Authors: PERSAUD D.¹; WERNER N.²; WERNER Y.L.³

Source: Journal of Natural History, Volume 37, Number 14, July 2003 , pp. 1765-1777(13)

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

Abstract:

Taxonomic families of insectivorous lizards are usually characterized by one of two distinct foraging modes, namely ambush 'sit-and-wait' or active 'widely foraging'. In the Gekkonomorpha the situation has been unclear and in dispute, and among these, that in the Sphaerodactylini is almost unreported. We, therefore, examined the foraging mode of three sphaerodactylin species on Trinidad and Tobago, in May-June 2000 (totalling 72 individuals, observations averaging 23.6 min/individual ). In terms of species averages, Gonatodes vittatus, G. humeralis and G. ocellatus all moved for only 1.6-3.55% of observation time (PTM, percent time moving), and switched from sitting to locomoting only 0.18-0.36 times per minute (MPM, moves per minute). The genus thus is a strict sit-and-wait forager. In G. vittatus, the foraging mode was unaffected by sex or habitat structure. In all three species, foraging mode was unaffected by the time of day or air temperature. In G. humeralis, foraging activity (PTM or MPM) correlated with light intensity in the forest within a population (at least MPM) and among populations (at least PTM). Among the three species, too, foraging activity (PTM and MPM) ranked with light intensity during sampling. In all three species, the geckos perched for 68-76% of the time (at any height) with the head pointing down, apparently so as to see better. In conclusion, the three species are strict 'sit-and-wait' visual hunters that are dependent on light.

Keywords: Geckos; Sphaerodactylini; Gonatodes vittatus; G. humeralis; G. ocellatus; Trinidad; Tobago; foraging mode; prey detection

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933210130366

Affiliations: 1: Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (West Indies) 2: 28 Ha-Ari Street, 92191 Jerusalem, Israel 3: Department of Evolution, Sytematics and Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel

Publication date: 2003-07-01

More about this publication?

• Editorial Board
• Information for Authors
• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Biology
• By this author: PERSAUD D. ;  WERNER N. ;  WERNER Y.L.

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers