Snakes, especially elapids, are important predators of amphisbaenians (Marques and Sazima, 2004). Previous records on predation of amphisbaenians by snakes include those of Barun and Perry (2003), which reported the predation of Amphisbaena fenestrata by the colubrid snake Alsophis portoricensis; Cisnero-Heredia (2005), on predation of Amphisbaena fuliginosa by Micrurus ancoralis; Gomes et al. (2005a; 2005b), on predation of Amphisbaena ibijara by Micrurus ibiboboca and Apostolepis pymi; and Duarte (2006), on predation of Amphisbaena mertensii by the false coral snake Phalotris mertensi.

Amphisbaenians, or worm lizards, constitute a monophyletic group of approximately 190 species of highly specialized fossorial squamates (Macey et al. 2004; Townsend et al. 2004; Gans, 2005). Six families are recognized in the suborder Amphisbaenia (Vidal

et al. 2007) but only one, the Amphisbaenidae, occurs in Brazil, comprising at least 60 species (Gans, 2005). Amphisbaenia alba Linnaeus, 1758 is a reptile that is exceptionally widespread in South America; it ranges throughout most of South America east of the Andes (see Mott and Vieites, 2009).

The colubrid genus Drymarchon comprises four species, distributed from South America, Central America and south-eastern North America (Wüster, Yrausquin and Mijares-Urrutia, 2001). Here we report the predation of an adult red worm lizard, Amphisbaena alba by the yellow tail cribo, Drymarchon corais.

On 28th December 2006, around 7:24 am in a gallery forest at the Garimpo do Araés, municipality of Nova Xavantina, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, an adult D. corais (ca. 2000 mm total length) was observed ingesting an adult A. alba (ca. 600 mm total length).

The snake kept the amphisbaenian immobilized by the head (Fig. 1), while it executed contortion movements with its body. The amphisbaenian did not present defensive behaviours such as tail display or autotomy. After successive contortion, the snake initiated the ingestion of the prey (Fig. 2), which lasted approximately 40 min. Apparently, as a result of feeling threatened by our presence, the snake exhibited tail display behaviours. At that time we moved away in order not to disturb the snake. The animals were not collected.

We believe that the predation of the amphisbaenian A. alba by D. corais occurred whilst the amphisbaenian was foraging on at ground surface level. This fossorial reptile use chemical clues for prey detection and identification on the soil surface. Riley et al. (1986) suggest that A. alba can follow the chemical trails left by Atta cephalotes ants and that the orientation cue used by these reptiles is predominantly olfactory. The presence of workers of the epigaeic Eciton and Labidus praedator ants (Ecitoninae) in the stomach contents of

Herpetology Notes, volume 3: 229-231 (2010) (published online on 20 July 2010)

An unusual prey item for the yellow tail cribo Drymarchon corais Boie 1827, in the Brazilian Savannah

Vitor Azarias Campos1*, Fabrício Hiroiuki Oda2, Alcimara Feraboli Curcino3, Alexandre Curcino4

1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Corrêa da Costa, s/n, CCBS-II, Boa Esperança, CEP 78060-900. Cuiabá, MT, Brazil; e-mail VAC: vitorazariascampos@hotmail.com

2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais. Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Nupélia - Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura, Laboratório de Ictioparasitologia - Bloco G-90, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900. Maringá, PR, Brazil; e-mail FHO: fabricio_oda@hotmail.com

3 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, BR 158, CEP 78690-000, Campus de Nova Xavantina, MT, Brazil;

e-mail AFC: alcimarabio@yahoo.com.br 4 Laboratório de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas,

Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II Samambaia. Con-junto Itatiaia, CEP 74000-970. C.P. 131. Goiânia GO, Brazil; e-mail AC: alexavante@yahoo.com.br

* corresponding author

Vitor Azarias Campos et al.230

amphisbaenian reptiles, indicate that amphisbaenians forage also on the soil surface (Gorzula, Salazar and Rendon, 1976; Bernardo-Silva et al. 2006; Esteves, Brandão and Viegas, 2008).

Drymarchon corais is considered a generalist snake, preying upon anurans, lizards, snakes, eggs of birds and rodents (Duellman, 1990; Bernarde and Abe, 2006).

However, this is the first record of an amphisbenian in its diet.

Acknowledgements. We thanks Christine Strüssmann, Luís Felipe Toledo, Paulo S. Bernarde and one anonymous reviewer for comments on this manuscript. Mariana F. Felismino, Rafael Vieira Nunes and Ana Carolina Lacerda for corrections on the English text.

Figure 1. Drymarchon corais keeping the Amphisbaena alba immobilized by the head. Photo: A. Curcino.

Figure 2. Drymarchon corais in the process of swallowing an adult Amphisbaena alba. Photo: A. Curcino.

Drymarchon corais predation upon Amphisbaena alba 231

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Accepted by Zoltán T. Nagy; Managing Editor: Philip de Pous

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