Papers by Rafael Alejandro Calzada Arciniega
Predation of Leptodactylus melanonotus (ANURA: LEPTODACTYLIDAE) by Cupiennius salei (ARANEAE: CTE... more Predation of Leptodactylus melanonotus (ANURA: LEPTODACTYLIDAE) by Cupiennius salei (ARANEAE: CTENIDAE) Predation is the greatest cause of mortality in natural populations and can occur in any life history stage, (Vitt and Caldwell, 2009). Amphibians are preyed by invertebrates including spiders at all life stages. Small-bodied and juvenile amphibians are prey for numer-ous arthropods including insects, amblypygids and spiders, however no invertebrate species is recognized as specialist predator of this group. Most species are generalist predators that feed opportunistically on available food items (Wells, 2007; Vitt and Caldwell, 2009). Anurophagy by spiders is well documented in other reviews on the subject (Toledo, 2005; Menin et al., 2005; Maffei et al., 2010). On 4 February 2014 I observed the first record of one individual of Leptodactylus melanonotus Hallowell, 1861 being preyed upon by Cupiennius salei Keyserling, 1877 in La Mancha, Municipality of Actopan, State of Veracruz...
Zootaxa
A new species of treefrog from the genus Charadrahyla is described from the cloud forest of weste... more A new species of treefrog from the genus Charadrahyla is described from the cloud forest of western Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. Charadrahyla sakbah sp. nov., is distinguished from the rest of the species in the genus by the large body size (81.15–85.75 mm and 67.91–73.21 mm in adult females and males respectively), axillary membrane, adult males with hypertrophied webbings between toes I and II, nuptial excrescences, one enlarged conical tubercle on either side of vent, vocal slits absent, and sexual dimorphism in the snout shape in dorsal profile (rounded and acuminate in females and males respectively). The hypertrophied webbings are a unique character among other hylids of Middle America, and are only present in C. trux, C. tecuani and the species described herein. These three species inhabit the cloud forest of the Sierra Madre del Sur, and are probably closely related. However, more detailed phylogenetic analyses are needed to define the internal relationships of th...
The third known specimen of this species (and the second record for Guerrero, México) is reported.
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Papers by Rafael Alejandro Calzada Arciniega