Chacophrys pierottii is a medium-sized frog with generalist and opportunistic predation habits, and its diet includes mainly small vertebrates and arthropods. During a fieldtrip in Defensores del Chaco National Park (Alto Paraguay department, Paraguay), at the base of Cerro León we observed a juvenile male Chacophrys pierottii feeding on a juvenile Trachycephalus typhonius near to a temporary pond, formed by recent heavy rains. Our finding represents the first record of the arboreal frog, Trachycephalus typhonius as a prey item of C. pierottii. However, more data is necessary to determine if this event is an isolated case product of voracity, or T. typhonius juveniles on the ground are common prey during explosive reproduction.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

Bueno Villafañe, Diego

Cabral Beconi, Hugo Enrique

Lesterhuis, Arne

Cuadernos de Herpetología

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Nota23Author for correspondence: diegobuenov@gmail.comPredation of Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Anura: Hylidae) by a juvenile Chacophrys pierottii (Vellard, 1948) (Anura: Ceratophryidae) in the Paraguayan ChacoDiego Bueno Villafañe1,2,3, Hugo Cabral Beconi1,2,3, Arne Lesterhuis21 Programa Nacional de Incentivo a Investigadores (PRONII). Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CO-NACYT), (21)506223, Tte. 1ª Teófilo del Puerto, Asunción, Paraguay.2 Asociación Guyra Paraguay, +595 21 223 567, Av. Cnel. Carlos Bóveda, Parque Asunción Verde, Viñas Cué, Paraguay.3 Instituto Investigación Biológica del Paraguay, Del Escudo 1607, Asunción, Paraguay.Cuad. herpetol. 31 (1): 23-24 (2017)Chacophrys pierottii is a medium-sized frog with fossorial and nocturnal habits (Norman, 1994), and is endemic to Chacoan ecoregions of Argentina, Bo-livia and Paraguay (Cei, 1980; Brusquetti and Lavilla, 2005). The species is a generalist and opportunistic predator and its diet includes small vertebrates and arthropods (Schalk et al., 2014). Here we report on the first record of predation on Trachycephalus typhonius by C. pierottii.Our discovery took place in Defensores del Chaco National Park (Alto Paraguay department, Paraguay), at the base of Cerro León (20°25’57.97”S 60°19’3.31”W) on February 26, 2016 around 07:45-08:00 h. A juvenile male Chacophrys pierottii (Snout-vent length (SVL)= 27.4 mm.) was found feeding on a juvenile Trachycephalus typhonius (SVL=19.2 mm) near to a temporary pond, formed as a consequence of recent heavy rains occurring in the area two days before. We also observed large activity of many other potential preys, including juveniles of Leptodactylus fuscus, Dermatonotus muelleri, Physalaemus spp., and Rhinella spp.Upon capturing the individual of C. pierottii, we noted the presence of a hind limb emerging from its mouth (Fig. 1A). We carefully pull it to determine the identity of the prey, which turned out to be a juvenile of Trachycephalus typhonius in an early process of digestion (Fig. 1B). After prey extraction, we collected and fixed the predator.Quantitative analysis of the diet of juveniles and adults of C. pierottii was summarized by Pueta and Perotti (2013) and Schalk et al. (2014) respectively. Both reported a variety of juvenile and adult prey items including arthropods and frogs, being Coleop-tera and Hymenoptera the most abundant preys and with the highest index of relative importance, but finding frogs along with Hymenopterans, volume-trically dominant. Until now, the only frogs reported as prey of C. pierottii were species with terrestrial and/or aquatic habits such as Leptodactylus spp., Physalaemus spp. and also co-specifics (Pueta and Perotti, 2013). Our finding represents the first record of the arboreal frog Trachycephalus typhonius as a prey item of juvenile C. pierottii. Amphibians represent common part of the diet of most the Ceratophryidae species (Schalk et al., 2014), but there are few records of these anurans feeding on the ones with arboreals habits. Among the terrestrial species, a juvenile Ceratophrys cornuta found palatable to Scinax rubra in isolated condi-Recibida:  0 5  A b r i l  2 0 1 6Revisada:  2 9  A b r i l  2 0 1 6Aceptada:  3 0  Nov i e mbre  2 0 1 6E d i t o r  A s o c i a d o :  M .  