Dietary analysis of Homonota darwini （Squamata： Gekkonidae） in Northern Patagonia

• Published in: Current zoology no. 4; pp. 406 - 410
• Main Author: Marcelo E. KUN Carla PIANTONI John D. KRENZ Nora R. IBARGUENGOYTIA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: 塔; 壁虎科; 夜间活动; 捕食昆虫; 胃内容物; 膳食; 食用蚂蚁; 鳞翅目幼虫
• ISSN: 1674-5507

Our study investigated the diet of the southernmost gecko in the world, Homonota darwini. Fifty-three specimens were captured during spring and summer in four locations in Patagonia, Argentina. The stomach contents of the specimens were identified, and we tbund that prey consisted of six main groups： Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Homoptera and Araneae, and the adults and larvae of moth Lepidoptera. Lepidoptera was the major dietary component. The presence of ants and moths as common prey suggests an ambush feeding strategy. In spring, females consumed more ants than males although no other dietary differences between males and females were evident. We tbund nine geckos with empty stomachs and six parasitized by nematodes. Presence of empty stomachs corroborates previous observations of other nocturnal geckos and non-gecko lizards. Reduced foraging success of nocturnal lizards could be due to difficulty in prey detection due to dim light, reduced or erratic activity of insect prey at night, or shorter activity time