Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 265-267 (2019) (published online on 07 February 2019)

Predation of Scinax garbei (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926)

Cinthya Y. Salas1,*, Lesly Lujan2, and Oscar Quispe-Colca1

Amphibians play a major role inside the trophic and nocturnal treefrog (Lima et al., 2012). Its diet
networks as both predators and prey (Whiles et al., includes orthopterans, spiders, Diptera and Coleoptera
2006). Amphibians are prey for a great variety of larvae (Duellman, 1978). Here, we present the first
predators, from carnivorous plants (Duellman and report of predation on Scinax garbei by the wandering
Trueb, 1994) to several vertebrates (Castro and Costa, spider Ctenus villasboasi (Ctenidae). In addition, with
2017) and invertebrates such as arachnids (Menin et al., our study, the occurrence of C. villasboasi is officially
2005; Toledo, 2005; Maffei et al., 2014; Amaral et al., recorded from Peru (World Spider Catalog, 2018).
2015). On September 23, 2017, while searching for frogs
The Ctenidae are arachnids distributed around the on the leaf litter, we observed an adult female Ctenus
world, except in New Zealand. They are large nocturnal villasboasi eating an individual of Scinax garbei. The
wandering spiders that hunt their prey on the vegetation spider bit the frog and paralyzed it.
or at the soil level (Jocqué and Dippenaar-Schoeman, The place of the observation was near Chocoriari
2006). This family consists of important predators of village, in the Echarate district, La Convencion province,
terrestrial frogs, feeding primarily on juveniles and Cusco department, in southeast Peru (11°57’35.69”S;
adults engaged in reproductive activity (Menin et al., 72°56’37.56”O; 404 m a.s.l.). The spider was collected
2005). There are reports of Ctenus villasboasi and Ctenus and deposited in the scientific collection of the Museum
sp. attacking Adenomera andreae (Menin et al., 2005); of San Agustin National University (Ctenus villasboasi
predation of Adenomera marmorata by Ctenus medius MUSA-AR 102). Although the amphibian was
(Barbo et al., 2009) and by Ctenus ornatus (Amaral taxonomically determined, it could not be preserved
et al., 2015); and Phoneutria nigriventer preying on due to its advanced stage of decomposition caused by
Dendropsophus elegans, Hypsiboas bischoffi and the spider venom.
Scinax crospedospilus (Santana et al., 2009; Oliveira et Only the spider was measured in situ (cephalothorax
al., 2016; Foerster et al., 2017). 12.8 mm; abdomen 11.3 mm; total length 24.1 mm).
Scinax garbei inhabits tropical, flooded and even However, Figure 1 allowed us to estimate the snout-
secondary forests (La Marca et al., 2004). It is an arboreal vent length of the frog (~33.2 mm), approximately 1.4
times larger than the spider. Predators that are smaller
than their preys are commonly reported to make use
of specialized tactics such as poisoning (Toledo et al.
2007), as we observed in this case. Little is known about
the predators of Scinax garbei. Only Rocha et al. (2015)
1
Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Museo de
reported Scinax cf. garbei as an item in the diet of the
Historia Natural (MUSA), Av. Alcides Carrión s/n. Arequipa,
bat Thrachops cirropsus in Brazilian Central Amazon.
Perú.
2
Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Surco, Here, we provided the first account of predation of S.
Lima, Perú. garbei by an invertebrate, adding knowledge about the
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] biology of this neotropical anuran.
266 Cinthya Y. Salas et al.

Figure 1. (a) Dorsal view of the spider Ctenus villasboasi preying on Scinax garbei in Chocoriari village, southeastern Peru. (b)
Dorsal view of the dead specimen of Scinax garbei. Photographs by Cinthya Salas

