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Ecological aspects of Coleodactylus meridionalis (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in an Atlantic rainforest fragment in Northeastern Brazil

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  • CAMILA NASCIMENTO OLIVEIRA,
  • José Guilherme Gonçalves-Sousa,
  • MÍRIAM CAMARGO GUARNIERI,
  • SAMUEL CARDOZO RIBEIRO
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17465

Published 2026-01-16

Keywords

  • Diet,
  • Lizard ecology,
  • Microhabitat use,
  • Parasitism,
  • Reproductive strategy,
  • Sexual dimorphism
    • ...More
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How to Cite

OLIVEIRA, C. N., Gonçalves-Sousa, J. G., GUARNIERI, M. C., & RIBEIRO, S. C. (2026). Ecological aspects of Coleodactylus meridionalis (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in an Atlantic rainforest fragment in Northeastern Brazil. Acta Herpetologica. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17465

Copyright (c) 2026 CAMILA NASCIMENTO OLIVEIRA, José Guilherme Gonçalves-Sousa, MÍRIAM CAMARGO GUARNIERI, SAMUEL CARDOZO RIBEIRO

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

The natural history of a species reflects its present and past adaptations, providing crucial evidence about the evolution and ecology of the group. Understanding these aspects allows for identifying the complex intra- and interspecific interactions that influence population dynamics. In this study, we investigated Coleodactylus meridionalis, a small terrestrial lizard with a broad distribution, in an Atlantic Forest fragment. Specifically, we analyzed the usage of microhabitats, morphological characteristics, reproductive aspects, diet, and associated endoparasites. We conducted monthly seven-day expeditions from August 2014 to July 2015 in the Campo de Instrução Marechal Newton Cavalcante, Pernambuco, Brazil. We recorded spatial use by 285 individuals, 271 (95%) of which were found in the forest interior, predominantly in leaf litter microhabitats (90.5%; N = 258). Females were significantly larger than males and had proportionally higher head heights. The diet included 22 prey categories, with Isopoda being the most frequent and voluminous and Psocoptera the most numerous prey categories found in the stomachs. The population reproduces continuously throughout the year, with fixed clutches of a single egg. The macro endoparasites found was an acanthocephalan cystacanth, with a prevalence of 13% and a mean infection intensity of 1.5 ± 0.74, and a Brachycoeliidae trematode, with a prevalence of 1.9% and a mean intensity of 3 ± 1.9. This is the first record of parasites for C. meridionalis, both as a paratenic host for cystacanth and as a definitive host for Brachycoeliidae.

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