Eliane Ferreira-Silva, Edson de Souza Lima
Termite predation by the hoary fox, Pseudalopex vetulus (Lund) (Carnivora, Canidae), in a pasture in Mato Grosso, Central Brazil / Prédation des termites par le renard du Brésil, Pseudalopes vetulus (Lund) (Carnivora, Canidae), dans les p
The hoary fox, Pseudalopex vetulus, is the smallest Brazilian canid and depends heavily on termites for food. In a cultivated pasture in Mato Grosso state, Central Brazil, plots were established to measure the abundance of groups of termite species potentially consumed by P. vetulus. Scats were collected during the wet and dry seasons in the same pasture and analyzed to determine the actual consumption of termites and other food items. The abundance of the various termite species was compared with the occurrence of termite cephalic capsules and the biomass of consumed termites in scats. Cornitermes snyderi, Syntermes nanus, S. molestus and S. grandis were represented in scats. However, of these, only C. snyderi and S. nanus occurred in the plots. Arthropods were the most important group in the diet, occurring in all scats and representing 91.7% of all ingested items. Within the arthropods, termites accounted for more than half (54.4%) of the items. Vertebrate remains and fruits occurred in low percentages. The abundance, consumption and biomass of consumed termites differed significantly between seasons, and more beetles and fruits were consumed in the wet season. The abundance of termites recorded in the plots and scats suggests that P. vetulus did not have a preference for any one species, but consumed items according to their availability.
Mammalia, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0025-1461
Volume: 70, 03/2006
Pages: 255 - 260
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