We report on the predation of Thecadactylus solimoensis (Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) by an owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata (Aves, Strigiformes). Examination of pellets collected from a P. perspicillata roost contained a partial left maxilla of a gecko. The maxilla contained the following traits, which confirmed the identification of T. solimoensis: the large size of the maxilla, at least 27 tooth loci, a thickened medial side of the maxillary palatal shelf, a horizontal shelf at the base of the facial process, and blade like posterior process that does not taper abruptly. This is the first report of a gecko in the genus Thecadactylus being preyed upon by an owl.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

Bauer, Aaron

Borman, A. Randall

Daza, Juan D.

Peterhans, Julian Kerbis

Price, Lee Bension

Schalk, Christopher

Cuadernos de Herpetología

Servicio de Difusión de la Creación Intelectual

Nota37Author for correspondence: daza@shsu.eduPredation on Southern Turnip-tailed geckos (Thecadactylus solimoensis) by a Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)Juan D. Daza1, Lee Bension Price2, Christopher M. Schalk1, Aaron M. Bauer3, A. Randall Borman4, Julian Kerbis Peterhans2,51 Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341, United States of America.2 Science and Education, The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, United States of America.3 Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, United States of America.4 Fundación para la Sobrevivencia del Pueblo Cofán, Mariano Cardenal N74-153 y Joaquín Mancheno Carcelen Alto, Quito, Ecuador5 College of Professional Studies, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, United States of America.Cuad. herpetol. 31 (1): 37-39 (2017)Geckos of the genus Thecadactylus are widely dis-tributed across the New World, and range from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico to northern Bolivia as well as across the Lesser Antilles (Russell and Bauer, 2002). Known predators of Thecadactylus geckos in-clude a number of snake species (Leptophis ahaetulla [Hero and Magnusson, 1987], Siphlophis cervinus [da Cunha and Nascimento, 1994; dos Santos-Costa et al., 2015], Leptophis mexicanus [Campbell, 1998], Erythrolamprus cobella [Mole and Urich, 1894; Boos, 2001], Corallus caninus [Henderson, 1993], and Bothriechis schlegelii [Lindey and Sorrell, 2004]), Double-toothed Kites (Harpagus bidentatus [Ha-verschmidt, 1962]), bats (Goodwin and Greenhall, 1961; Tuttle, 1967; Greene 1988; Ferrer et al., 1998), and centipedes (Olson, 1993). Birds are important predators of reptiles as their metabolic demands may impose strong selec-tion on the evolution of defensive strategies (Greene, 1988; Pianka and Vitt, 2003). Owls are important consumers of small vertebrates and their regurgita-ted pellets contain the undigestible bones and hair of vertebrate prey, which facilitates the accumula-tion and fossilization of small vertebrate remains (Dodson and Wexlar, 1979). The analysis of these remains provides direct evidence about their trophic ecology and predator-prey interactions (Yom-Tov and Wool, 1997). Here we report a partial left maxilla (Fig. 1) found in an owl pellet, recovered from Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador (0° 23’ 43.00’’ S; 75° 54’ 47.05’’ W) along the margin of the Zabalo River. The pellet was regurgitated by a Spectacled Owl (Pul-satrix perspicillata). The maxilla belongs to a gecko according to diagnostic features of this group such as a single posterior process, and conical teeth with rounded crowns (Evans, 2008; Daza et al., 2015). There are four species of geckos in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve area: O’Shaughnessy’s Gecko (Go-natodes concinnatus; Sphaerodactylidae), Trinidad Gecko (Gonatodes humeralis; Sphaerodactylidae), Amazon Pigmy Gecko (Pseudogonatodes guianensis; Sphaerodactylidae), and Southern Turnip-Tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis; Phyllodactylidae) (Miyata, 1982; Vitt and de la Torre, 1996). Based on the length of the maxilla, the length of the skull of Recibida:  3 0  Nov i e mbre  2 0 1 6Revisada:  2 1  F e b r e r o  2 0 1 7Aceptada:  2 1  F e b r e r o  2 0 1 7Editor  Asociado:  M.  Cabrera ABSTRACTWe report on the predation of Thecadactylus solimoensis (Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) by an owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata (Aves, Strigiformes). Examination of pellets collected from a P. per-spicillata roost contained a partial left maxilla of a gecko. The maxilla contained the following traits, which confirmed the identification of T. solimoensis: the large size of the maxilla, at least 27 tooth loci, a thickened medial side of the maxillary palatal shelf, a horizontal shelf at the base of the facial process, and blade like posterior process that does not taper abruptly. This is the first report of a gecko in the genus Thecadactylus being preyed upon by an owl.Key Words: Diet; osteology; CT scans; Phyllodactylidae; Strigiformes.38J. D. Daza et al.  - Thecadactylus solimoensis predation by Pulsatrix perspicillatathe animal consumed by the owl is estimated to be about 20 mm long. Size alone serves to eliminate the three species of sphaerodactylids, which have miniaturized skulls which do not exceed 15 mm in length (Rieppel, 1984; Daza et al., 2008). Additional features support the identification as T. solimoensis, including tooth count (at least 27 tooth loci preser-ved and possibly more than 30 loci in total), a thicke-ned medial side of the maxillary palatal shelf (where the bone contacts the ectopterygoid), a horizontal shelf at the base of the facial process, and a blade like posterior process that does not taper abruptly. This combination of traits are found on the lateral side of the bone in phyllodactylid geckos (Daza and Bauer, unpublished data).This report is the first to document an owl as a predator of geckos in the genus Thecadactylus. Because of their nocturnal habits, Thecadactylus geckos are vulnerable to predation by owls and other nocturnal predators. In this region, both species of Gonatodes and P. guianensis are diurnal (Vitt and de la Torre, 1996; Gamble et al., 2015), and are not likely to be prey of P. perspicillata. AcknowledgementsWe thank Alan Resetar, Rachel Grill, Gregory E. Sch-neider, and Jens Vindum for access to comparative material. We also thank Jessica Maisano from the University of Texas at Austin for assistance obtaining the computer tomography data.Literature citedBoos, H.E.A. 2001. The Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX.Campbell, J.A. 1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK.Figure 1. Right maxilla of Thecadactylus solimoensis. (A–E) High Resolution Computer Tomography of specimen CAS 95146 (housed at the California Academy of Sciences) from Colonia Callería in the city of Pucallpa, region Ucayali, Peru. (F–H) material recovered from the owl pellets (material housed at The Field Museum, uncatalogued).39Cuad. herpetol. 31 (1): 37-39 (2017)da Cunha, O.R. & Nascimento, F.P. 1994. Ofídios da Amazônia. As cobras da região leste do Pará. Publicação Avulsa do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi 31: 1-218.Daza, J.D., Abdala, V., Thomas, R. & Bauer, A.M. 2008. Skull anatomy of the miniaturized gecko Sphaerodactylus roosevelti (Squamata: Gekkota). Journal of Morphology 269: 1340-1364.Daza, J.D., Bauer, A.M., Sand, C., Lilley, I., Wake, T.A. & Valentin, F. 2015. Reptile remains from Tiga (Tokanod), Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. Pacific Science 69: 531-557.Dodson, P. & Wexlar, D. 1979. Taphonomic investigations of owl pellets. Paleobiology 5: 275-284.dos Santos-Costa, M.C., Maschio, G.F. & da Costa Prudente, A.L. 2015. Natural history of snakes from Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetology Notes 8: 69-98.Evans, S.E. 2008. The skull of lizards and tuatara, pp. 1-347. In: Gans, C., Gaunt, A.S.  and Adler, K. (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia. Volume 20: Morphology H: The skull of Lepidosauria. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, NY.Ferrer P. A., Lew, D. & Lasso A. 1998. Nota sobre depredación por Trachops cirrhosus Spix, 1823 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) en Venezuela. Memoria 58: 145-148.Gamble, T., Greenbaum, E., Jackman, T.R. & Bauer, A.M. 2015. Into the light: diurnality has evolved multiple times in geckos. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 115: 896-910.Goodwin, G.G. & Greenhall, A.M. 1961. A review of the bats of Trinidad and Tobago: Descriptions, rabies infection and ecology. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 122: 191-301.Greene, H.W. 1988. Antipredator mechanisms in reptiles, pp. 1-152. In: Gans, C. and Huey, R.B. (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia. Volume 16.Alan R. Liss, New York, NY.Haverschmidt, F. 1962. Notes on the feeding habits and food of some hawks of Surinam. The Condor 64: 154-158.Henderson, R.W. 1993. On the diets of some arboreal boids. Herpetological Natural History 1: 91-96.Hero, J.M. & Magnusson,W. 1987. Leptophis ahaetulla. Food. Herpetological Review 18: 16.Lindey, S.D. & Sorrell, G.G. 2004. Bothriechis schlegelii (Eyelash Viper). Prey/predator weight ratio and diet. Herpetological Review 35: 272-273.Miyata, K. 1982. A check list of the amphibians and reptiles of Ecuador with a bibliography of Ecuadorian herpetology. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service 54: 1|70.Mole, R.R. & Urich, F.W. 1894. Biological notes upon some of the Ophidia of Trinidad, B.W.I., with a preliminary list of the species recorded from the island. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1894: 499-518.Olson, R.E. 1993. Brief notes on two Amazonian lizards. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 28: 119.Pianka, E.R. & Vitt, L.J. 2003. Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.Rieppel, O. 1984. Miniaturization of the lizard skull: its functional and evolutionary implications, pp. 503|520. In: Ferguson, M.J.W. (ed.), The Structure, Development and Evolution of Reptiles. The Zoological Society of London, Academic Press, London, UK.Russell, A.P., & Bauer, A.M. 2002. Thecadactylus T. rapicauda. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 753: 1-16.Tuttle, M.D. 1967. Predation by Chiropterus auritus on geckos. Journal of Mammalogy 48: 319.Vitt, L.J. & de la Torre, S. 1996. Guía para la Investigación de las Lagartijas de Cuyabeno. Museo de Zoología (QCAZ), Centro de Biodiversidad y Ambiente, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Monografía 1.Yom-Tov, Y.& Wool, D. 1997. Do the contents of barn owl pellets accurately represent the proportion of prey species in the field? The Condor 99: 972-976.© 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 on Southern Turnip-tailed geckos (<i>Thecadactylus solimoensis</i>) by a Spectacled Owl (<i>Pulsatrix perspicillata</i>)

