Alimentary habits of Hydromedusa maximiliani (Mikan, 1820) (Testudines, Chelidae) and its relation to prey availability in the environment (original) (raw)

Hydromedusa maximiliani is endemic to mountainous regions, with distribution in the Atlantic Forest region along mountain ranges in Southeastern and part of northeastern Brazil. This work aimed at studying the feeding habits of a H. maximiliani population from Minas Gerais state, Southeastern Brazil. Specimens were captured, marked, measured and submitted to stomach washing. Pitfall traps were used to capture prey in terrestrial environments, and nets were used to collect macroinvertebrates in the aquatic environmental. We captured and recaptured a total of 33 individuals. From 16 samples of stomach content, we recorded aquatic insect larvae, crabs, and terrestrial invertebrates. In total, 16 categories of prey items were identified. These belonged to 16 orders and 70 families of Insecta, 3 families of Diplopoda, 2 families of Crustacea, and 13 families of Arachnida. Lepidoptera, Baetidae and Diplopoda reached maximum electivity. The most representative group in the diet was Insecta, especially those with aquatic larval phase. The information obtained in this study about the diet of H. maximiliani indicates this vertebrate as a potential predator for regulating the density of benthic macroinvertebrates, and our data corroborate other studies which also showed the importance of H. maximiliani as a predator essential to aquatic food web dynamics. These data will be useful in future studies dealing with the biomonitoring of H. maximiliani, and contributing to its preservation as well as to the preservation of habitats where this species lives.