Va i r aABSTRACTChacophrys pierottii is a medium-sized frog with generalist and opportunistic predation habits, and its diet includes mainly small vertebrates and arthropods. During a fieldtrip in Defensores del Chaco National Park (Alto Paraguay department, Paraguay), at the base of Cerro León we observed a juvenile male Chacophrys pierottii feeding on a juvenile Trachycephalus typhonius near to a temporary pond, formed by recent heavy rains. Our finding represents the first record of the arboreal frog, Trachycephalus typhonius as a prey item of C. pierottii. However, more data is necessary to determine if this event is an isolated case product of voracity, or T. typhonius juveniles on the ground are common prey during explosive reproduction.Key Words: Trachycephalus; Ceratophrys; Predation; Chaco; Paraguay.24D. Bueno et al.  - Predation of Trachycephalus typhonius by Chacophrys pierottiitions (Duellmann and Lizana, 1994) and Schalk et al. (2014) reported a case of a metamorphosed Ceratophrys cranwelli (SVL = 30 mm) feeding on a recently metamorphosed tailed Phyllomedusa sauvagii at the edge of a pond, from where it was suggested he came out the previous night. The latter case resembles ours, suggesting an early voracity and opportunistic behavior, in which the availability of item preys determines in a degree the diet of these predators.  However, more data is necessary to de-termine if this event is an isolated case product of voracity, or T. typhonius juveniles on the ground are common prey during explosive reproduction events.AcknowledgementsThe authors wish to thank Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnología (CONACYT) for founding support through the Programa Paraguayo  para  el Desarrollo  de  la  Ciencia  y  Tecnologia  (PROCIEN-CIA) for project 14-INV-209 and Guyra Paraguay for logistic support. DB and HCB also want to thanks CONACYT for funding support through the PRO-NII program. To the Secretaría del Ambiente for collection permit 126-2015.Literature citedCei, J.M. 1980. Amphibians of Argentina. Monitore Zoologico Italiano, Monographie 2: 1-609.Brusquetti, F. & Lavilla, E. 2006. Lista comentada de los Anfibios del Paraguay. Cuadernos de Herpetología 20: 3-79.Duellmann, W.E. & Lizana, M. 1994. Biology of a sit-and-wait predator, the leptodactylid frog Ceratophrys cornuta. Herpetologica 50: 51-64.Schalk, C.M.; Montaña, C.G.; Klemishand, J.M. & Wild, E.R. 2014. On the diet of the frogs of the Ceratophryidae: Synopsis and new contributions. South American Journal of Herpetology 9: 90-105.Pueta, M. and Perotti, M.G. 2013. Feeding habits of juvenile Chacophrys pierottii (Ceratophryidae-Ceratophryinae) from northwestern Córdoba province, Argentina. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 8: 376-384.Norman, D.R. 1994. Anfibios y Reptiles del Chaco Paraguayo, Tomi I. Private printing. San José, Costa Rica.A BFigura 1. A. Individual of Chacophrys pierottii found with a frog hind limb emerging from its mouth. B. Juvenile of Trachycephalus typhonius partially digested (white arrow) after being partially extracted from the mouth of  C. pierottii.© 2017 por los autores, licencia otorgada a la Asociación Herpetológica Argentina. Este artículo es de acceso abierto y distribuido bajo los términos y condiciones de una licencia Atribución-No Comercial 2.5 Argentina de Creative Commons. Para ver una copia de esta licencia, visite http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ar/

Predation of <i>Trachycephalus typhonius</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) (Anura: Hylidae) by a juvenile <i>Chacophrys pierottii</i> (Vellard, 1948) (Anura: Ceratophryidae) in the Paraguayan Chaco