SEDICI - Repositorio de la UNLP

Nota
37
Author for correspondence: daza@shsu.edu
Predation on Southern Turnip-tailed geckos (Thecadactylus 
solimoensis) by a Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)
Juan D. Daza1, Lee Bension Price2, Christopher M. Schalk1, Aaron M. Bauer3, A. Randall Borman4, 
Julian Kerbis Peterhans2,5
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341, United States of America.
2 Science and Education, The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, United States of America.
3 Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, United States of America.
4 Fundación para la Sobrevivencia del Pueblo Cofán, Mariano Cardenal N74-153 y Joaquín Mancheno Carcelen 
Alto, Quito, Ecuador
5 College of Professional Studies, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, United States of America.
Cuad. herpetol. 31 (1): 37-39 (2017)
Geckos of the genus Thecadactylus are widely dis-
tributed across the New World, and range from the 
Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico to northern Bolivia as 
well as across the Lesser Antilles (Russell and Bauer, 
2002). Known predators of Thecadactylus geckos in-
clude a number of snake species (Leptophis ahaetulla 
[Hero and Magnusson, 1987], Siphlophis cervinus [da 
Cunha and Nascimento, 1994; dos Santos-Costa et 
al., 2015], Leptophis mexicanus [Campbell, 1998], 
Erythrolamprus cobella [Mole and Urich, 1894; 
Boos, 2001], Corallus caninus [Henderson, 1993], 
and Bothriechis schlegelii [Lindey and Sorrell, 2004]), 
Double-toothed Kites (Harpagus bidentatus [Ha-
verschmidt, 1962]), bats (Goodwin and Greenhall, 
1961; Tuttle, 1967; Greene 1988; Ferrer et al., 1998), 
and centipedes (Olson, 1993). 
Birds are important predators of reptiles as 
their metabolic demands may impose strong selec-
tion on the evolution of defensive strategies (Greene, 
1988; Pianka and Vitt, 2003). Owls are important 
consumers of small vertebrates and their regurgita-
ted pellets contain the undigestible bones and hair 
of vertebrate prey, which facilitates the accumula-
tion and fossilization of small vertebrate remains 
(Dodson and Wexlar, 1979). The analysis of these 
remains provides direct evidence about their trophic 
ecology and predator-prey interactions (Yom-Tov 
and Wool, 1997). 
Here we report a partial left maxilla (Fig. 1) 
found in an owl pellet, recovered from Cuyabeno 
Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador (0° 23’ 43.00’’ S; 75° 54’ 
47.05’’ W) along the margin of the Zabalo River. The 
pellet was regurgitated by a Spectacled Owl (Pul-
satrix perspicillata). The maxilla belongs to a gecko 
according to diagnostic features of this group such 
as a single posterior process, and conical teeth with 
rounded crowns (Evans, 2008; Daza et al., 2015). 
There are four species of geckos in the Cuyabeno 
Wildlife Reserve area: O’Shaughnessy’s Gecko (Go-
natodes concinnatus; Sphaerodactylidae), Trinidad 
Gecko (Gonatodes humeralis; Sphaerodactylidae), 
Amazon Pigmy Gecko (Pseudogonatodes guianensis; 
Sphaerodactylidae), and Southern Turnip-Tailed 
Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis; Phyllodactylidae) 
(Miyata, 1982; Vitt and de la Torre, 1996). Based on 
the length of the maxilla, the length of the skull of 
Recibida:  3 0  Nov i e mbre  2 0 1 6
Revisada:  2 1  F e b r e r o  2 0 1 7
Aceptada:  2 1  F e b r e r o  2 0 1 7
Editor  Asociado:  M.  Cabrera 
ABSTRACT
