Estudio de la dieta de Boana punctata (Schneider, 1799) (anura: hylidae) en dos localidades del departamento del Meta

Abstract

Amphibians play a fundamental role in ecosystem dynamics by regulating arthropod populations and contributing to energy flow across different trophic levels. However, information on the feeding ecology of many Neotropical species remains limited, particularly in the Meta Department, Colombia. This study aimed to evaluate variation in the diet composition of Boana punctata between two localities in the Meta Department: La Macarena and Miravalles. Stomach contents from 43 individuals were analyzed using an adapted non-lethal gastric lavage technique with avian crop needles, allowing prey retrieval without compromising animal survival. Food items were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level, and prey categories were characterized using frequency of occurrence and relative abundance. Diet composition was compared using a Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) based on Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, while trophic niche breadth was estimated using Levins' and standardized Levins' indices. Nine arthropod orders were recorded as prey, with Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Araneae being the most representative groups. Although differences in the relative importance of some prey categories were observed between localities, the multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in overall diet composition (PERMANOVA: F = 1.81; R² = 0.076; p = 0.12). Likewise, trophic niche breadth was similar between sites (BA = 0.482 and BA = 0.446), indicating an intermediate niche breadth. Overall, the results suggest that Boana punctata maintains a flexible feeding strategy, adjusting prey consumption according to local resource availability without substantially modifying its overall pattern of trophic resource use. Furthermore, this study contributes to the knowledge of the species' natural history and highlights the potential of non-lethal methodologies for trophic ecology and conservation research.