Predation Record of Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) by Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira) (Aves: Cuculiformes: Cuculidae) in the Region of Arraial do Cabo, East Coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Marcelo Tardelli Rodrigues^1*, Rodrigo Cumplido¹, David Steinwender², David Braga Quintanilha¹, Ubirajara Gonçalves de Melo Junior¹, Patricia de Oliveira Paiva Quintanilha¹, Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas³

¹Programa Associado de Pós-Graduacao em Biotecnologia Marinha (PPGBM), Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira (IEAPM) and Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Arraial do Cabo-RJ, Brazil.
²Posto Avancado da área de Protecao Ambiental da Serra da Sapiatiba (APA da Serra da Sapiatiba), área de Protecao Ambiental do Pau Brasil (APA do Pau Brasil), and Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol (PECS), Superintendência Regional Lagos Sao Joao, Instituto Estadual do Ambiente (INEA), Cabo Frio-RJ, Brazil.
³Programa de Pós-Graduacao em Ecologia e Evolucao, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1105289                

Abstract

The tropical house gecko is an exotic and invasive lizard that has a wide distribution in the New World. Throughout its area of occurrence, the species is predated by several native predators, such as spiders, lizards, snakes, birds, and mammals. The guira cuckoo is a widely distributed bird in South America, usually found in man-impacted regions. The species feeds mainly on arthropods, small vertebrates, and reptiles, such as lizards. This note presents a documented record of predation of a tropical house gecko by a guira cuckoo in the region of Arraial do Cabo, east coast of Rio de Janeiro State, on December 22, 2017. This is one of the few documented records of predation of Hemidactylus mabouia by Guira guira in southeastern Brazil.

Keywords

Predation, Tropical House Gecko, Guira Cuckoo

Predation events are not easily observed in natural environments, and when seen, are often difficult to precisely identify the involved species. The precise identification of natural predators may contribute to the knowledge, a wide variety of strategies used by prey, such as defensive behavior, microhabitat use and activity patterns [1] . Concerning to exotic and invasive species, this kind of information can be especially useful, for understanding population dynamics and its effective control [2] .

The tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) belongs to the Class Reptilia, Order Squamata, and to the Family Gekkonidae. It is an exotic and invasive species widely distributed in the New World, occurring from North America [3] and Central America [4] to South America [5] . The tropical house gecko presents nocturnal habits and is commonly found in anthropogenic environments [6] . Due to its wide distribution, H. mabouia is able to interact with a wide variety of species, and has been reported as prey to several native predators, such as spiders [7] , lizards [8] , snakes [9] [10] , birds [11] [12] [13] , and mammals [14] .

The guira cuckoo (Guira guira) belongs to the Class Aves, Order Cuculiformes, and to the Family Cuculidae. The species presents a wide geographical distribution in South America, being commonly found in anthropogenic and open areas [15] [16] . It is a diurnal predator that feeds mainly on arthropods [16] [17] [18] and small vertebrates [16] [18] , such as the anurans, which are their most frequent prey [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] . Although some studies have recorded some lizards as prey of guira cuckoo [20] [24] [25] , such as the tropical house gecko [12] , the accurate identification of the lizards species consumed by this bird in scientific publications is still scarce [20] .

This note reports the predation of the tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) by the guira cuckoo (Guira guira) (Aves: Cuculiformes: Cuculidae) in the region of Arraial do Cabo (22˚58'40''S, 42˚01'58''W), located on the east coast of Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil.

On December 22, 2017, a predatory event involving a tropical house gecko and a guira cuckoo was observed (Figure 1) in a forest fragment at Pontal do Atalaia Hill, in Arraial do Cabo-RJ. The first sighting occurred on a rock near the fishermen’s guardhouse, which faces the Grande Beach, and shortly thereafter, the bird flew to a nearby tree, where it remained for about thirteen minutes, handling and biting the prey with the beak, before flying again and not being sighted, which made it impossible for us to know if it had swallowed the prey. During the predatory event, it was observed that the lizard did not move, indicating that it was already dead.

Figure 1. Predation of tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) by guira cuckoo (Guira guira) in Pontal do Atalaia Hill, region of Arraial do Cabo, east coast of Rio de Janeiro State, on December 22, 2017. Source: David Steinwender.

After the event we recorded the characteristics of the prey by analyzing the photographs taken, and compared it with photos and information contained in scientific papers [6] [12] [25] [26] [27] and book [28] . The comparisons allowed us to identify the prey as the species Hemidactylus mabouia (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae), popularly known as tropical house gecko.

