Feeding ecology of Hemidactylus mabouia in São Sebastião (Brazil)

 In this study the feeding ecology of Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès, 1818) is analyzed based on stomach contents of specimens collected in 1964, 1965 and 1967 in São Sebastião, southeastern Brazil. Hemidactylus mabouia is an alien invasive species, especially in South America, with known negative impacts on its environment. Our results suggest that the studied population shows a generalist feeding habit. We detected a nearly complete niche overlap in the diet of males, females and juveniles. The most important prey items of all specimens were lepidopterans followed by dipterans. In general, most prey items were winged insects, which may be characteristic for populations living close to human civilization. Different to other studies on the diet of H. mabouia juveniles showed the highest trophic diversity.