Food habits and substrate use by the South American xenodontine snake Erythrolamprus frenatus, with comments on its brightly-coloured venter

ABSTRACT

Erythrolamprus frenatus belongs to the Family Dipsadidae, is distributed mainly within Cerrado areas of southeastern South America and it is poorly known in your diet and use of the substrate. Information on substrate use and diet was obtained from unpublished data provided by other researchers and specimens deposited in the herpetological collections, respectively. Five specimens were observed in the water, while two others were found on the ground, but close to bodies of water. Four prey items were recorded, and all of them being swamp eels of the family Synbranchidae. Our results providing important information on substrate use and diet of this species, and suggests that E. frenatus is a fish-eatinger snake, which seems to have specialized on elongated fishes. The presence of brightly colored belly in E. frenatus, suggests that this pattern may be a defensive tactic against aquatic predators.