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Nota
23
Author for correspondence: diegobuenov@gmail.com
Predation of Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus, 1758) 
(Anura: Hylidae) by a juvenile Chacophrys pierottii (Vellard, 
1948) (Anura: Ceratophryidae) in the Paraguayan Chaco
Diego Bueno Villafañe1,2,3, Hugo Cabral Beconi1,2,3, Arne Lesterhuis2
1 Programa Nacional de Incentivo a Investigadores (PRONII). Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CO-
NACYT), (21)506223, Tte. 1ª Teófilo del Puerto, Asunción, Paraguay.
2 Asociación Guyra Paraguay, +595 21 223 567, Av. Cnel. Carlos Bóveda, Parque Asunción Verde, Viñas Cué, 
Paraguay.
3 Instituto Investigación Biológica del Paraguay, Del Escudo 1607, Asunción, Paraguay.
Cuad. herpetol. 31 (1): 23-24 (2017)
Chacophrys pierottii is a medium-sized frog with 
fossorial and nocturnal habits (Norman, 1994), and 
is endemic to Chacoan ecoregions of Argentina, Bo-
livia and Paraguay (Cei, 1980; Brusquetti and Lavilla, 
2005). The species is a generalist and opportunistic 
predator and its diet includes small vertebrates and 
arthropods (Schalk et al., 2014). Here we report 
on the first record of predation on Trachycephalus 
typhonius by C. pierottii.
Our discovery took place in Defensores del 
Chaco National Park (Alto Paraguay department, 
Paraguay), at the base of Cerro León (20°25’57.97”S 
60°19’3.31”W) on February 26, 2016 around 07:45-
08:00 h. A juvenile male Chacophrys pierottii (Snout-
vent length (SVL)= 27.4 mm.) was found feeding on 
a juvenile Trachycephalus typhonius (SVL=19.2 mm) 
near to a temporary pond, formed as a consequence 
of recent heavy rains occurring in the area two days 
before. We also observed large activity of many other 
potential preys, including juveniles of Leptodactylus 
fuscus, Dermatonotus muelleri, Physalaemus spp., 
and Rhinella spp.
Upon capturing the individual of C. pierottii, we 
noted the presence of a hind limb emerging from its 
mouth (Fig. 1A). We carefully pull it to determine 
the identity of the prey, which turned out to be a 
juvenile of Trachycephalus typhonius in an early 
process of digestion (Fig. 1B). After prey extraction, 
we collected and fixed the predator.
Quantitative analysis of the diet of juveniles and 
adults of C. pierottii was summarized by Pueta and 
Perotti (2013) and Schalk et al. (2014) respectively. 
Both reported a variety of juvenile and adult prey 
items including arthropods and frogs, being Coleop-
tera and Hymenoptera the most abundant preys and 
with the highest index of relative importance, but 
finding frogs along with Hymenopterans, volume-
trically dominant. Until now, the only frogs reported 
as prey of C. pierottii were species with terrestrial 
and/or aquatic habits such as Leptodactylus spp., 
Physalaemus spp. and also co-specifics (Pueta and 
Perotti, 2013). Our finding represents the first record 
of the arboreal frog Trachycephalus typhonius as a 
prey item of juvenile C. pierottii. 
Amphibians represent common part of the diet 
of most the Ceratophryidae species (Schalk et al., 
2014), but there are few records of these anurans 
feeding on the ones with arboreals habits. Among 
the terrestrial species, a juvenile Ceratophrys cornuta 
found palatable to Scinax rubra in isolated condi-
Recibida:  0 5  A b r i l  2 0 1 6
Revisada:  2 9  A b r i l  2 0 1 6
Aceptada:  3 0  Nov i e mbre  2 0 1 6
E d i t o r  A s o c i a d o :  M .  Va i r a
ABSTRACT
Chacophrys pierottii is a medium-sized frog with generalist and opportunistic predation habits, 
and its diet includes mainly small vertebrates and arthropods. During a fieldtrip in Defensores 
