A predator on the rocks: Another saxicolous Bokermannohyla species (Anura: Hylidae) as prey for Chironius brazili (Squamata: Colubridae) in Central Brazilian Cerrado

Resumen

The genus Chironius is composed of diurnal, scansorial/arboreal snakes, distributed across Central and South America. These snakes feed upon a wide variety of prey, with large Hylid frogs being the most frequently reported item for most species. Chironius brazili is a species distributed across the Cerrado and in transitional areas with Atlantic Forest and Pampa biomes in South America. There are only a few prey items published for the species, and herein we report a novel predation record. During a survey in a Cerrado area in Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil, we found an individual of C. brazili preying upon an adult individual of Bokermannohyla sapiranga, a Hylid frog endemic to the biome. The snake was holding the frog by the head, slowly ingesting it alive. The species seems to have a dietary preference for Hylid frogs, such as other species of the genus. However, there is a remarkable difference in the foraging behavior and diet between C. brazili which seems to be more specialized in saxicolous anurans. Further studies of the diet of C. brazili throughout its distribution may supply new information on the evolution of foraging and predation behavior in this species.