We report on the predation of Thecadactylus solimoensis (Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) by an 
owl, Pulsatrix perspicillata (Aves, Strigiformes). Examination of pellets collected from a P. per-
spicillata roost contained a partial left maxilla of a gecko. The maxilla contained the following 
traits, which confirmed the identification of T. solimoensis: the large size of the maxilla, at least 
27 tooth loci, a thickened medial side of the maxillary palatal shelf, a horizontal shelf at the base 
of the facial process, and blade like posterior process that does not taper abruptly. This is the 
first report of a gecko in the genus Thecadactylus being preyed upon by an owl.
Key Words: Diet; osteology; CT scans; Phyllodactylidae; Strigiformes.
38
J. D. Daza et al.  - Thecadactylus solimoensis predation by Pulsatrix perspicillata
the animal consumed by the owl is estimated to be 
about 20 mm long. Size alone serves to eliminate 
the three species of sphaerodactylids, which have 
miniaturized skulls which do not exceed 15 mm in 
length (Rieppel, 1984; Daza et al., 2008). Additional 
features support the identification as T. solimoensis, 
including tooth count (at least 27 tooth loci preser-
ved and possibly more than 30 loci in total), a thicke-
ned medial side of the maxillary palatal shelf (where 
the bone contacts the ectopterygoid), a horizontal 
shelf at the base of the facial process, and a blade 
like posterior process that does not taper abruptly. 
This combination of traits are found on the lateral 
side of the bone in phyllodactylid geckos (Daza and 
Bauer, unpublished data).
This report is the first to document an owl as 
a predator of geckos in the genus Thecadactylus. 
Because of their nocturnal habits, Thecadactylus 
geckos are vulnerable to predation by owls and other 
nocturnal predators. In this region, both species of 
Gonatodes and P. guianensis are diurnal (Vitt and 
de la Torre, 1996; Gamble et al., 2015), and are not 
likely to be prey of P. perspicillata. 
Acknowledgements
We thank Alan Resetar, Rachel Grill, Gregory E. Sch-
neider, and Jens Vindum for access to comparative 
material. We also thank Jessica Maisano from the 
University of Texas at Austin for assistance obtaining 
the computer tomography data.
Literature cited
Boos, H.E.A. 2001. The Snakes of Trinidad and Tobago. Texas 
A&M University Press, College Station, TX.
Campbell, J.A. 1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern 
Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. University of Oklahoma 
Press, Norman, OK.
Figure 1. Right maxilla of Thecadactylus solimoensis. (A–E) High Resolution Computer Tomography of specimen CAS 95146 (housed 
at the California Academy of Sciences) from Colonia Callería in the city of Pucallpa, region Ucayali, Peru. (F–H) material recovered 
from the owl pellets (material housed at The Field Museum, uncatalogued).
39
Cuad. herpetol. 31 (1): 37-39 (2017)
da Cunha, O.R. & Nascimento, F.P. 1994. Ofídios da Amazônia. 
As cobras da região leste do Pará. Publicação Avulsa do 
Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi 31: 1-218.
Daza, J.D., Abdala, V., Thomas, R. & Bauer, A.M. 2008. Skull 
anatomy of the miniaturized gecko Sphaerodactylus 
roosevelti (Squamata: Gekkota). Journal of Morphology 
269: 1340-1364.
Daza, J.D., Bauer, A.M., Sand, C., Lilley, I., Wake, T.A. & 
Valentin, F. 2015. Reptile remains from Tiga (Tokanod), 
Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. Pacific Science 69: 531-557.
