryniscus cupreuscapularisa
| PREY TYPES | n | f (%) | fa | FO (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARTHROPODA | ||||
| INSECTA | ||||
| HYMENOPTERA | ||||
| Formicidae | ||||
| Ecitoninae | ||||
| Labidus praedator | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 8.3 |
| Eciton sp. | 5 | 2.1 | 2 | 16.6 |
| Myrmicinae | ||||
| Crematogaster quadriformis | 168 | 69.4 | 12 | 100 |
| Wasmannia auropunctata | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 8.3 |
| Pheidole subaberrans | 20 | 8.3 | 4 | 33.3 |
| Acromyrmex ambiguus | 10 | 4.1 | 2 | 16.6 |
| COLEPTERA | ||||
| Melodidae | 2 | 0.82 | 1 | 8.3 |
| Crysomelidae | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 8.3 |
| COLLEMBOLA | 2 | 0.82 | 1 | 8.3 |
| PROTURA | 11 | 4.5 | 3 | 25 |
| ARACHNIDA | ||||
| ARANAE | ||||
| Araneomorphae | 17 | 7.0 | 4 | 33.3 |
| SCORPIONIDAE (immature instar) | ||||
| Buthidae | ||||
| Tityus trivittatus | 2 | 0.82 | 2 | 8.3 |
| PLANTS | ||||
| POACEAE | ||||
| leaf | 1 | 0.41 | 1 | 0.83 |
| ANIMAL FRACTION (n.i) | X | X | 8 | 66.6 |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF PREY | 242 |
Twelve toads, were examined including the 11 analyzed for alkaloids. n = Number of individuals per taxon, f (%) = percent of the total number of prey accounted for by the particular prey type, fa = number of gastrointestinal tracts with the prey category and FO (%) = frequency of occurrence. X = not quantified, n.i = not identified. In addition, many items, presumably of animal origin, occurred in 8 of the 12 gastrointestinal tracts, but could not be identified. It should be noted that the prey detected in the present study and others do not represent the long term prey items that over the course of the toad’s life have given rise to the alkaloids stored in the skin glands