Predation of the Japanese keelback (Hebius vibakari Boie, 1826) by the Slender racer (Orientocoluber spinalis Peters, 1866)

Journal of Ecology and Environment

Alejandro Grajal-Puche¹  Jiho Park²  Jaejin Park³  Il-Kook Park⁴  Daesik Park⁴  Seong-Hun Min⁴ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 86001, Flagstaff, AZ, USA;Department of Biology, Kangwon National University, Kangwon, 24341, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea;Department of Regional Innovation, Kangwon National University, Kangwon, 24341, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea;Division of Science Education, Kangwon National University, Kangwon, 24341, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea;

关键词: Hebius vibakari;    Island;    Ophiophagy;    Orientocoluber spinalis;    Predation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41610-021-00197-8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe Slender racer (Orientocoluber spinalis Peters, 1866) has recently been reclassified to the new genus Orientocoluber from Hierophis. Ecological knowledge of this species is limited due to its highly mobile behavior. On 17 July 2020, we captured a female O. spinalis on Oeyeon Island, Boryeong-si, Republic of Korea, and collected its feces for a diet analysis. We observed snake scales from the collected feces and subsequently determined the prey species through morphological and molecular methods.ResultsWe initially hypothesized that the extracted fecal sample scales belonged to H. vibakari, due to their thin keel and rhombus shape. We also amplified H. vibakari DNA from the extracted fecal sample using Illumina sequencing methods. Our morphological and molecular results suggest that O. spinalis predates H. vibakari on Oeyeon Island.ConclusionThis is the first report of O. spinalis predating another snake species, ophiophagy, and implies that H. vibakari may be a crucial prey item for O. spinalis on Oeyeon Island.

【 授权许可】

CC BY