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Home / All Titles / Journal of Herpetology / Jun 2017 / pg(s) 215-222

Journal of Herpetology Published by: The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

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Current: Mar 2018 : Volume 52 Issue 1

Impact Factor: 0.911 Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 96/162 - Zoology

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Journal of Herpetology 51(2):215-222. 2017

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https://doi.org/10.1670/15-161

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Diet Composition and Foraging Habitat Use by Three Species of Water Snakes, Helicops Wagler, 1830, (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in Eastern Brazilian Amazonia

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Cássia de Carvalho Teixeira Luciano Fogaça de Assis Montag and Maria Cristina dos Santos-Costa Title Tools Copyright 2017 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

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Habitat Selection by the Invasive Species Burmese Python in Southern Florida

Water snakes of the genus Helicops have different uses of food resources that can facilitate species coexistence. To assess diet and foraging habitat of water snakes in eastern Brazilian Amazonia, we used prey consumed by Helicops angulatus, Helicops hagmanni, and Helicops polylepis deposited in scientific collections to analyze variations in composition, breadth, and niche overlap on a regional scale. Among these prey, we used fish (main item) to calculate ecomorphological attributes that might indicate fish habitat and, consequently, the foraging habitat used by snakes. Our analyses indicate these three snake species have similar diet compositions but differ in the proportion in which each item is consumed. Helicops angulatus had the most generalized diet and H. hagmanni had the most specialized diet. Food niche overlap among the three species was moderate. All three species forage in the medium and upper strata of the water column in the lentic zone; however, H. polylepis feeds on prey with varied morphological features that may indicate foraging in many types of environments. The snakes have similar diets and foraging habitats; however, they use food items and space in different proportions.

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Resumo Cobras d'água do gênero Helicops apresentam diferentes formas de uso dos recursos alimentares, o que pode facilitar a coexistência das espécies. Com o objetivo de avaliar a dieta e o hábitat de forrageio das cobras d'água no leste da Amazônia brasileira, nós utilizamos presas consumidas por Helicops angulatus, Helicops hagmanni e Helicops polylepis depositadas em coleções científicas para analisar variações na composição, amplitude e sobreposição de nicho numa escala regional. Dentre essas presas, nós utilizamos os peixes (principal item) para calcular atributos ecomorfológicos que podem indicar o hábitat dos peixes e, consequentemente, o hábitat de forrageio utilizado pelas serpentes. Nossas análises indicaram que as três espécies de serpentes possuem uma composição da dieta semelhante, mas diferem na proporção em que cada item é consumido. Helicops angulatus apresentou a dieta mais generalista e H. hagmanni a mais especializada. A sobreposição de nicho alimentar entre as três espécies foi moderada. As três espécies forrageiam nos estratos médio e superior da coluna d'água em ambientes lênticos; no entanto, H. polylepis se alimenta de presas com características morfológicas mais variadas, o que pode indicar o forrageio em muitos tipos de ambientes. As serpentes possuem dietas e hábitats de forrageio semelhantes, porém, utilizam alimento e espaço em proporções diferentes.

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