Predation of Amphisbaena darwinii (Duméril and Bibrón, 1839) by Phalotris lemniscatus (Duméril, Bibrón, and Duméril, 1854): a contribution to trophic interaction data in squamate reptiles

Autores

  • Jayme Massim Autor
  • Lucas A. Neves Autor

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18225490

Palavras-chave:

Amphisbenidae, Elapomorphini, Eltonian Shortfall, História Natural, Répteis fossoriais

Resumo

Registros detalhados de história natural constituem base fundamental para a calibração de modelos ecológicos e evolutivos complexos. Este estudo documenta uma interação predador‑presa entre a serpente Phalotris lemniscatus e a anfisbena fossorial Amphisbaena darwinii, com base em material preservado no sul do Brasil. A presa, ingerida pela cabeça, representava mais de 50% do comprimento e 68% da circunferência corporal do predador, evidenciando a capacidade de P. lemniscatus de consumir presas alongadas e relativamente grandes. A descrição minuciosa do evento, aliada a dados morfométricos e ao contexto ecológico explícito, fornece um exemplo empírico crucial para superar o “Eltonian shortfall” — a escassez de dados sobre interações ecológicas documentadas. Observações como esta são essenciais para validar a plausibilidade ecológica de interações em modelos de redes tróficas, refinar inferências evolutivas sobre a dieta em Squamata e ressaltar o valor permanente das coleções científicas.

Biografia do Autor

  • Jayme Massim

    Holds a Bachelor’s and Licentiate degree in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), and a Master’s and Doctorate in Ecology and Evolution from the same institution. Currently a FAPESP TT-IV fellow, working on the production, segmentation, and analysis of 3D anatomical models from at the Butantan Institute computed microtomography. Provides support to postgraduate studies in scientific imaging and statistical analysis of morphological data. His research interests include comparative anatomy, geometric morphometrics, macroevolution, and ecomorphology. His main research line focuses on the influence of diet and habitat on the postnatal development patterns of the skull of neotropical vipers of the genus Bothrops.

  • Lucas A. Neves

    Biologist (UNESP), Master in Zoology (USP) and postgraduate in Environmental Management and Sustainability. Currently, he is the technician responsible for Animal Reception at the Butantan Institute, where he also develops research projects focusing on reptiles and amphibians, investigating interspecific relationships, with an emphasis on the evolutionary mechanisms of snake resistance to amphibian toxins in predator-prey interactions.

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Publicado

2026-05-06

Edição

v. 15 n. 1 (2026): Herpetologia Brasileira

Seção

Artigos

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Direitos autorais (c) 2026 Herpetologia Brasileira

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Este trabalho está licenciado sob uma licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Como Citar

MASSIM, Jayme; NEVES, Lucas A. Predation of Amphisbaena darwinii (Duméril and Bibrón, 1839) by Phalotris lemniscatus (Duméril, Bibrón, and Duméril, 1854): a contribution to trophic interaction data in squamate reptiles. Herpetologia Brasileira, [S. l.], v. 15, n. 1, 2026. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18225490. Disponível em: https://hb.sbherpetologia.org.br/index.php/hb/article/view/241. Acesso em: 15 jun. 2026.