Hábitos alimentarios de Nephelobates alboguttatus (Anura: Dendrobatidae) en una selva nublada andina de Venezuela

Abstract

The diet of Nephelobates alboguttatus. a cloud forest qendrobatid frog from the Venezuelan Andes, is deseribed. This semiaquatie speeies feeds mainly (in prey number and biomass) In insects.(specially Diptera and Coleoptera). Males and females of this taxon fed on the saqie items. 71.2% of the females fed·on 29.7% of the Diptera in larval stages and, 59.6% consumed 12.7% of adult Coleoptera. 64.8% ofthe males feed Dn 18.0% of the dipteran larvae, while 52.8% preyed upon 13.1 % of adult coleopterans. We report the frrst evidence of feeding on vertebrate larvae by a dendrobatid frog, and the first report Df amphibian-egg feeding by the species. There is sexual dimorphism in size of the eaptured N. alboguttatus; Snout-vent length in males was 26.6::1:2.2 mm, and 23.0±3.3 mm in females. There were significant differenees in diet regarding size of prey eaten by males and females, whieh is related to size of the same; males fed on smaller prey (3.2::1:2. 8 mm) than females (4.0±3.4 mm).