Co-occurring Cuban dwarf boas (Tropidophis) show limited dietary differentiation

By

Rodríguez-Cabrera, Tomás M.
Torres, Javier
Morell Savall, Ernesto

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-8-18

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

38

Pages

215--223

Subjects

Competition , dietary overlap , ecological segregation , generalist , snake assemblage , specialist , West Indies

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e144100

 

Abstract

Interspecific and intraspecific niche partitioning have been widely documented in sympatric snakes. Size variation and ecological differentiation in co-occurring Tropidophis in Cuba suggest differences in diet. We compared dietary composition and niche breadth among three species of Tropidophis in central Cuba: T. pardalis (n = 13), T. semicinctus (n = 28), and T. melanurus (n = 86; 80 large, 6 small individuals). We found complete overlap in diet composition among T. pardalis, T. semicinctus, and small T. melanurus, all of which specialized on lizards of the genus Anolis. In contrast, large T. melanurus had a distinct diet, consisting mostly of amphibians (95%), particularly the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis; ca. 70%) and two species of toads of the genus Peltophryne (ca. 26%), suggesting an ontogenetic shift in the diet of T. melanurus. The three species of Tropidophis had a narrow trophic niche (B′ ≤ 0.280).