del Chaco National Park (Alto Paraguay department, Paraguay), at the base of Cerro León we 
observed a juvenile male Chacophrys pierottii feeding on a juvenile Trachycephalus typhonius 
near to a temporary pond, formed by recent heavy rains. Our finding represents the first record 
of the arboreal frog, Trachycephalus typhonius as a prey item of C. pierottii. However, more data 
is necessary to determine if this event is an isolated case product of voracity, or T. typhonius 
juveniles on the ground are common prey during explosive reproduction.
Key Words: Trachycephalus; Ceratophrys; Predation; Chaco; Paraguay.
24
D. Bueno et al.  - Predation of Trachycephalus typhonius by Chacophrys pierottii
tions (Duellmann and Lizana, 1994) and Schalk 
et al. (2014) reported a case of a metamorphosed 
Ceratophrys cranwelli (SVL = 30 mm) feeding on 
a recently metamorphosed tailed Phyllomedusa 
sauvagii at the edge of a pond, from where it was 
suggested he came out the previous night. The latter 
case resembles ours, suggesting an early voracity and 
opportunistic behavior, in which the availability of 
item preys determines in a degree the diet of these 
predators.  However, more data is necessary to de-
termine if this event is an isolated case product of 
voracity, or T. typhonius juveniles on the ground are 
common prey during explosive reproduction events.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Consejo Nacional de 
Ciencias y Tecnología (CONACYT) for founding 
support through the Programa Paraguayo  para  el 
Desarrollo  de  la  Ciencia  y  Tecnologia  (PROCIEN-
CIA) for project 14-INV-209 and Guyra Paraguay for 
logistic support. DB and HCB also want to thanks 
CONACYT for funding support through the PRO-
NII program. To the Secretaría del Ambiente for 
collection permit 126-2015.
Literature cited
Cei, J.M. 1980. Amphibians of Argentina. Monitore Zoologico 
Italiano, Monographie 2: 1-609.
Brusquetti, F. & Lavilla, E. 2006. Lista comentada de los Anfibios 
del Paraguay. Cuadernos de Herpetología 20: 3-79.
Duellmann, W.E. & Lizana, M. 1994. Biology of a sit-and-
wait predator, the leptodactylid frog Ceratophrys cornuta. 
Herpetologica 50: 51-64.
Schalk, C.M.; Montaña, C.G.; Klemishand, J.M. & Wild, E.R. 
2014. On the diet of the frogs of the Ceratophryidae: 
Synopsis and new contributions. South American Journal 
of Herpetology 9: 90-105.
Pueta, M. and Perotti, M.G. 2013. Feeding habits of juvenile 
Chacophrys pierottii (Ceratophryidae-Ceratophryinae) from 
northwestern Córdoba province, Argentina. Herpetological 
Conservation and Biology 8: 376-384.
Norman, D.R. 1994. Anfibios y Reptiles del Chaco Paraguayo, 
Tomi I. Private printing. San José, Costa Rica.
A B
Figura 1. A. Individual of Chacophrys pierottii found with a frog hind limb emerging from its mouth. B. Juvenile of Trachycephalus 
typhonius partially digested (white arrow) after being partially extracted from the mouth of  C. pierottii.
© 2017 por los autores, licencia otorgada a la Asociación Herpetológica Argentina. 
Este artículo es de acceso abierto y distribuido bajo los términos y condiciones de 
una licencia Atribución-No Comercial 2.5 Argentina de Creative Commons. Para ver 
una copia de esta licencia, visite http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ar/


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Predation of <i>Trachycephalus typhonius</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) (Anura: Hylidae) by a juvenile <i>Chacophrys pierottii</i> (Vellard, 1948) (Anura: Ceratophryidae) in the Paraguayan Chaco

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