Bothrops diporus (Chacoan lancehead). Diet.

ACOSTA P.; CARRASCO, P. A.; LEYNAUD, G.

HERPETOLOGICAL REVIEW

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)

Año: 2022 vol. 53 p. 692 - 693

0018-084X

Bothrops diporus is a member of the B. neuwiedi group which is found across the South American dry diagonal. It is a terrestrial, medium-sized pitviper whose total length may reach 120 cm. It inhabits subtropical deciduous forests and grasslands, from central Bolivia and Paraguay to central Argentina. Like many Bothrops species, B. diporus has a generalist diet, feeding on rodents, lizards, and frogs . Here, we report an unusual prey item for B. diporus found during examination of stomach contents of an adult specimen. The specimen was collected by locals in Alta Gracia, Córdoba Province, Argentina, and deposited in the herpetological collection of the Center for Applied Zoology of the National University of Córdoba. The ingested prey was identified as Phalotris suspectus and was found coiled in the stomach so we could not determine if it was ingested headfirst or tail first. Bothrops diporus feeding on colubrid snakes has beenreported previously, but this is the first record of P. suspectus in the diet of the species. Phalotris suspectus (Elapomorphini) is a fossorial snake, widely distributed in Argentina, from the northwestern part of the country to northern Patagonia. Ophiophagy is rare in the genus Bothropsand has been reported for only a few species (e.g., B. moojeni, B. atrox, B. jararacussu. Our recordreinforces the generalist and opportunistic diet of B. diporus.