Acknowledgments. We are grateful to Cesar Aguilar for review La Marca, E., Azevedo-Ramos, C., Coloma, L.A., Ron, S. (2004):
and suggestions and to Diana Silva-Dávila for her comments Scinax garbei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
on the manuscript. We thank COGA and Insideo SAC. for the 2004: e.T55959A11384514. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.
logistical support and the facilities for publishing this note. UK.2004.RLTS.T55959A11384514.en.
Lima, A.P., Magnusson, W.E., Menin, M., Erdtmann, L.K.,
Rodrigues, D.J., Keller, C., Hödl W. (2012): Guia de sapos da
References
Reserva Adolpho Ducke, Amazônia Central. �������� �������
Amaral, L.C., Castanheira, P.S., Carvalho-e-Silva, S.P., Baptista, Design Editorial. p. 168.
R.L.C. (2015): Predation on the tropical bullfrog Adenomera Maffei, F., Bofarini, M., Ubaid, F.K. (2014): Predation of
marmorata (Anura: Leptodactylidae) by the wandering spider Scinax fuscovarius (Anura: Hylidae) by two invertebrates in
Ctenus ornatus (Araneae: Ctenidae) in southeastern Brazil. southeastern Brazil. Herpetology Notes 7: 371–374.
Herpetology Notes 8: 329–330. Menin, M., Rodrigues, D.J., Azevedo, C.S. (2005): Predation on
Barbo, F.E., Guimarães, M.R., Sawaya, R.J. (2009): Predation on amphibians by spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in the Neotropical
Leptodactylus marmoratus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) by the region. Phyllomedusa 4: 39–47.
spider Ctenus medius (Araneae: Ctenidae) in the Atlantic Forest, Pacheco, E.O., Ferreira, V.G., Pedro, F.M.S.R., ��������������
southeast Brazil. Herpetology Notes 2: 99–100. (2016): Predation on Scinax crospedospilus (Anura: Hylidae)
Castro, I.J., Costa-Campos, J.E. (2017): New record of anuran by Phoneutria nigriventer (Aranae: Ctenidae) in an Atlantic
predation by Trachops cirrhosus (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Forest fragment in southeastern Brazil. Herpetology Notes 9:
Phyllostomidae) in a varzea forest in the estuary of the Amazon 315–316.
River, Eastern Amazon. Biota Amazônia 7: 108–109. Rocha, R., Gordo, M., Lopez-Baucells, A. (2015): Completing the
Costa-Pereira, R., Martins, F.I., Sczesny-Moraes, E.A., Brescovit, menu: Addition of Scinax cruentommus and Scinax cf. garbei
A. (2010): Predation on young treefrog (Osteocephalus taurinus) (Anura: Hylidae) to the diet of Trachops cirrhosus (Chiroptera:
by arthropods (Insecta, Mantodea and Arachnida, Araneae) in Phyllostomidae) in Central Amazon. North-Western �����������
Central Brazil. Biota Neotropica 10: 469–472. Zoology 12: 199�����01.
Duellman, W.E. (1978): The biology of an equatorial herpetofauna Santana, D.J., da Silva, E.T., de Oliveira, E.F. (2009): Predação
in Amazonian Ecuador. Miscellanius Publication. Museum of de Dendropsophus elegans (Anura, Hylidae) por Phoneutria
Natural History, University of Kansas 65: 1–352. nigriventer (Araneae, Ctenidae) em Viçosa, Minas Gerais,
Foerster, N.E., Carvalho, B.H.G., Conte, C.E. (2017): Predation on Brasil. ������������������������������������������ 26: 59–65.
Hypsiboas bischoffi (Anura: Hylidae) by Phoneutria nigriventer Toledo, L.F. (2005): Predation of juvenile and adult anurans
(Araneae: Ctenidae) in southern Brazil. Herpetology Notes 10: by invertebrates: Current Knowledge and perspectives.
403–404. Herpetological Review 36: 395–400.
Jocqué, R., Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (2007): Spider Families Toledo, L.F., Ribeiro, R.S., Haddad, C.F.B. (2007): Anurans as
of the World. �������������������������������������������� prey: an exploratory analysis and size relationships between
Centrale Press. predators and their prey. Journal of Zoology 271: 170–177.
Predation of Scinax garbei by a wandering spider in southeastern Peru 267
Whiles, M.R., Lips, K.R., Pringle, C.M., Kilham, S.S., Bixby, R.J.,
Brenes, R., et al. (2006): The effects of amphibian population
declines on the structure and function of Neotropical stream
ecosystems. Frontiers in the Ecology and the Environment 4:
27–34.
World Spider Catalog. (2018): Ctenus villasboasi. The world spider
catalog, version 19.5. Natural History Museum Bern. Available
at: http://wsc.nmbe.ch. Accessed on 17 September 2018.

Accepted by Igor Kaefer