New article on the trophic niche of sympatric salamanders

New article on the trophic niche of sympatric salamanders

In this article we further studied the trophic niche of two sympatric salamanders: the Fire salamander Salamandra salamandra and the Italian cave salamander Speleomantes italicus. We here collected data on the autumnal diet and, besides comparing that of the two species, for each species we also evaluated seasonal divergences.

 Title: Variability of Seasonal Trophic Niche in Two Sympatric Salamanders: Italian Cave Salamanders and Fire Salamanders

 Authors: Fabio Cianferoni, Milos Di Gregorio, Claudia Corti, Enrico Lunghi

 Journal: Herpetologica

 Link to the article Variability of Seasonal Trophic Niche in Two Sympatric Salamanders: Italian Cave Salamanders and Fire Salamanders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New article published in the special issue “Salamanders: Distribution, Diversity, and Conservation” of Animals

New article published in the special issue “Salamanders: Distribution, Diversity, and Conservation” of Animals

In this article we studied the trophic niche of two sympatric salamanders, the fire salamander Salamandra salamandra and the Italian cave salamander Speleomantes italicus. We found that the Italian cave salamander mostly consumed flying prey with a hard cuticle, while the fire salamander preferred worm-like and soft-bodied prey. We hypothesize that in our case, the two species of salamanders did not have to change their prey preference in order to avoid competition, but divergences in metabolism and behavioral traits likely worked as natural deterrent.

Title: The Trophic Niche of Two Sympatric Species of Salamanders (Plethodontidae and Salamandridae) from Italy

Authors: Enrico Lunghi, Claudia Corti, Marta Biaggini, Yahui Zhao and Fabio Cianferoni

Journal: Animals

Link to the article: The Trophic Niche of Two Sympatric Species of Salamanders (Plethodontidae and Salamandridae) from Italy