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Cuadernos de herpetología

versión On-line ISSN 1852-5768

Cuad. herpetol. vol.23 no.2 San Salvador de Jujuy jun./dic. 2009

 

NOTA

Predation by Corallus annulatus (Boidae) on Rhynchonycteris naso (Emballonuridae) in a lowland tropical wet forest, Costa Rica

 

Todd R. Lewis1, Darryn J. Nash2 & Paul B. C. Grant3

1 Westfield, 4 Worgret Road, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4PJ, United Kingdom. ecolewis@gmail.com
2 60 West Road, Spondon, Derby DE21 7AB. United Kingdom. darrynnash@hotmail.com
3 4901 Cherry Tree Bend, Victoria, British Colombia, V8Y 1S1, Canada.

Recibido:01/03/09
Aceptado:12/11/09

 

Corallus annulatus (Northern Annulated Tree-boa) is a little-studied tropical Boid occurring disjunctively throughout Central America and tropical South America in mostly lowland tropical moist and wet forests (Holdridge, 1967; Stafford & Henderson, 1996; Smith & Acevedo, 1997; Henderson et al., 2001). Prior to this report and to the best of our knowledge, small rodents were the only documented prey for wild specimens of C. annulatus (Henderson et al., 1995).

Caño Palma Biological Station is situated on the northeast coast of Costa Rica approximately 8 km north of Tortuguero. C. annulatus has previously been recorded from Manicaria forest at Caño Palma (Myers, 1990; Burger, 2001).

On 12th January 2002 and 15th July 2003 we found two separate C. annulatus specimens with Rhynchonycteris naso (Proboscis bat) in their stomachs. In the first instance an anerythristic coloured juvenile female C. annulatus (270 mm TL / 180 mm SVL) was discovered in the roofing rafters at Caño Palma's boat dock (Fig. 1). Rhynchonycteris naso were regularly observed roosting beneath the dock in groups of between three and eight individuals (Fig 2 ) several nights before we found the snake. We discovered, without the need for regurgitation by palpation, typical shapes of bat morphology and deduced that it was possible that the snake had eaten a R. naso. On the second occasion we observed an orange / taupe coloured adult male C. annulatus (584 mm TL / 512 mm SVL) swallowing a R. naso in the crown of a Manicaria saccifera palm, approximately 200 m along a riparian section of the Biological Station's forest. Rhynchonycteris naso are an abundant insectivorous bat found throughout most tropical lowlands from southern Mexico through to the northern half of South America (Sorin, 1999). They are a small bat ranging from 35 to 41 mm in forearm length and typically weigh around 4 g. Both C. annulatus and R. naso are closely associated with trees near rivers and streams and single species roost sites for R. naso are almost exclusively found close to water (Goodwin, 1946; Goodwin & Greenhall, 1961; Carter et al., 1966; Plumpton & Jones, 1992; Stafford & Henderson, 1996).


Fig. 1. Anerythristic Corallus annulatus with (possible) Rhynchonycteris naso meal (Photo: Paul B. C. Grant).


Fig. 2. Rhynchonycteris naso roosting under Caño Palma Biological Station boat dock (Photo: Paul B. C. Grant).

To the best of our knowledge these are the first recorded instances of C. annulatus predating on R. naso. Previous studies have identified hawks (Buteo spp.), falcons (Falco spp.) and egrets (Leucophoyx spp.) as significant predators of R. naso (Husson, 1962; Sanderson, 1941). The Orb spider Argiope savignyi (Araneidae) has also been recorded as a predator (Timm & Losilla, 2007). Predation on bats by Boids is well recorded in the tropics, most of which are recorded at the bats' roosting site; Epicrates cenchris cenchris (Boidae) (Rain bow Boa) fed on Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae) (Lemke, 1978), Epicrates anguilifer (Boidae) (Cuban Boa) predated Phyllonycteris poeyi (Phyllostomidae) (Hardy, 1957) and Epicrates inornatus (Boidae) (Puerta Rican Boa) ate Monophyllus redmani (Phyllostomidae) and Brachyphylla cavernarum (Phyllostomidae) (Rodriguez, 1984). The more thoroughly studied Corallus hortulanus (Boidae) (Amazon Tree Boa) is known to adopt a sit-and-wait strategy as well as actively snatching bats from the air (Henderson, 2002; Barnett et al., 2007). Given that both the C. annulatus and the R. naso are primarily nocturnal it is suggested that, on both occasions, the tree-boas adopted a snatching strategy.

We thank The Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC) for permission to study at Caño Palma Biological Station and Xavier Guevara of The Ministerio de Recursos Naturales Energia y Minas (MINAE) for permits to study the forest.

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