Abstract

HIROIUKI ODA, Fabrício; BELLAY, Sybelle; GONCALVES ORTEGA, Jean Carlo  and  DE PAIVA AFFONSO, Igor. An unusual prey for the cangati catfish in the Upper Paraná River Floodplain, Brazil. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2014, vol.85, n.2, pp.638-640. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.35859.

We herein report a case of predation by Trachelyopterus galeatus (Teleostei, Siluriformes) on Leptodactylus fuscus (Amphibia, Anura). An adult specimen of T. galeatus was collected in a gillnets during fieldwork in the Upper Paraná River Floodplain, Brazil. During the recent analysis of stomach contents a partially digested prey was observed. We identified this item as a juvenile L. fuscus. This is the first record of an amphibian anuran in the diet of the cangati catfish, T. galeatus. We believe that cases of anuran predation by T. galeatus are rare, and that the observed event was the result to an opportunistic feeding strategy of the fish. However, this report is particularly relevant because it demonstrates a possible effect of a non-native predator species on frogs in the Upper Paraná River Floodplain. Thus, future studies are essential for understanding the effects of the predatory behavior of non-native fishes on the anuran fauna on the floodplain.

Keywords : opportunistic predator; Leptodactylus fuscus; Amphibia; Leptodactylidae; Trachelyopterus galeatus; Auchenipteridae.