PREDATION ON Pristimantis pluvian (ANURA: STRABOMANTIDAE) BY Paleosuchus trigonatus (CROCODYLIA: ALLIGATORIDAE) IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Crocodilians are apex predators with a generalist diet, consuming a wide variety of invertebrates and vertebrates. In this study, we describe a predation event of the frog Pristimantis pluvian by a juvenile Paleosuchus trigonatus in the municipality of Paranaíta, Mato Grosso, Brazil, in August 2020. This observation represents the first record of a crocodilian preying on a species of the genus Pristimantis, and the fifth amphibian species confirmed as prey of P. trigonatus. During the dry season, P. pluvian becomes more terrestrial, while in rainy season it presents more arboreal behavior (vocalization sites). This seasonal shift in microhabitat use likely facilitates predations such as this one described herein, which occured during the dry season. Additionally, this scenario suggests that the consumption of small sized amphibians, including other Pristimantis species, by P. trigonatus may be more common than previously documented, especially among juvenile caimans.