Diet of the cloud forest shrew Cryptotis meridensis [Insectivora: Soricidae] in the Venezuelan Andes

• Autorzy: Diaz d. P. A. , De Ascencao A.A.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The diet of Cryptotis meridensis Thomas, 1898 was studied by analysing stomach contents of 55 shrews collected by pitfall trapping in the cloud forest of Monte Zerpa, Mérida, Venezuela. The aims of the study were to describe the diet of this unknown tropical species and test the prediction that this species should be more of a subterranean feeder according to its morphological adaptations. The diet was composed of 35 different prey taita distributed in six invertebrate classes (Gastropoda, Annelida, Arachnida, Crustacea, Myriapoda and Insecta). The most important components of the diet were hypogeal invertebrates: Oligochaeta, Gastropoda, Theraposidae, Isopoda, Scolopendridae, Phasmatidae, Blatiidae, Lepidoptera larvae and pupae, Diptera larvae, adult Carabidae, Staphilinidae, Elateridae larvae, Passalidae and Scarabaeidae larvae. Their contribution was 69.44% of the overall diet composition. Oligochaeta were the most frequent prey. Ephigeal invertebrates (Lycosidae, Acrididae, Gryllidae, adult Scarabaeidae and Lycosidae) accounted for only 27,24%. The preferences for soil invertebrates found in this study confirmed our prediction that C. meridensis uses mostly a subterranean foraging mode in accord with its morphological adaptations similar to other shrews in temperate habitats.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

diet; shrew; tropical species; cloud forest; Soricidae; Insectivora; Cryptotis meridensis; Cryptotis thomasi; Venezuela; Andes Mountains

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Theriologica
• Rocznik: 2000
• Tom: 45
• Numer: 1
• Opis fizyczny: p.13-24,fig.

Twórcy

autor

Diaz d. P. A.

• Universidad de Los Andes, Merida 5101, Venezuela

autor

De Ascencao A.A.