Dodson, P. & Wexlar, D. 1979. Taphonomic investigations of 
owl pellets. Paleobiology 5: 275-284.
dos Santos-Costa, M.C., Maschio, G.F. & da Costa Prudente, 
A.L. 2015. Natural history of snakes from Floresta Nacional 
de Caxiuanã, eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Herpetology Notes 
8: 69-98.
Evans, S.E. 2008. The skull of lizards and tuatara, pp. 1-347. 
In: Gans, C., Gaunt, A.S.  and Adler, K. (eds.), Biology 
of the Reptilia. Volume 20: Morphology H: The skull of 
Lepidosauria. Society for the Study of Amphibians and 
Reptiles, Ithaca, NY.
Ferrer P. A., Lew, D. & Lasso A. 1998. Nota sobre depredación por 
Trachops cirrhosus Spix, 1823 (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) 
en Venezuela. Memoria 58: 145-148.
Gamble, T., Greenbaum, E., Jackman, T.R. & Bauer, A.M. 
2015. Into the light: diurnality has evolved multiple times 
in geckos. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 115: 
896-910.
Goodwin, G.G. & Greenhall, A.M. 1961. A review of the bats 
of Trinidad and Tobago: Descriptions, rabies infection and 
ecology. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 
122: 191-301.
Greene, H.W. 1988. Antipredator mechanisms in reptiles, pp. 
1-152. In: Gans, C. and Huey, R.B. (eds.), Biology of the 
Reptilia. Volume 16.Alan R. Liss, New York, NY.
Haverschmidt, F. 1962. Notes on the feeding habits and food of 
some hawks of Surinam. The Condor 64: 154-158.
Henderson, R.W. 1993. On the diets of some arboreal boids. 
Herpetological Natural History 1: 91-96.
Hero, J.M. & Magnusson,W. 1987. Leptophis ahaetulla. Food. 
Herpetological Review 18: 16.
Lindey, S.D. & Sorrell, G.G. 2004. Bothriechis schlegelii (Eyelash 
Viper). Prey/predator weight ratio and diet. Herpetological 
Review 35: 272-273.
Miyata, K. 1982. A check list of the amphibians and reptiles of 
Ecuador with a bibliography of Ecuadorian herpetology. 
Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service 54: 1|70.
Mole, R.R. & Urich, F.W. 1894. Biological notes upon some 
of the Ophidia of Trinidad, B.W.I., with a preliminary list 
of the species recorded from the island. Proceedings of the 
Zoological Society of London 1894: 499-518.
Olson, R.E. 1993. Brief notes on two Amazonian lizards. Bulletin 
of the Chicago Herpetological Society 28: 119.
Pianka, E.R. & Vitt, L.J. 2003. Lizards: Windows to the Evolution 
of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Rieppel, O. 1984. Miniaturization of the lizard skull: its 
functional and evolutionary implications, pp. 503|520. In: 
Ferguson, M.J.W. (ed.), The Structure, Development and 
Evolution of Reptiles. The Zoological Society of London, 
Academic Press, London, UK.
Russell, A.P., & Bauer, A.M. 2002. Thecadactylus T. rapicauda. 
Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 753: 1-16.
Tuttle, M.D. 1967. Predation by Chiropterus auritus on geckos. 
Journal of Mammalogy 48: 319.
Vitt, L.J. & de la Torre, S. 1996. Guía para la Investigación de 
las Lagartijas de Cuyabeno. Museo de Zoología (QCAZ), 
Centro de Biodiversidad y Ambiente, Pontificia Universidad 
Católica del Ecuador, Monografía 1.
Yom-Tov, Y.& Wool, D. 1997. Do the contents of barn owl pellets 
accurately represent the proportion of prey species in the 
field? The Condor 99: 972-976.
© 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 on Southern Turnip-tailed geckos (<i>Thecadactylus solimoensis</i>) by a Spectacled Owl (<i>Pulsatrix perspicillata</i>)

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