Hemidactylus mabouia is a nocturnal species that can be found commonly in anthropic or perianthropic environments (species that tolerate human presence but live in forests). In Brazil, it lives in different ecosystems, such as the Atlantic Forest, Amazon Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Sandbanks, being also found in some islands of the Brazilian Coast. The tropical house gecko was considered only a species restricted to anthropic environments, but evidence indicates the possibility that this species is penetrating wild environments [5] . By having nocturnal habits, H. mabouia is commonly predated by owl species [29] [30] and bats [14] . The species is also predated by diurnal birds along its area of occurrence, such as smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani) [11] and the roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) [31] .

There are few documented records of predation of tropical house gecko by guira cuckoo in the scientific literature. In Brazil, we find only a published documented record for the northeast to date [12] and five records of G. guira individuals feeding on lizards in the Wikiaves photographic database [32] , which also allowed us to identify the prey as the species H. mabouia. The information contained in this study suggests that the predatory event involving tropical house gecko and guira cuckoo is likely to occur wherever the two species live in sympatry along its areas of occurrence on the Brazilian coast and amplifies the knowledge about the behavior of the tropical house gecko and the guira cuckoo, especially in relation to the predation of Hemidactylus mabouia by Guira guira in southeastern Brazil.

Acknowledgements

We thank the Instituto Estadual do Ambiente (INEA) park rangers for their support during the hikes in the Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol (PECS).

