Autoecologia do lagarto Brasiliscincus heathi (Squamata- Mabuyidae) na diagonal de formações abertas da caatinga

Abstract

The tropical lizard Brasiliscincus heathi can be found across South American open diagonal formations within the Caatinga regions. Researches on ecological aspects are scarce. In this study, the diet, reproduction, morphology and sexual dimorphism associated with the lizard in several states belonging to the Caatinga Biome were evaluated. The diet of B. heathi is generalist, with 14 categories of insect and arthropod prey being identified. General analysis revealed the most important items were:Blattodea (25,62%), Coleoptera (17,39%), Orthoptera (16,88%). The variation of SVL of females was slightly positive when related to the number of embryos. There is sexual dimorphism since females are larger than males F1,153 = 0,472, this aspect is probably correlated with stronger sexual selection in females, since longer bodies can carry more embryos.