Faecal analysis suggests generalist diets in three species of Western Cape cordylids

Climate has been proposed as an explanation for the present-day distribution of closely-related melanistic and non-melanistic cordylid species in the southwestern Cape of South Africa. However, diet may also contribute towards shaping geographic distributions. We present preliminary data on diet com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:African zoology Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 125 - 130
Main Authors: Clusella-Trullas, S., Botes, A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: The Zoological Society of Southern Africa 01.08.2008
Subjects:
Arthropoda
arthropods
Coleoptera
Cordylidae
Cordylus cordylus
dietary niche
habitat availability
Hymenoptera
resource partitioning
Short communications
South Africa
thermal melanism hypothesis
ISSN:1562-7020
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Summary:Climate has been proposed as an explanation for the present-day distribution of closely-related melanistic and non-melanistic cordylid species in the southwestern Cape of South Africa. However, diet may also contribute towards shaping geographic distributions. We present preliminary data on diet composition based on analyses of faecal pellets of Cordylus cordylus (non-melanistic), C. niger (melanistic) and C. oelofseni (melanistic). Coleoptera were the most common prey ingested both in summer and early spring for all species, followed by Hymenoptera for all species in summer. The overlap in other arthropod taxa ingested was low across species and seasons, suggesting an opportunistic component to their foraging behaviour. We distinguished plant matter in faecal samples of all species in all seasons, reflecting either voluntary or accidental ingestion. The results of this study suggest that the generalist diets of these cordylid species should not constrain their distributions despite the common preference for coleopterans.
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ISSN:1562-7020
DOI:10.3377/1562-7020%282008%2943%5B125%3AFASGDI%5D2.0.CO%3B2