Scinax fuscovarius (Anura, Hylidae) diet assessment at Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Amphibians control the population size of various invertebrate species and are food sources for other predators. Their diets can be influenced by characteristics that facilitate prey discovery according to foraging strategies that vary between anuran species. The diets of seventy-five Scinax fuscovarius specimens collected through active nocturnal searches at the Estancia Mimosa farm, in the municipality of Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil were assessed. Thirty-nine of the stomachs (52%) contained food items, comprising 94 items and 28 prey categories, divided into three groups (insects, arachnids and crustaceans). Orthoptera was the most frequent prey item, while Araneae was the most abundant prey and Hemiptera Cicadellidae was the most voluminous prey category. The results indicate that S. fuscovarius is a generalist and opportunistic predator, using a "sit and wait" foraging strategy. Prey volume was not associated with individual size, but the number of preys per individuals was related to frog size. Variation in diet composition throughout the different life stages along with reproductive activity may explain the low similarity found in the diets of male, female and juvenile individuals.