Bibliografia

• Aagaard E. M. 1982. Ecological distribution of mammals in the cloud forest and páramos of the Andes, Mérida, Venezuela. Ph D thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins: 1-276 +29.
• Adis J. 1981. Comparative ecological studies of the terrestrial arthropod fauna in Central Amazonian inundation forest. Amazoniana 7: 87-173.
• Adis J. 1988. On the abundance and density of terrestrial arthropods in Central Amazonian dry land forests. Journal of Tropical Ecology 4: 19-24.
• Atarof T M. and Schwarzkopf T. 1992. Leaf production, reproductive patterns, Field germination and seedling survival in Chamaedora bartlingiana, a dioecious understory palm. Oecologia 92; 250-256,
• Barnett A. A. 1992. Notes on the ecology of Cryptotis montivaga Anthony, 1921 (Insectívora: Soricidae), a high-altitude shrew from Ecuador. Mammalia 56: 587-592.
• Borror D. J. and DeLong D, M. 1981. An introduction to the study of insects. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York: 1-812.
• Castién E. and Gosálbez J. 1995. Diet of Sorex coronatus in the western of Pyrenees. Acta Theriologica 40: 113-121.
• Chapman R. F. 1971. The insects, structure and function. American Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc., New York: 1-819.
• Churchfield S. 1982. Food availability and the diet of the common shrew, Sorex araneus, in Britain, Journal of Animal Ecology 51: 15-28.
• Churchfield S. 1993. Foraging strategies of shrews: interactions between small predators and their prey. [In: Mammals as predators. N. Dunstone and M. L. Gorman, edsj. 235-252.
• Churchfield S. and Sheftel B. I. 1994. Food niche overlap and ecological separation in a multi-species community of shrews in the Siberian taiga. Journal of Zoology, London 234: 105-124.
• Craig D. J. 1991. Temporal variation in diets and trophic partioning by coexisting lizards (Ctenotus: Scincidae) in central Australia Oecologia 85: 553-561.
• De Ascengáo A. 1997. [Composition, structure, trophic characterization and temporal activity patterns of dung beetle community (Scarabaeoidea) in the cloud forest]. Lie. Thesis Universidad de Los Andes. Mérida, Venezuela: 1-127 + 31. [In Spanish]
• Díaz de Pascual A. 1993. Habitat characterization of some small mammals in the cloud forest of Monte Zerpa. Mérida, Venezuela. Ecotrópicos 6: 1- 9. I In Spanish with English summary]
• Díaz de Pascual A, 1994. The rodent community of the Venezuelan cloud Forest of Mérida. Polish Ecological Studies 20: 155-161.
• Dickman C. 1Í. 1988. Body size, prey size, and community structure in insectivorous mammals. Ecology 69: 569-580.
• Dickman C. R. 1995. Diets and habitat preferences of three species of crocidurine shrews in and southern Africa. Journal of Zoology, London 237: 499-514.
• Duarte M. and Viloria A. 1992. New record of Cryptotis thomasi (Merrian, 1897) (Mammalia: Insectívora) in the "Sierra de Perijá" at the northeaster of the Colombian Andes range. Acta Científica Venezolana 43: 240-242. [In Spanish with English summary I
• Durant P. 1993. [The cloud forest of Monte ZerpaJ. [In: Wandering through the science. J. E. Péfaur and F. Fuenmayor, eds|. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad de Los Andes. Mérida. Venezuela: 211-221. [In Spanish]
• Durant P. and Péfaur J. 1984. [Systematic and ecology of the Shrew of Mérida. (Soricidae: Insectívora)). Revista de Ecología y Conservación Ornitológica Latinoamericana 2: 3-16. [In Spanish)
• French T. 1984. Dietary overlap af Sorex longirostris and S. cinereus in Hardwood floodplain habitats in Vigo County, Indiana. The American Midland Naturalist 111: 41- 46.
• Handley C. and Kalko E. 1993. A short history of pitfall trapping in America, with a review of methods currently used for small mammals. Virginia Journal of Science 44: 19-26.
• Hutterer R. 1985. Anatomical adaptations of shrews. Mammal Review 15: 43-55.
• Kirkland G, L. Jr and Sheppard P. K. 1994. Proposed standard protocol for sampling small mammal communities. [In: Advances in the biology of shrews. J. Merritt, G. Kirkland Jr and R Rose, edsj. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No 18, Pittsburgh: 277-281.
• Leigh E. Jr, Rand S. and Windsor D. 1982. The ecology of a tropical forest. Seasonal rhythms and long-term changes. Tin: The Ecology of the tropical forest. E, Leigh Jr., S, Rand, and D. Windsor eds] Washington, D. C: Smithsonian Institution Press 355-387.
• Levings S. and Windsor D 1984. Litter moisture content as a determinant of litter arthropod distribution and abundance during the dry season on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Biotropica 16: 125-131.
• Linares O. J. 1998. I The Venezuelan mammals]. Audubon Conservation Society of Venezuela. Caracas: 1-691. [In Spanish]
• López-Arévalo H., Montenegro-Diaz O. and Cadena A. 1993. Ecology of the small mammals of the Carpanta Biological Reserve, in the Colombian oriental range. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 28: 193-210. [In Spanish with English summary]
• Metcalf C. L. and Flint W. P. 1985. [Destructive and useful insects, their behavior and their control], McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York: 1-1208. I In Spanish]
• Mora J., Diaz de Pascual A., Orlandoni G. and Márquez J. 1997. [Relationship between the relative abundance of four species of small mammals and the precipitation], [In; Proceeding of the 5th Meeting of the International Biometric Society Network For Central America, The Caribean, México, Colombia y Venezuela], Facultad de Estadística e Informática, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa: 395-404. [In Spanishl
• Narváez Z. and Soriano P. 1996. Composition and structure of the Sphingidae community Unsecta: Lepidoptera) of the Andean cloud forest. Eeotrópicos 9: 9-20. I In Spanish with English summary]
• Norusis M. J. 1992. SPSS for windows: Base system User's Guide Release 5.0. Chicago: 1- 672.
• Osuna E. 1995. (Insect exoskeleton morphology). Consejo de Desarrollo Científico y Humanístico. Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas: 1-471. [In Spanish]
• Pernetta J. C. 1976. Diets of the shrews Sorex araneus L. and Sorex minutas L. in Wytham grassland. Journal of Animal Ecology 45: 899-912.
• Pernetta J. C. 1977. Anatomical and behavioural specialization of shrews in relation to their diet. Canadian Journal of Zoology 55: 1442-1453.
• Pielou E. 1975. Ecological Diversity. John Wiley and Sons, New York: 1-165.
• Rose R. K. 1980. The southeastern shrew, Sorex longirostris, in southern Indiana. Journal of Mammalogy 61: 62-64.
• líudge M. R, 1968. The food of the common shrew Sorex araneus L. (Insectívora: Soricidae) in Britain. Journal of Animal Ecology 37: 565-581.
• Rychlik L 1997. Differences in foraging behaviour between water shrews: Neomys anomalus and Neomys fodiens. Acta Theriologica 42; 351-386.
• Schoener T. W. 1989. Should hindgut contents be included in lizard dietary compilations 9 Journal of Herpetology. 23: 455-458.
• Smith R. F. and Silva G. 1983. [identification Keys for Neotropical terrestrial arthropodsj. Universidad Centrooccidental "Lisandro Alvarado" of Venezuela, Barquisimeto: 1-334. [In Spanish]
• Soriano P. J., Díaz de Pascual A., Ochoa J. and Aguilera M. 1999. Biogeographic analysis of the mammal communities in the Venezuelan Andes. Interciencia 24: 17-25.
• Whitaker J. O. Jr 1988. Food habits analysis of insectivorous bats. [In: Ecological and behavioral methods for the study of bats. T. H. Kunz, eds]. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington: 171-189.
• Whitaker J. O. Jr and Mumford R. E, 1972. Food and ectoparasites of Indiana shrews. Journal of Mammalogy 53: 329-335.
• Wolda H. 1981. Seasonality of tropical insects. II. Blattaria in Panama. Journal of Animal Ecology 50: 827-838.