Predation of Scinax ruber (Anura: Hylidae) tadpoles by a fishing spider of the genus Thaumisia (Araneae: Pisauridae) in south-east Peru

摘要

The red-snouted tree frog, Scinax ruber, is a medium sized hylid frog that is widely distributed throughout the Amazon basin where it mainly inhabits cleared areas of rainforest, as well as agricultural lands (Solis et al., 2010). This species breeds year-round, with the females depositing eggs on the vegetation overhanging temporary ponds where the tadpoles later develop (Solís et al., 2010). Temporary water sources are known to harbour fewer predators than permanent water sources (Skelly & Werner, 1990; Skelly, 1997; Wild, 1996) but semi-aquatic and terrestrial predators may be unaffected by the lifespan of the water source. This is the case with nursey web or semi-aquatic spiders (Pisauridae), as there are several reports of such spiders predating anurans (Bernarde et al., 1999; Mendes Luiz et al., 2013; Bovo et al., 2014; von May et al., 2019).