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

References

[1]	Rocha, C.F.D. and Vrcibradic, D. (1998) Reptiles as Predators of Vertebrates and as Preys in a Restinga Habitat of Southeastern Brazil. Ciência e Cultura Journal of the Brazilian Association for the Advancement of Science, 50, 364-368.
[2]	Cabrera-Gúzman, E., Crossland, M.R. and Shine, R. (2012) Predation on the Eggs and Larvae of Invasive Cane Toads (Rhinella marina) by Native Aquatic Invertebrates in Tropical Australia. Biological Conservation, 153, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.04.012
[3]	Meshaka, W.E. (2000) Colonization Dynamics of Two Exotic Geckos (Hemidactylus garnotii and H. mabouia) in Everglades National Park. Journal of Herpetology, 34, 63-168. https://doi.org/10.2307/1565258
[4]	Howard, K.G., Parmerlee, J.S. and Powell, R. (2001) Natural History of the Edificarian Geckos Hemidactylus mabouia, Thecadactylus rapicauda, and Sphaerodactylus sputator on Anguilla. Caribbean Jour-nal of Science, 37, 285-288.
[5]	Rocha, C.F.D., Anjos, L.A. and Bergallo, H.G. (2011) Conquering Brazil: The Invasion by the Exotic Gekkonid Lizard Hemidactylus mabouia (Squamata) in Brazilian Natural Environments. Zoologia, 28, 747-754. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702011000600007
[6]	Avila-Pires, T.C.S. (1995) Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen, 299, 1-706.
[7]	Lanschi, F.A. and Ferreira, R.B. (2012) Hemidactylus mabouia (Tropical House Gecko): Predation. Herpetological Review, 43, 133-134.
[8]	Siqueira, C.C. and Rocha, C.F.D. (2008) Predation by Lizards as a Mortality Source for Juvenile Lizards in Brazil. South American Journal of Herpetology, 3, 82-87.
[9]	Mesquita, P.C.M.D., Borges-Nojosa, D.M., Passos, D.C. and Bezerra, C.H. (2011) Ecology of Philodryas nattereri in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region. Herpetological Journal, 21, 193-198.
[10]	Vrcibradic, D. and Eisfeld, A. (2016) Predation on a Tropical House Gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia by a Juvenile Colubrid Snake, Chironius bicarinatus, in a Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Area. Cuadernos de herpetología, 30, 75-77.
[11]	Figueiredo-de-Andrade, C.A. and Silveira, A.L. (2012) Hemidactylus mabouia (Tropical House Gecko): Predation. Herpetological Bulletin, 121, 37-38.
[12]	Andrade, R.A., Siqueira, Y.F. and Passos, D.C. (2015) Predation of Hemidactylus mabouia (Squamata: Gekkonidae) by Guira guira (Cuculiformes: Cuculidae) in Northeastern Brazil. Boletim do Museu de Biologia Mello Leitao, 37, 201-206.
[13]	Sazima, I. (2015) Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) Shelter Raided by a Single Tyrannid Bird (Pitangus sulphuratus) in an Urban Park. Herpetology Notes, 8, 433-435.
[14]	Wojnowski, D. and Selempo, E. (2005) Hemidactylus mabouia (Tropical House Gecko): Predation. Herpetological Review, 36, 178-179.
[15]	Sick, H. (1997) Ornitologia Brasileira. Editora Nova Fronteira, Rio de Janeiro, 912 p.
[16]	Payne, R.B. (2005) The Cuckoos: Cuculidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 618 p.
[17]	Schubart, O., Aguirre, A.C. and Sick, H. (1965) Contribuicao para o conhecimento da alimentacao das aves brasileiras. Arquivos de Zoologia, 12, 95-105.
[18]	Beltzer, A.H. (1995) Biología alimentaria del pirincho Guira guira (Aves: Cuculidae) en el valle alluvial del río Paraná Medio, Argentina. Revista de Ecología Latinoamericana, 2, 13-18.
[19]	Kokubum, M.N.C. and Zacca, W. (2003) Physalaemus cf. fuscomaculatus (NCN): Predation. Herpetological Review, 34, 232-233.
[20]	Soave, G.E., Darrieu, C.A., Aribalzaga, M.E., Camperi, A.R., Lúcia, M., Williams, J. and Juarez, M. (2008) Dieta del Pirincho (Guira guira) en el nordeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina (Cuculiformes: Cuculidae). Revista de Biología Tropical, 56, 1883-1892. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v56i4.5767
[21]	Mesquita, P.C.M.D. (2009) A Record of Predation on a Poisonous Toad Rhinella granulosa (Anura, Bufonidae) by Guira Cuckoo Guira guira (Cuculidae, Crotophaginae) in the State of Ceará, Brazil. Re-vista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 17, 84-85.
[22]	Repenning, M., Basso, H.C., Rossoni, J.R., Krügel, M.M. and Fontana, C.S. (2009) Análise comparativa da dieta de quatro espécies de cucos (Aves: Cuculidae), no sul do Brasil. Zoologia, 26, 443-453. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702009000300008
[23]	Morais, A.R., Si-queira, M.N. and Bastos, R.P. (2013) Predation on a Neotropical treefrog (Scinax aff. fuscovarius) by Guira guira (Aves, Cuculidae) in the State of Goiás, Central Brazil. Herpetology Notes, 6, 567-568.
[24]	Koski, D.A. and Mercon, L. (2015) Predation on Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) by the Guira Cuckoo Guira guira (Aves: Cuculiformes) in the State of Espírito Santo, Southeastern Brazil. Herpetology Notes, 8, 35-37.
[25]	Bernarde, P.S., Silva, A.M. and Recoder, R. (2016) Predation on the Lizard Pantodactylus parkeri Ruibal, 1952 (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) by Guira guira (Aves, Cuculidae) in the Pantanal at Pocone, Western Brazil. Herpetology Notes, 9, 279-281.
[26]	Vanzolini, P.E. (1968) Lagartos Brasileiros da Família Gekkonidae (Sauria). Arquivos de Zoologia, 17, 1-84. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2176-7793.v17i1p1-84
[27]	Vanzolini, P.E. (1978) On South American Hemidactylus (Sauria, Gekkonidae). Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, 31, 307-343.
[28]	Vitt, L., Magnusson, W.E., Pires, T.C.A. and Lima, A.P. (2008) Guia de Lagartos da Reserva Adolpho Ducke, Amazonia Central. áttema Design Editorial, Manaus, 180 p.
[29]	Silva-Porto, F. and Cerqueira, R. (1990) Seasonal Variation in the Diet of the Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia in a Restinga of Rio de Janeiro State. Ciência e Cultura, 42, 1182-1186.
[30]	Vieira, L.A. and Teixeira, R.L. (2008) Diet of Athene cunicularia (Molina, 1782) from a Sandy Coastal Plain in Southeast Brazil. Boletim do Museu de Biologia Mello Leitao, 23, 5-14.
[31]	Macêdo, B.R.M. and Freire, E.M.X. (2010) Hemidactylus mabouia (Tropical House Gecko): Predation. Herpetological Review, 41, 492-493.
[32]	Wikiaves (2013) Guira guira. https://www.wikiaves.com.br/wiki/aves